Ten years ago I had 2 collections, no active credit cards, $15k in charged off consumer debt, 15k upside down in a car loan working 2 jobs paycheck to paycheck.

Today, I have no collections, $150k in credit lines across 6 cards, a paid off 60k car. I still have a long way to go for my personal financial goals, but it’s a breath of fresh air to be worrying about having enough in retirement rather than making the next month of payments.

Things get better, so keep on keeping on!

I've been working on rebuilding mine and my partner's credit, as we both had a few rough patches the last few years. For him, it's pretty much just late payments, so I've been helping him write and send goodwill letters. We sent one to Synchrony for CareCredit earlier this year and they approved the request on the first try about a week later, and just last night we sent one to Capital One and they called us just now, one day later, to say they were removing the late payments!!! I don't know how we got so lucky twice but it's incredible! Thank you so much to everyone here for making those wonderful guides, I only started rebuilding for us early summer and our credit has already improved so much thanks to the insight here!

I’m getting car finance and have been quoted 12.99% p.a. interest. The dealer said my Equifax score is around 400, but I checked Experian directly today and it’s 816 (excellent), with no negative information and all accounts up to date.
I’ve requested my Equifax report but I’m still waiting for ID verification. Has anyone had this experience? What should I do?

2 days ago, I was denied for a $5k personal loan. Thanks to you lovely contributors, it was brought to my attention that what I thought was a 645-ish credit score was indeed a 645-ish credit score. It was just the wrong credit score because lenders use a different credit score.

Today I was approved for a $300k mortgage.

Just playing around on Zillow, I came across a foreclosure in the $50k range. Just for poops and grins, I selected the See What You Can Afford - Get Pre Qualified With No Change To Your Credit option. Son of a b!tch, I pre-qualified. That unlocked a Shop With Your Terms - Get Pre Approved With A Mortgage Loan Officer option. After a brief pre-screening call with a Mortgage Assistant, I was connected with a real, live, Mortgage Loan Officer. We reviewed my finances, I connected my bank account and answered a bunch of questions and then we did a hard credit pull. Turns out, my original 645-ish credit score was still a 645-ish credit score where I started. But it was also a 580-ish credit score over there, and a 620-ish credit score over here, and well above the 580 minimum credit score needed for a mortgage. When we reviewed the property that had caught my eye, it was suggested that my pre-approval letter reflect the full amount in which I had been approved.

$300,000.

That way, I didn’t limit myself from other options, should this property not work out. I agreed, but requested that my pre-approval letter reflect $150k, as that’s where I decided to set my personal limit. I was then given a copy of my pre-approval letter and connected with a Realtor, who was also given a copy of my pre-approval letter. I now have an appointment scheduled to view the property on Saturday.

I understand lenders need to protect their interests. I also understand there needs to be some type of grading system for borrowers. That’s just common sense. But to be denied for $5k and approved for $300k within a THREE DAY WINDOW, is in my opinion, some backwards @$$, overly complicated, create an entire industry to give myself a job, bogus, scheming, sleazy, greasy, sketchy, bull $h!t.

So there. I said it. And I mean it.

Last summer I was hacked and they took over my iCloud and changed the passwords on all my banking / credit accounts

I had to change my phone number and email because of the hacking .

During this time I missed a payment with CITI
For the first time .

I called Citi and explained the situation but the minute I mentioned the possibility of fraud they told me they needed to verify my info which was understandable except the phone number and email they had on my account I no longer did .

So they could not verify using 2fa

So they needed to send me a security code in the mail to my mailing address .

I also asked for the past few months transaction records since I could not verify if any charges were made on this account online because I couldn’t log in .

They sent the transactions and the security code followed approx 2 weeks later

When I called and spoke to customer service they told me they do not do security codes and my account was closed

( during the wait for the security code another due date came so now I was 2 payments behind )

I messed up I should have just made a payment but I’ve never been through anything like this before and didn’t want to pay before reviewing charges .

