Check Your Credit Report Before You Add a Tradeline

Disclosure: Tradeline Tribe and DIY Credit are affiliated companies.

A tradeline works best on a clean credit report. Before you add one, take 30 minutes to review your reports. It can make the tradeline’s impact much bigger.

Why it matters

If your report has an error, like a collection that isn’t yours or a late payment that was actually on time, a tradeline won’t cancel it out. Fixing errors and adding positive history together is what moves scores most.

What to look for

• Accounts you don’t recognize.
• Late payments you made on time.
• Balances or limits that are wrong.
• The same debt listed twice with a balance.
• Negative items older than seven years.

Where to get your reports

Get all three reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Free reports are available weekly.

Disputing errors yourself

You can dispute errors directly with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion for free. If you have several items, DIY Credit makes it easier: it brings your three-bureau reports into one view, lets you mark the items you believe are wrong, drafts a dispute letter for each one, and tracks what changes. You review every letter and mail it yourself. Their guide on how to dispute a credit report error walks through the process.

Then add positive history

Once your report is accurate, a seasoned tradeline with perfect payment history and low utilization helps your score where it counts. Browse available tradelines.