8 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Faster

By Sam Swenson | Updated January 16, 2026
reading time 3 min read
Young couple using smart phone to improve credit score

Key Takeaway:

To improve your credit score, focus on making payments on time, lowering credit card balances, avoiding unnecessary hard inquiries, and maintaining older credit accounts. Small improvements in these areas can help strengthen your credit profile over time.

Having a good credit score can help you save a lot of money. For example, let’s say you have a credit score of 700. This is considered a “good credit score,” and you’re likely to get approved for loans and credit cards with low interest rates. According to a study by LendingTree, raising your credit score from “fair” to “very good” could save you almost $50,000 over the lifetime of the loans—this ends up being a monthly savings of over $250. Traditional institutions widely use credit scores as an easy way to assess creditworthiness. 

While credit score does not provide a complete picture of your creditworthiness, it’s important to understand your score and find ways to optimize it. If you are looking for a boost, here are 8 ways to improve your credit score:

  1. Knowledge is power. The first step towards good credit is understanding the basics about credit reporting agencies and credit scores. Brush up on your credit score knowledge.
  2. Never miss a payment. For most people, the bulk of their credit score is based on their payment history, so even if you can only make a minimum payment, make sure you are always making payments on time. If you have any past-due accounts, pay off the most past-due account first, and gradually catch up on all your payments.
  3. Try not to use more than 30-40% of your available credit. While it’s important to regularly use your available credit, you should avoid using more than a reasonable share of it at any given moment.
  4. Ask for a credit increase. Locking in a credit limit increase boosts your debt-to-credit ratio without you having to pay down any outstanding debt.
  5. Transfer debt to a personal loan. The interest rate on a credit card is often higher than it would be on a personal loan. Consolidating high-interest debt into a single personal loan could boost your credit score and save you money.
  6. Don’t close accounts. This may seem counterintuitive, but canceling credit cards can have a negative impact on your debt-to-credit ratio as well as your credit history—two of the five categories used to calculate your credit score.
  7. Get new credit to improve your credit score. If your credit score is too low to qualify for a new credit card or loan, sign up for a secured credit card. A secured credit card is similar to a gift card: you put down a deposit that serves as your credit limit. Make sure your secured credit card reports to all of the credit bureaus to maximize its positive impact on your score.
  8. Set up automatic payments. We’re all busy people, so it’s easy to forget to make a payment. We’re big proponents of automating your finances to the extent possible so you can spend your time doing more productive activities. All you have to remember is to update your credit cards when they expire or get replaced.

Beyond your credit score

Your credit score is important, but it’s only part of the story regarding your financial health. It’s up to you to take control of your finances and work towards your financial goals. One great place to start is by paying your bills on time, resolving debt, and addressing any mistakes on your credit report.

If you need a loan, at Upstart, we understand that credit scores don’t always give a perfect picture of your creditworthiness. Our AI model looks at non-traditional variables, like your employment and education¹, when it comes to personal loans, debt consolidation loans, and more.

¹ Neither Upstart nor its bank partners have a minimum educational attainment requirement in order to be eligible for a loan.

*This content is general in nature and provided for informational purposes only. This content is not specific to Upstart, except where explicitly stated. This content may contain references to products and services offered through Upstart’s credit marketplace. Upstart is not a financial advisor and does not offer financial planning services.

About the Author

Sam Swenson

Sam is a fee-only financial planner, CPA, and freelance writer. After nearly a decade in various Wall Street roles, Sam found a niche in creating objective, accessible, and actionable financial plans for everyday people. Sam has also published long- and short-form personal finance and investment planning content on various websites across the internet. Outside of work, Sam enjoys running, biking, reading, and philosophy, as well as spending time with his wife, daughter, and goldendoodle.

