Helpful Resources

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• Reasons to Start Building Credit Score
• What is Good Credit Score?
• The Deal with Credit Reports
• Tips to Rebuild Credit Score
• Reasons for a Drop in Credit Score

 

Credit Score in Ontario

 

Your life will be significantly more difficult if you have a low credit score since you won't be able to get the loans you need and will be forced to pay exorbitant interest rates on credit cards and mortgages. If your credit score is low, you should begin the long process of raising it as soon as you can. However, with these pointers, you may jump-start the process and raise your credit score in Ontario.

 

Reasons to Start Rebuilding Credit Score

 

Even though everyone is aware that a good credit score is crucial, until we're applying for a bad credit car loan, we don't frequently give it much thought. But perhaps you ought to be, and hopefully we can persuade you with some solid arguments to begin establishing your credit.

 

Lower interest rates: A loan's interest rate is often what determines whether you accept the offer or not. The greatest justification for improving credit is that you'll pay less interest if it's higher. This happens because the lender has more faith in you to repay the loan. You can pay off the loan and eliminate your debt more quickly if the interest rate is lower.

 

Higher approval chances: No vehicle loan application is ever 100% guaranteed, but your chances will be much improved if your credit score is higher. The lender's assessment of your risk determines whether you will be approved for a car loan in Ontario. Because it demonstrates that they are in charge of their finances, those with good credit scores are viewed as being less risky.

 

Higher approval chances: No vehicle loan application is ever 100% guaranteed, but your chances will be much improved if your credit score is higher. The lender's assessment of your risk determines whether you will be approved for a car loan in Ontario. Because it demonstrates that they are in charge of their finances, those with good credit scores are viewed as being less risky.

 

Credit score is also a determining factor when it comes to renting a house or apartment.

 

Higher limits: We think that having the option is still preferable to not having it, even though having a larger limit isn't always a smart idea. A credit limit is established using the same risk-based methodology as loans and rent. Because the lender has more confidence that you will repay the bill on time, the more debt you are permitted to take on, the higher your credit score.

 

Better car insurance rates: Many individuals are unaware that your credit score is one of many factors used to determine your insurance quote. Although it's unclear what your credit score has to do with your propensity to crash, it is nevertheless important to take into account that the better your credit score, the lower your insurance rates will be.

 

What is Good Credit Score in Ontario?

 

The Deal with Credit Reports

 

Get a Credit Report and Constantly Monitor it

 

Knowing your starting point in Ontario is important before you begin the process of repairing your credit score. You want to start with your credit report because it contains all of the information used to determine your credit score.

 

Your credit report will provide you with a comprehensive account of all your unpaid obligations, open credit lines, missed payments, and every time credit has
moved through your hands in the previous ten years. This is important information to know.

 

Additionally, you can look for inaccuracies, which are more often than you might think and might hurt your credit score. Finding and resolving a mistake could give the recovery process a nice head start.

 

Every six months, you are entitled to a free credit report and while you are working to rehabilitate your credit, you should check it as frequently as you can. Although obtaining a credit report won't have an impact on your credit, you'll have access to all the details and be able to evaluate how your efforts to rebuild are faring.

 

How to Check your Credit Report

 

Online: The easiest way to check your credit report is online! In Canada, there are 2 credit bureaus that you can get your credit report from: Equifax and
TransUnion.

 

Both bureaus now give credit reports entirely online through their respective websites. All you need to do is enter your information and you'll receive access to your report.

 

Delivered: You are entitled to a free credit report in Ontario every six months, which will be mailed to you. There are two ways to obtain it: either phone one of the credit bureaus mentioned above and follow an automated process where questions are asked, or visit one of their websites and complete a form with the same information.

 

The credit report is free provided you're in that 6 month window, and you can pay for faster delivery. (Equifax: 1-800-465-7166, TransUnion: 1-800-663-9980)

 

Reading your Credit Report

 

When you receive your credit report, you might realize how perplexing it is! Luckily, none of the ambiguity needs to be memorized. You will receive a sheet with the report that explains what the various codes mean. You can also access the Canadian government's online guide by clicking here.

Reasons to Check your Credit Score Regularly

 

Stay informed: If you want to save money for a bad credit car loan, your credit score is still one of the most crucial aspects of your finances, even if you don't have any immediate plans to apply for a loan. It's best to keep informed since you never know when your credit score can come in handy.

