 TITLE: Can You Raise Your Credit Score by 200 Points? CONTENT: How to Improve Your Credit Score\n--------------------------------\nThere are a handful of ways to gain points, but the best way to improve your credit scores is to practice good credit habits over time. Here are some of the best ways to gain points and and maintain a strong credit file:\n*   **Pay every bill on time.** Paying credit cards and loans on time is the biggest factor in improving your scores, and it shows creditors that you're a reliable borrower. Although non-debt bills don't typically impact your credit, falling behind on them can result in accounts going to collections, which has a severe negative impact on your scores.\n*   **Keep your balances to a minimum.** Paying down your credit card balances will reduce your credit utilization ratio, which could help improve your scores. Low balances also show creditors that you're not strapped for cash and you can manage your credit card spending.\n*   **Limit your applications for new credit.** When you make lots of applications for new credit, your scores can take a hit. Multiple applications signal to lenders that you might be in financial trouble and could be taking on lots of new debt. You can limit the damage of comparison shopping by making all of your applications for a single type of credit, such as a mortgage or a car loan, within a two-week time frame.\n*   **Build long-term credit history.** The longer you keep your credit accounts open, the more your scores will improve. But you can still have high scores even if you haven't been using credit for a long period of time, as long as you practice good credit habits. You can also try becoming an authorized user to help lengthen your credit history.\nAnother important habit to practice while working on your credit scores is to keep an eye on your credit file. Monitoring your credit report and score for free with Experian will help you identify areas for improvement. It can also help you quickly catch errors that could hurt your scores and undo all of your hard work. END