Your keys to getting in the 700+ credit score club

Want in? Here's how

By Julie Sherrier

Having good credit pays -- in dollars and cents. In an ever-tightening credit market, having a solid credit history with a credit score well over 700 will open doors to money-saving opportunities from low-interest mortgages and loans to lower APR credit cards, better insurance rates and even jobs. If you're already reached the top, congratulations, but you need to know how to stay there. If you're on your way to the top, then there are a slew of tips that can help get you there faster. 

CreditCards.com compiled this collection of articles to help you become and stay a 700-plus credit score member. Here's what you need to know:

• What's in a credit report?
• What makes up a credit score?
• Getting started on the right credit path
• How does your credit rating impact your life?
• How to maintain good credit
• Fixing credit mistakes

What's in a credit report?

• What is a credit report?
• 10 things you must know about credit reports, credit scores
• The rules behind getting a free credit report
• How to read, understand your credit report
• What you need to know about your rights in credit reporting

What makes up a credit score?

• Components of your credit score
• Learn the ABCs of credit scores, credit scoring
• FICO 08: How new credit score formula will affect you
• Obsessing over your credit score
• How to keep credit scores up when card limits are slashed
• Consumers lose access to major credit score
• What VantageScores are, how they work

Getting started on the right credit path

• New citizen tips for building good credit
• Building a credit history without credit cards
• 10 ways students can build good credit

How does your credit rating impact your life?

• Keeping credit scores clean before you close on a home
• Credit checks for job applicants become more common
• Better credit can improve your job prospects
• Credit scores can impact auto insurance rates

How to maintain good credit

• 8 legitimate ways to improve your credit score now
• Higher limit or second card will impact your credit score
• Balance transfers impact your credit score
• Easy ways to boost your credit score
• Credit inquiries and your credit score

Fixing credit mistakes

• Surprise! Unexpected items can appear on a credit report
• Consumer credit report statement sample letters
• How to add a written statement to your credit report
• Patience is key to credit score repair

See related: Help for bad credit

Updated: May 26, 2009

	Three most recent Credit scores, credit reports stories: How to shape up your finances in 12 months – The 12 months in a fresh new year give you 12 opportunities to get your credit shaped up and your budgeting under control. Here, experts offer one seasonally relevant idea for each month of 2012 to do exactly that ... Study: Impatient people have lower credit scores – Patience isn't just a virtue, it's worth points on your credit score, says an upcoming research paper that found those who succumb to immediate gratification were likely to have lower scores ... TransUnion asked to stop selling credit reports to employers – A coalition of consumer advocacy groups has called on credit bureau TransUnion to end the sale of credit reports to employers ...

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