I was unsure how long I had been hacked as most of the fraud charges on my other accounts were small like streaming services and online gaming gift cards .

I did file with the CFPB but I think I sent so much info it confused them as I sent

A long letter
Proof of phone logs showing I called .
Police report showing I filed that I was a victim of a cyber crime before my account was closed . Etc

I did miss 2 payments one on a kohls card and one on a capital one card but was able to recover the accounts before they were closed
But after I filed with the CFPB about 5 months later they were randomly closed even though they were in good standing at the time ( both cards are issued by capital one )

It was like the minute I mentioned being hacked I became a Liability and they didn’t wanna hear anything and was cut off .

The card had about 13k on it and when I originally called they even offered me to settle at 7k and I told them I don’t want to settle I want to pay what I owe I just want to verify the charges .

I thought being a customer for so long they would have put me in touch with someone higher up to get the full story but never did .

I did receive a statement telling me there was suspicious activity on my account and an investigation would take place but this was after the account was closed .

Any ideas or am I basically screwed because it’s out of citis hands now ?

I haven’t made any payment arrangements with collections yet .

I’ve had navy federal almost 3 years in January always actively using it. I have a checking and savings account with consistent DD. I’ve had a secured credit card since June starting at $200 limit, they graduated my limit to $400 at the 3 month mark. I have always been on time with payments with a 1% utilization currently. My fico 8 scores are; Transunion 600 Experian 622 and equifax 628. I only have 2 very old collections that will fall off 2027. My student loans had late payments in the past but I’ve been on time the past 4 months. I want to get a car loan between Jan-March 2027. What are my chances of being approved?

This happened a year ago, but figured I'd let you know.

I had one late payment, 30 days, because I honestly just was so stressed with life and missed emails and alerts and phone calls. I was not in a good place mentally with work and just a chemical imbalance with a medication I was on.

Anyways, I prepared a bunch of goodwill hard copy letters, but sent a handful of emails first using a suggested skeleton/general template explaining my personal circumstances and requesting a goodwill removal of the negative make or whatever.

Within two weeks, before I had even sent the hard copy letters, I receive a confirmation email that they had removed the mark/late payment. Credit score jumped like 70 to 80 points.

I also ensured that autopay was turned on and account was up to date/paid off quickly.

Best wishes. One more success.

I am hoping to rebuild my credit and have a great score ASAP! As of right now, the only thing on my credit report is a $459 collections account for an old internet provider bill that never got paid, thanks to being young and dumb.

I have been in contact with the company, and if I pay off the debt completely, they will request that it be deleted from my credit report.

I had an old auto loan that was paid off in full, and has since come off my report, because it has been several years ago. When it did, my score dropped several points.

I am currently sitting at 540.

I dont have any other credit or ever had a credit card.

If I pay off the $459, will that actually help my score?

My second plan of action is to get a secured credit card and use it for $25 in gas once a month, and pay it off at the end of the week. Will that also help?

My backup plan is to get a secured CD at the bank. I was told that will also help.

Any advice is welcome! Unfortunately, I was never taught about credit or finances growing up, so I am trying to teach myself as an adult with bad credit 🤪

Right now I have a Capital One platinum card. I have about 2 years of history. My score is currently 753, and limit of $3000. They’re offering a free upgrade. I want to get a 2nd card but am unsure. I dont really care for the cash back or rewards. Do you have any recommendations? Want to boost my credit as high as possible

