Tips to make sure you have a good credit score when you need it

If you ever want to buy a house a car or just need a credit card, you’ll need good credit, first.

So how can you boost your score?

Two key factors in your credit score are payment history and how much of your credit limit you spend.

One way to improve your score, spend just thirty percent or less of your limit. For example, if your credit card limit is one-thousand dollars, don’t charge more than $300.

Make sure all your payments are made on time, and once a year, request your free credit report.

Kimberly Palmer from NerdWallet advises, “Make sure there’s nothing on there that you don’t recognize. Its possible that someone with your similiar name or similar address has some accounts on there that have nothing to do with you.”

If you notice anything wrong on that credit report have it corrected.

Other actions that can lower your credit score are cancelling credit cards.

Nerdwallet suggests simply not using the cards you no longer want and only applying for credit when absolutely necessary.

You can get a free annual credit report by going to annualcreditreport.com.