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60% of People Who Try This Raise Their Credit Score Within 6 Months

The Penny Hoarder Staff

by The Penny Hoarder Staff

A woman hugs her young daughter next to a lake
Using Credit Sesame, Elisabeth Nyang was able to raise her credit score from 495 to 663. With the improved score, she was able to purchase a home for herself and her daughter, Gabriela Nyang. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
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Your credit score is important. The better your score, the better deal you’ll get on a mortgage, car loan or credit card. We’re talking big money here.

Even if you’re not buying a house anytime soon, a lousy credit score means you’ll get hit with a high security deposit whenever you rent a car or move into a new apartment.

To keep a closer eye on your credit, get your credit score and a “credit report card” for free from Credit Sesame. It breaks down exactly what’s on your credit report in layman’s terms, how it affects your score and how to address it.

The app makes it easy to manage your credit — so you can work on boosting your score.

In fact, 60% of Credit Sesame members see an increase in their credit score; 50% see at least a 10-point increase, and 20% see at least a 50-point increase after 180 days.

Can You Raise Your Credit Score by 100+ Points?

Does it sound too good to be true? We thought it might be, too — so we checked it out for ourselves.

Dana Sitar, an editor for The Penny Hoarder, found Credit Sesame in 2016, and by finally seeing what was going on with her credit, she has been able to raise her score 101 points — from 528 to 629.

We’ve talked to lots of others who have used the platform to better manage and raise their scores, too.

James Cooper knows all about having bad credit. As recently as 2017, his credit score was a lousy 524.

“I never had a credit card,” he says. “I had $6,000 worth of unpaid bills.”

Cooper raised his score by 277 points — from 524 to 801 — over the six months from June to November 2017.

Frankly, with the experiences we have gone through, I was embarrassed to even check my score.

Before coming across Credit Sesame, Jerry Morgan hadn’t bothered to check his credit score in, well, quite a while.

“Frankly, with the experiences we have gone through, I was embarrassed to even check my score,” he said.

Following recommendations from the service, he raised his score 120 points in six months.

Since signing up for Credit Sesame in January 2017, Elisabeth Nyang paid off a $17,500 pile of debt and raised her score from 495 to 663. That’s a 168-point jump.

By 2010, Melinda Smieja had racked up somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 in debt on 11 credit cards after years of caring for her terminally ill daughter. Her credit score was down to 480 by the time she checked on Credit Sesame.

In 2016, for the first time, Smieja’s credit score hit 680, crossing the line of what lenders consider “good credit.” By late 2017, it was up to 764.

Secrets to Raise Your Credit Score

A woman checks her credit score on credit sesame
You can check your credit score for free using Credit Sesame. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder

Once you sign up to get your free credit score and credit report card, Credit Sesame will give you personalized recommendations to better manage your credit and boost your score.

To get you started, here are a few of our favorite tips:

  1. Spot any errors.

    Did you know your credit score could be inaccurate? One out of five credit reports have an error, according to the Federal Trade Commission. On your credit report card, you should be able to spot any errors, then dispute the incorrect information and raise your credit score.

  2. Use less than 30% of your available credit.

    An important part of your credit score is how much of your available credit you’re using. Most experts suggest keeping it below 30%, but the lower, the better.

    You could call your credit card companies to ask for a high credit limit (then avoid spending more). Or, you can open a new credit card to raise your overall limit. Credit Sesame can suggest credit cards you’re most likely to qualify for, so you won’t waste your time with rejected applications.

  3. Stick old credit cards in the freezer.

    The length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your credit score, so closing old credit cards could actually hurt your score. Instead, when you’re ready to stop using an old card, freeze it, instead of cutting it up.

    Credit Sesame will show you the age of all of your credit accounts, so you can manage your credit age wisely.

The length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your credit score, so closing old credit cards could actually hurt your score. Instead, when you’re ready to stop using an old card, freeze it, instead of cutting it up.

Credit Sesame will show you the age of all of your credit accounts, so you can manage your credit age wisely.

Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score. Any score improvement is the result of many factors, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning and developing better credit habits.