 TITLE: How to Get a Loan With Bad Credit CONTENT: Consider Improving Your Credit Before Applying\n----------------------------------------------\nIf you aren't looking for an emergency loan, you may want to focus on improving your credit before borrowing money.\nYou can see how even a small change in your loan's interest rate can directly impact your monthly payment and how much you pay overall.\nPersonal Loan Calculator\n------------------------\n†The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Experian cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results provided. Your lender may charge other fees which have not been factored in this calculation. These results, based on the information provided by you, represent an estimate and you should consult your own financial advisor regarding your particular needs.\nMoving from a bad to excellent credit score could take months or years. But even moving up within the fair credit range could give you more options and better offers. Try these tips to improve your scores:\n*   **Make your bill payments on time.** Making your credit accounts payments (e.g., loans and credit cards) on time can add positive information to your credit reports. Some types of bills, such as phone or utility payments, don't commonly appear on your credit report. But falling behind could lead to a collection account that hurts your credit.\n*   **Sign up for Experian Boost™† .** If you want to get credit for the utility, phone and select streaming service payments that you've made on time, you could sign up for Experian Boost and add these to your Experian credit report. On average, users who got a boost saw their FICO® Score☉ 8 based on their Experian credit report go up by 13 points.\n*   **Pay down credit card balances.** Lowering your credit card balances can decrease your credit utilization ratio, which may improve your credit scores. Depending on why you have bad credit, this may be one of the fastest ways to raise your scores.\nThe steps you'll want to take could depend on your unique credit report. When you check your credit score for free with Experian, you'll see which factors help or hurt your credit score, and can then take a strategic approach to improving your credit. END