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  1. Checking your rate won’t affect your credit score: When you check your rate, we check your credit report. This initial (soft) inquiry will not affect your credit score. If you accept your rate and proceed with your application, we do another (hard) credit inquiry that will impact your credit score. If you take out a loan, repayment information may be reported to the credit bureaus.
  2. Upstart’s model considers education: Neither Upstart nor its lending partners have a minimum educational attainment requirement in order to be eligible for a loan.
  3. 41% more approvals and 33% lower rates than a traditional model: As of publication in April 2026, and based on a comparison between the Upstart model and a hypothetical traditional model using Upstart data from Jan – Dec 2025. For more information on the methodology behind this study, please see Upstart’s Annual Access to Credit results here.
  4. Unsecured Loans: While most loans through Upstart are unsecured, certain lenders may place a lien on other accounts you hold with the same institution. There may be an option to secure your personal loan through Upstart with your vehicle, which will require a lien to be placed on the vehicle. It is important to review your promissory note for these details before accepting your loan.
  5. Loan amounts from $1,000 -$75,000: Your loan amount will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will qualify for the full amount. Minimum loan amounts vary by state: GA ($3,100), HI ($1,500), MA ($7,000). Maximum loan amounts may vary by state.
  6. Closing and funding timeline: In April 2026, 10% of funded HELOCs achieved a closing timeline of 2 days or less and a funding timeline of 7 days or less. This timeline assumes consumers close with our remote online notary, provide supporting documentation promptly, and ensure the information provided is accurate and consistent with our verification process. Delays, discrepancies, and other unforeseen factors may impact the closing timeline. MBA’s 2025 Home Lending Study reports an average industry closing time of 37 days.
  7. APRs from 6.2% – 35.99%, with 3 or 5 year terms: The full range of available rates varies by state. The lowest rates are only available to the most qualified applicants. A representative example of payment terms for an unsecured Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 17.50% and a 7.25% origination fee of $725, for an APR of 21.23%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9275 and will make 60 monthly payments of $252. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in March 2026. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
  8. Instant deposits: To receive instant funding, your bank account must support instant transfers. If your account does not support instant transfers, funds will be available to you depending on your bank’s transaction processing time and policies.
  9. Always On Commitment: We are committed to maintaining your credit limit as long as you continue to meet program eligibility and account requirements. To ensure the safety and security of all our members, we reserve the right to adjust or close lines in specific circumstances, including account default or late payments, suspected fraud, violation of our terms of service (including abusive behavior), or when necessitated by legal or regulatory requirements.
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  11. HELOC APRs as low as 6.52%: Terms shown here are subject to change without notice. APRs for initial advances range from 6.52% to 18.00% based on rates offered as of April 2026. The lowest rate is only available to consumers willing to become a member of a credit union and to those who meet a minimum FICO score of 780, CLTV under 70%, and DTI under 45%. Your actual rate will depend on many factors such as your credit history, combined loan-to-value ratio (CLTV), line amount, loan term, lien position, and property state. Origination fee to open an account is between 0% and 4.99% of the approved credit limit. The Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”) is variable and based on the Prime Rate as published in the Wall Street Journal “Money Rates” table plus or minus a margin. Your APR will never be less than 3.99% or greater than 18.00%. Property insurance is required.
  12. No annual fee, prepayment penalty, or fees to redraw: Terms shown here are subject to change without notice. Origination fee to open an account is between 0% and 4.99% of the approved credit limit. The Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”) is variable and based on the Prime Rate as published in the Wall Street Journal “Money Rates” table plus or minus a margin. Your APR will never be less than 3.99% or greater than 18.00%. Property insurance is required.
  13. 2,500+ Variables:As of 3/31/2026. “Variables,” often also referred to as “features,” refers to raw variables and combined variables considered in our AI models. A “raw” variable is a non-combined, conceptually distinct unit of data, such as “applicant-reported savings.” A “combined” variable is data that has been transformed, combined, or otherwise engineered from a raw variable or set of raw variables, such as “applicant-reported savings” divided by “loan amount.
  14. Fully automated loans: In Q2 2026. Percentage of Loans Fully Automated, which is defined as the total number of loans in a given period originated end-to-end (from initial rate request to final funding for personal loans and small dollar loans, and from initial rate request to signing of the loan agreement for auto loans) with no human involvement required by the Company divided by the Transaction Volume, Number of Loans in the same period.