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Saturday, October 24, 2026Fix, build and use your credit — scores, reports, cards, loans, the rules and the scams, explained around the clock

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Credit can feel like a locked room. It isn’t: the most useful things you can do are free, and you can do them yourself. Pick where you’re starting from.

Three free things everyone can do

  1. See your reports. AnnualCreditReport.com — The only site authorized for the free reports the law guarantees. All three bureaus let you check each report free every week. By phone: 1-877-322-8228.
  2. Fix what’s wrong. Disputes are free: CFPB: how to dispute an error, or build a dispute letter here.
  3. Lock the door. USA.gov: freeze your credit — Freezing and unfreezing your credit is free at each of the three bureaus.

Something’s wrong on my report

An account you don’t recognize, a late payment you made on time, a balance that’s wrong, a debt that isn’t yours.

  1. Get your free reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. An error can show up on one report and not the others.
  2. Dispute with each credit bureau that shows the error — online, by mail or by phone. Say what’s wrong and why, and include copies (never originals) of anything that shows it.
  3. Dispute with the company that reported it, too (the “furnisher” — your bank, card issuer, lender or a collector). Furnishers generally must respond within 30 days.
  4. Keep copies of everything you send. If you mail it, certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof it arrived.
  5. If it isn’t fixed, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB. If the error is fraud, start at IdentityTheft.gov.
  6. Disputing is free. You don’t need to pay anyone to do it for you.

Go to: CFPB: how to dispute an error · Equifax: dispute online · Experian: dispute online or by mail · TransUnion: dispute online · CFPB sample dispute letter (PDF) · CFPB: submit a complaint · Build a dispute letter

No credit yet

Starting from zero: a student, new to the country, or you’ve never had a card or a loan.

  1. Check whether you have a credit file at all: ask for your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.
  2. Common first steps are a secured credit card (your deposit usually becomes your limit), a credit-builder loan from a bank or credit union, or being added as an authorized user on someone else’s card. Ask whether the lender reports to all three bureaus.
  3. Pay every bill on time. Payment history is the biggest single factor in FICO Scores.
  4. Keep your card balance low compared with your limit, and pay it in full when you can.
  5. Give it time. A score needs some history — there’s no shortcut, and anyone selling one is selling a scam.

Go to: AnnualCreditReport.com · FTC: fixing your credit

Rebuilding after trouble

Late payments, collections, a charge-off, a repossession or a bankruptcy in the past.

  1. Nobody can legally remove accurate negative information from your report — but its effect fades with time, and most negative items can stay on a report for up to seven years (bankruptcies longer).
  2. Check your reports for anything that’s wrong or outdated, and dispute it for free.
  3. From now on, pay every bill on time, and pay down card balances.
  4. Be wary of anyone who promises to erase bad credit. It’s illegal for credit repair companies to charge you before they’ve done the work.
  5. A nonprofit credit counselor can help you make a plan.

Go to: FTC: fixing your credit · AnnualCreditReport.com · NFCC: nonprofit credit counseling

Good, but want it better

Your credit works, and you want a better rate on a mortgage, a car or a card.

  1. Check all three reports for mistakes first — an error on any one of them can cost you when a lender checks that report.
  2. Pay on time, every time, and keep card balances low compared with your limits (your “utilization”).
  3. Apply for new credit only when you need it: an application usually means a hard inquiry.
  4. Know which score a lender uses — there are many versions of FICO Scores and VantageScores, and they can differ.
  5. Nobody can promise how many points a step will add. Be wary of anyone who does.

Go to: AnnualCreditReport.com · CFPB: how to dispute an error

Someone used my identity

A breach notice, accounts you didn’t open, or a collector calling about a debt you never had.

  1. Go to IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get a step-by-step recovery plan from the FTC.
  2. Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It’s free, and it makes it much harder for anyone to open new credit in your name. You can lift it when you apply for credit yourself.
  3. Get your reports and dispute every account you didn’t open.
  4. Contact the companies where the fraud happened, and ask them to close or freeze those accounts.

Go to: IdentityTheft.gov · USA.gov: freeze your credit · Equifax: security freeze · Experian: security freeze · TransUnion: credit freeze · AnnualCreditReport.com

Behind on bills or in collections

Collectors calling, a debt you can’t pay, or court papers.

  1. Don’t ignore it — especially a lawsuit. If you’re sued, respond by the court’s deadline; a legal aid office can help.
  2. Make sure the debt is yours and the amount is right before you pay. Collectors have to tell you who you owe and how much.
  3. Time limits for suing over old debts vary by state, and in some states a payment can restart the clock. Check before you pay an old debt.
  4. A nonprofit credit counselor can help you make a budget or a debt management plan.
  5. Be careful with any company that wants fees before it has settled a single debt.
  6. If a collector breaks the rules, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

Go to: NFCC: nonprofit credit counseling · CFPB: submit a complaint

Where this comes from: the steps follow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s and the Federal Trade Commission’s own guidance, and the links go to the official sites (checked Oct. 21, 2026). It’s general information, not legal or financial advice — for your own situation, a nonprofit credit counselor or a legal aid office can help.