Hi!
Just wanted to share a really positive experience I had with American Express this past week and also thank this group for some really helpful information that gave me to courage to actually believe this would work.
I missed a payment with Amex this past month, 36 days. I have never been late with them ever before and I have been a member since 2021. I was devastated when it hit my credit because I am in the process of rebuilding my credit and I was about to hit 600 and was slammed down to 540. I was SURE there was nothing I could do about it until I started reading some threads on here and saw that I could try to send the CEO an email. So I did at 9 pm on October 7th and received an email back from him the next morning at 8 am saying he would have someone on his team look into this. Later that day around 4 PM I received an email from someone at the corporate office who was super nice and told me that they would be doing everything they can to look into this matter and if I had any additional information that would help them review my case please don’t hesitate to call them. So I sent all of the appropriate information as to why my payment was late and she told me that she would get back to me no later than October 14th. I can’t lie. I was worried sick all the way up until hearing from them which I did the morning of the 14th and they reassured me that they have not forgotten about my case, and that their credit department was still looking into my case. Today October 17th I received a phone call from the same person who informed me that they were in fact, going to grant my one time Goodwill request, and that they have sent letters to the credit bureaus, and I will also receive a letter of this. It was honestly great news, and I told her that and thanked her. I’m hoping that my score will go off after having this removed but not sure about that yet . I just feel really positive about this and hope this can give someone else some positive insight :)

Applied for store credit card with an 820 because I would get 10% off full order based on all T&C.

Get approved for 3k which was puzzling but okay sure. Go to place order which is for a 12k item, put 2500 on new account and balance on my trusty Discover. Then system refuses to give 10% off full order, instead I am informed ohh sorry what we literally told you 10 seconds ago that you can put a small amount on the card and then balance on something else and get 10%...that changed. It comes as a statement credit now. Which translates into 10% of what I put on card, not entire first order. I have read every piece of fine print in every ad, every online promotion for this card, and even the store website...everything simple says 10% of entire first order.

Long story short, I did not put ANYTHING on the store card, I opted to make the purchase (which shows how weak I am because god darn it...I really wanted).

So the question: I've taken the hit on the inquiry, which is minor, but what happens if I call and simply cancel the new account because I no longer want it and will never do any business with the store again. Should I just leave it and never use it at this point?

Well that was weird. I'm in a state of rebuilding my wallet. Getting rid of cards that are horrible and serve no purpose and working on getting other cards. I just recently got approved for AMEX blue cash with a small credit line of $1000 no biggie just happy to add that to my wallet. I then talked to US Bank about a cli but I stopped once they required a hard pull and I asked when they would do an automatic review because I've had it over a year with no cli and I was put on hold and then hung up on lol. Last was a credit one card that I've had paid off since January of last year but taking the utilization that came with it being paid off. Anyway I went and called credit one with the thought that there would be retention offers. (Mainly wanted the annual fee lifted and possible cli just to improve my utilization until I was ready to close it for good.) Anyway they called my bluff and i didn't get a retention offer and they closed it lol. Weird morning to say the least.

So I have a Charged off Credit Card for $900 balance with Navy Federal. The account went into charge of status in August.

I know the chances of them doing a PFD is very rare, especially since it’s still a fresh charge off. But I don’t think it hurt to at least try.

A friend told me that I should write a goodwill letter expressing my financial struggles that led me to default. And also mention that I am close to bankrupting if I can’t get the negative remarks removed from my credit. He said mentioning that may motivate them to do a pfd.

How does this sound? Worth the shot ?

My Fico credit score is 732. I need an auto loan but in order to apply for one with my credit union I need a better credit mix? I only have 2 credit cards which I rarely use and I've never taken out a loan for anything. I have the money to buy the phone outright but this could be a good chance for me to take out a loan to pay off right? I know klarna and affirm aren't great options. Im buying the phone refurbished, not through my phone service. My credit union offers loans but the APR is kinda crazy. What should I do?

What are some things I can do right now to increase my GICO scores across the board? I'm at 571 for Experian, 561 for Equifax and 621 for Transunion, I will say that my profile is thin. I do have late payments on capital one (7 to be exact) but I have a collection from T Mobile in the amount of $566 it shows on Experian and Equifax.

