So you're credit isn't great. It may even be bad. Don't give up - it's possible to bounce back and rebuild your credit history. The most important thing to remember is that from now on, any credit you keep or open must be paid on time, every time. You will begin creating a better credit picture in just a few months with our credit card selector, finding the right card for you.

• Being able to repay a variety of of new accounts rather than adding to existing debt is a key step to rebuilding your credit score. You may find that consolidating your existing card debt into a personal loan, then, by taking out a new credit card with a favourable lender increases your spending power. Make sure you can afford payments on both credit services.
• Rebuilding your credit can be similar to starting over from scratch, and starting small may be the easiest option. Credit cards from puffta's select partners offer low interest rates enabling you to transfer your balances from old high interest cards. Cut up your old cards and start paying off the debt before the interest free period expires.
• Use your new accounts in moderation and make payments that are more than the minimum. You can keep a small balance so that your positive payment history will continue to show up on your credit report.
• Avoid carrying a balance that is more than 30% of your credit limit (creditors may view it as excessive debt that you may not be able to stay current with).

With patience and timely repayments, you will likely be able to build a new credit history that creditors will look upon favourably when making decisions about your ability to handle even more credit such as a mortgage.

You know what's on your credit report, but would you like to know your credit score?
Credit scores help lenders decide whether to lend to you. Your score may also help determine the interest rate and other terms of lending.

National Credit Score is the first service in the UK to provide individuals with access to their personal credit score – and it’s available exclusively to CreditExpert members.

The new service is a unique online tool that instantly calculates your credit score based on the information held on your Experian credit report and is provided in an easy-to-read online format, which shows:

• Your National Credit Score as a number ranging from 0-1000 – a higher score generally indicates that lenders will consider it less risky to grant you credit
• Your National Credit Score category which will be excellent, good, fair, poor or very poor
• How your National Credit Score compares to the UK average score
• Guidance on what may be affecting your score and an indication of how your credit history may influence a lending decision

For more information and to order your National Credit Score click here.