How to Improve Your Credit Score: A 90-Day Plan

Maybe you were declined for a car loan, or a landlord turned you down. Now you want to repair your credit, and you want to know where to start. No one can wipe accurate history away, but steady steps over 90 days can start to change how lenders see you.

What is happening

Your score reflects your recent behaviour more than your past. Lenders care most about whether you are paying on time now, how much of your available credit you use, whether you have accounts in arrears, and how often you apply for new credit.

Be careful of companies that promise to 'clear your name' or 'remove blacklisting' for a fee. Accurate information cannot legally be removed early. You can dispute wrong information yourself, for free, with the credit bureau. Once a debt that led to a judgment is paid, ask about having the judgment removed. Rules exist for how long adverse information may stay on your record.

The 90-day plan works in three stages. Days 1 to 30: see and stop. Get your free credit reports, dispute errors, and stop all new credit applications. Days 31 to 60: catch up. Bring arrears up to date or agree payment arrangements in writing, and set debit orders so nothing is missed. Days 61 to 90: reduce. Lower your card and overdraft balances, and keep every payment on time. After 90 days you will have three clean months, which is the start of a new pattern.

Signs to notice

• You have been declined for credit recently.
• You have accounts in arrears or handed over.
• Your credit card or overdraft is near its limit.
• You have applied for credit several times this year.
• You have never checked your report for errors.

30-second self-check

Answer yes or no.

• Do you have any account in arrears right now?
• Have you missed a payment in the last six months?
• Is any card or overdraft over 70% of its limit?
• Have you applied for credit more than twice in six months?
• Is there a judgment or handed-over account on your report?
• Have you not checked your credit report in the last year?

0-1 yes: Your credit is in reasonable shape. Keep paying on time and keep balances low.
2-3 yes: You have a few problem areas. The 90-day plan should make a visible difference.
4 or more yes: Your credit record needs serious work. Start the plan, and consider speaking to a money coach or NCR-registered debt counsellor if arrears feel unmanageable.

What you can do next

• Today: Request your free credit report and write down every account in arrears.
• This week: Call each creditor in arrears to agree a payment arrangement, and get it in writing. Dispute any errors with the bureau.
• This month: Set up debit orders for every account on the day after payday, and pay down the card or overdraft closest to its limit.
• Do not close your oldest well-run account. Its history helps you.

Your tool

Credit 90-Day Plan - a personal 90-day checklist built from your answers, with weekly tasks, reminders and a simple progress tracker you can come back to.

When to get professional help

If you cannot catch up on arrears, if you face legal action, or if a 'credit repair' company is pressuring you for money, speak to a registered professional. A poor record can bring shame and worry about the future, and talking it through helps.
Who can help: Money coach, NCR-registered debt counsellor, consumer attorney

Getting help in South Africa

The National Credit Regulator (ncr.org.za) explains your credit rights and lists registered credit bureaus and debt counsellors. The Credit Ombud (creditombud.org.za) helps if a bureau or lender will not correct wrong information. Your Cleared Mind EAP can connect you with a money coach to track your plan.