Here’s How Anyone Can Add 200 Points to Their Credit Score

Your credit score is a faceless, contextless three-digit number on a computer screen or piece of paper. It was created by an algorithm that doesn’t care why you had trouble paying your bills one month — and you don't even get to defend yourself.

That’s why it can be so frustrating when your credit card application is rejected, or your interest rates shoot up, or you get turned down for an apartment based on something as seemingly arbitrary as your credit score.

The good news is you’re not saddled with that number forever. Your credit score is constantly changing, and there are plenty of moves you can make to raise your score.

Here are the first five steps you can take this week to improve your credit score.

1. Get all the facts

Once a year, you can request free copies of your credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian), either online, by phone or by mail. And you should.

When they arrive, you should read each credit report carefully. Mistakes happen all the time, and your reputation and credit score are on the line — so must do your due diligence and investigate. Make sure there are no errors on the reports, like old debts you’ve already paid down or incorrect "missed payments."

If you do find a mistake on a credit report, fret not. It’s an easy fix. You can dispute the error by contacting the creditor, who then has 30 days to investigate. If the issue is indeed an error, it’ll fall off your credit report within a month.

2. Call a truce with your creditors

Let’s say a bill got lost in the mail and you accidentally missed a payment. Or life happened, and you weren't able to make ends meet one month. Nobody's perfect — we've all been there.

All you have to do is write a “goodwill letter” explaining to the creditor why you weren’t able to make your payment on time. Your letter should be concise and to the point, and most importantly it should make a strong case for why you deserve to be cut some slack.

The creditor isn’t obligated to remove the blemish, but then again, this approach is more likely to work than doing nothing at all. So why not take a chance?

If the goodwill letter doesn’t pan out, don’t sweat it. Missed payments won’t stay on your credit report forever, and a couple of bumpy spots in your history aren’t the end of the world.

3. Put experts on the case

It’s important to keep in mind that a credit report doesn't come with a credit score, but don’t worry — that won’t cost you a penny either. There are companies out there will provide you with a free credit score.

They also will give you access to their (also free) credit monitoring service. This will let you view your credit reports and scores whenever you want, including all accounts where you owe money.

You can use this and Credit Sesame's personalized suggestions to plan out which accounts to pay down first, and start on your custom roadmap for getting out of debt and back on the right track.

The company also will assess your credit reports and walk you through a checklist of steps you can take today to improve your credit score. Signing up takes less than two minutes, and some Credit Sesame customers have even seen credit score improvements of almost 300 points.

You can continue to use Credit Sesame to track your progress and hold yourself accountable. And, hey, it's kind of fun watching your credit score react to all your hard work.

4. Ask someone else to pay your bills this month

Let’s face it — your credit card company isn’t doing you any favors. Those insanely high interest rates are serious motivation killers, and so is trying to keep up with a pile of bills.

You could keep trying to ascend the mountain of debt on your own. Or you could get a a lender to help you consolidate your debt so you can get rid of it for good.

Here’s how it works: After you answer some questions, you'll be assessed for your creditworthiness and get matched you with a debt consolidation loan. You get to choose the loan with the best terms, and then you’ll use that loan to pay down your debts.

You’ll pay back only the one lower-interest loan, instead of a bunch of miscellaneous bills with varying interest rates.

If you’re worried you won't qualify — don’t be. Many companies offer the services for free, and checking whether you’re eligible won’t affect your credit score. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars in interest.

And your credit score will be happy.

5. Let this company rescue your savings

So you’ve been building up your credit score — yippee. That’s great. Now what about your savings? If you’ve been rapidly paying down your debt, you’re already making strides toward an excellent credit score, but you're probably depleting your monthly cash flow and leaving yourself little room for savings.

Never fear: Credit builder loans are here to help.

Credit builder loans combine savings with credit building, and the best part is that you get to invest in you. You take out a “credit-building” loan that you essentially pay back to yourself.

Most credit builder loans will lock your loan into a savings account (where, side bonus: it earns interest) until you finish paying it off. You'll be given an easy, manageable payment schedule — and by making the payments on time, you'll boost your credit score by showing you’ve got the money management chops to handle a loan.

Once you pay off the loan, the savings account is unlocked, and you can choose to withdraw your funds or keep building up your savings.

Moral of the story: Fixing your credit score takes hard work and patience, but you’re not in this alone. You got this — and before you know it, you’ll be showing lenders just how great it is to invest in you.