 

You can easily keep track of any active loans or credit cards you have, as well as their repayment status, using your credit report. The ability to monitor your credit score itself is the most crucial benefit.

 

Catch errors: Errors may go unreported for a very long period if a credit report is not checked. They occur more frequently than you might imagine, and unless you keep track of them, they will never be corrected. While some problems are quite minor and not worth worrying about, others may have a big detrimental effect on your credit score.

 

Make sense of it: You'll start to understand it when you check your credit score frequently. You can check how your credit score is changing by keeping track of your expenditures between reports. The more you comprehend how Ontario credit reports operate, the more you'll be able to take advantage of them.

 

Be ready for loans: By doing regular checks you'll know exactly what your score is and can keep working to improve it in preparation for your next big loan (like a car!).

 

How to Fix Errors on a Credit Report

 

Correcting mistakes on your credit record can occasionally be very time-consuming. First, you must obtain evidence that the error actually exists. Typically, this may be done using a bank report or a report from the lender with whom you have an account.

 

The credit bureaus will then need to be contacted. All you can do after that is wait for the problem to be remedied. In the event that this is unsuccessful, you will need to speak with the creditor rather than the bureau in order to resolve the issue.

 

Tips to Rebuild Credit Score

 

Pay off debts: Your payment history accounts for about 35% of your credit score, thus late payments substantially hurt your Ontario credit score. You will be remembered for any late payments you made for the following ten years, but you may start erasing those memories by making sure you don't miss any more. Payment automation is strongly advised.

 

Credit is an odd thing because, despite what you would believe, having no debt does not improve your credit score. On the other hand, having too much debt also lowers your score, so you need to balance your "credit utilization ratio" carefully. This basically compares the amount of credit you have available to you to the amount that you are really utilizing.

 

You want this number to be less than 30% but greater than 0% in that nice comfortable range for the greatest results.

 

Have and use credit cards: In addition to the previous guideline, you should only have a single active credit card as long as you can reliably pay it off. Having many active cards can significantly increase your credit utilization.

 

On paper, using a credit card frequently to make payments seems pretty excellent because you're paying off a lot of debt on schedule and keeping your credit usage over zero.

 

The simplest approach to begin establishing credit is with a credit card. Essentially, it's a tiny loan for modest purchases.

 

Increase your credit limit: This is where you can use the credit utilization ratio we talked about earlier to your advantage. If you increase your credit limit but keep using the same amount of credit (spend the same), then you can trick your credit score into being better than it was before.

 

Reasons for a Drop in Credit Score

 

A sudden drop in credit does happen sometimes and it can be pretty scary, especially when you've been working hard to improve it. There are always logical explanations for these things though and the best thing to do is figure out why it happened. Here are the usual suspects:

New credit cards: Your credit score can temporarily suffer if you recently got a new credit card. The bank will perform a "hard inquiry" whenever you apply for a new credit card, which is when a prospective lender accesses your credit report to review it and determine whether you're a trustworthy applicant. Credit score is lowered by hard enquiries! Why? Because it seems more desperate for a loan if you have more credit queries on your report.

 

Large purchases: Most of us use credit cards to make large purchases such as a down payment on a bad credit car loan, especially online. However, if you haven't paid off that large purchase quickly enough, it could result in a reduction of your credit score. This is because you are decreasing your credit utilization (the more credit you have available but aren't using, the better your credit score will be).

 

Errors: Not all unexpected dips in credit score are due to your own fault. Your credit score may occasionally be lowered by a typographical error or mistake on your credit report. The most frequent mistakes include terminated accounts that are still shown as open or on-time payments that are listed as late.

 

Repayments: It may be odd to hear, but paying off a large loan (such a car) might, at least temporarily, lower your credit score. If you're actively using a variety of credit, including credit cards and mortgages, your credit score will improve. Your credit score will drop if you pay off one of those because the diversity of it is reduced.

 

But keep in mind that just because your credit score can change doesn't imply you shouldn't repay big loans! You'll go insane worrying about every change in your credit score. Simply follow your financial best judgement, and your score will eventually rise.

 

We'll help you find a fair priced bad credit car loan in Southern Ontario no matter what your credit score is. Click here to get pre-approved online with us at Car Nation Canada.