Back in December I spoke to my financial aid advisor about stopping payments for a balance that was supposed to covered by financial aid. We were still in the process of getting my financial aid approved. When I asked her this, she said she will speak to the school's financial department about stopping them. A month goes by and I receive a bunch of phone calls from the financial department saying I missed a payment for January. I explained the whole situation to them and they put notes in my file about it. Now present day, I called the school up about it and they did have it in my notes back in December that I said she was supposed to call them but never did. They said they would grant my request to remove the late payment as a courtesy because of this and since my financial aid wasn't even worked out yet they would. Long story short this balance I thought that was going away, never did. She told me I had to file the dispute through Equifax and when they receive it they will remove it. I don't know I have a bad feeling they were giving me the run around. I explained to the lady that it's usually the creditors/banks that can choose not to report it and she said that was illegal. Idk if there giving me the run around or just don't know. This was the manager of the financial department at the school. Have you seen requests granted this way through dispute of Equifax? And is this a legitimate dispute that would normally be removed if filed through Equifax without contacting the school about it?

Anyone tried to do goodwill letter to Toyota financial services to remove late payments? I lost my job in 2023 and it really impacted our financial situation.

Does it matter how much I spend on my credit card between the day after my statement date and the day before my due date, as long as my credit card is paid off by the due date and I keep my credit utilization between 1% and 10% until after my statement date passes

Hi all, I know there are a lot of resources out there about what to do with identity theft, but I’m hoping somebody can let me know if I missed anything. I was email bombed a couple of days ago, and I believe it was somebody trying to hide an email about an inquiry into my credit. Between Equifax, Equerian, and Transunion, there were hard inquiries to 3 different banks/credit cards (Synchrony Bank: Master Card, Chevron Texaco, and Comenity Capital Bank - myAcademy(?).

These are the steps I’ve taken so far:

1. Issued a fraud alert
2. Froze my credit score for all 3 major credit bureau
3. Called all 3 major credit bureaus to inform them of fraud. Equifax and Transunion told me I needed to dispute it via mail. Equerian told me I could dispute online or via mail - when I attempted to dispute it online, there website told me I couldn’t.
4. Mailed a certified letter requesting to remove the respective inquiries alongside a copy of my driver’s license/social security, credit reports with disputed inquiries circled, proof of address, and the individual credit reports with the disputed items circled, to all 3 credit bureaus
Froze my credit with Chex System
5. Filed a report with the FTC
6. Filed a report with my local police department
7. Called Synchrony Bank & Chevron Texaco to inform them of the fraud.
8. Tried to contact Comenity Capital Bank - every number I’ve tried (on my statement, and on their websites) is out of service.
9. Changed my passwords and added 2 factor authorization to my email, amazon, and social media accounts. Also removed my credit card from any browsers.
10. Created a social security login account

When I called the 3 credit bureaus as well as Synchrony & Chevron - they all confirmed the same thing: an inquiry was made, but no accounts have been opened so far. They also confirmed that my accounts were frozen, and a fraud issue alert was issued so now no new accounts can be made with my information. I was unable to reach Comenity Capital Bank - the number on my credit reports as well as their number online have all been disconnected.

Is there anything else I missed? Assuming there are no issues with removing the disputes from my credit report, am I out of the woods? Or are there a lot of other things I’m not realizing. Thank yo

Hello, I posted back in mid August that Credit One is deleting the entire trade line when I asked for a goodwill removal of late payments. I was surprised they were deleting the entire trade line.

Fast forward 60 days and they are still on my credit report. I called their customer service and they denied my request. I was like here’s the letter I got via email and in the mail. How are you denying this?

I disputed with all bureaus twice adding the letters and email from “the office of the ceo” and they didn’t remove.

I submitted a CFPB complaint and it’s still pending and that’s been 30 days.

I’m seeking advice. Has anyone dealt with something similar before? What should I do?

I can’t believe it tbh they replied back in less than a week

Ive been rebuilding my credit for the last 5 years or so. Finally had a charged off card from 2019 fall off my account a few months ago and shot my credit up 100+ points. I dont spend a TON at costco but both of my CapOne cards are MasterCard (which isnt accepted at Costco) so i had to use my debit card which i hated. This is also my highest limit but will primarily be used as a gas card (5% at costco, 4% other gas stations) and my Costco shopping card (2% on top of my 2% for being an executive member). Idk why but I’m just really happy about this haha