633 FICO Score

J

James white

Member
Checked my credit and my FICO score is currently 633. Not terrible, but definitely not where I want it to be. I know it falls into the “fair” range, but I’m hoping to bring it up into the 700s over the next year or so especially with a car loan or maybe even a mortgage on the horizon. I’ve made a few mistakes in the past (mainly late payments and higher utilization), but I’ve been working on getting things under control. My payments are now on time, and I’m slowly chipping away at my balances. I haven’t taken on any new credit recently, but I’m wondering if that might actually help at this stage.

So I’m reaching out to ask: If you were in the low 600s and made it out what worked for you?
Should I open a secured card? Focus on paying down balances aggressively? Ask for credit limit increases? Also, how long did it take before you started seeing real changes? Would really appreciate any advice or insight or even just hearing from others in the same boat. Sometimes it feels like a slow climb, but I’m determined to get there
 
You're right 633 is in the “fair” zone. My advice: focus hard on utilization. I saw the biggest jump when I got my usage below 10%. Also, don’t sleep on asking for credit limit increases. If you’ve got on-time payments and decent income, they’ll often approve you without a hard pull
 
One thing that helped me was making multiple payments each month. Pay before the statement closes to reduce reported balances, then again after. Helped my score inch up faster than just monthly payments
 
Opening a secured card helped me when I was stuck at 620. I went with Discover it graduates after 8 months if you're consistent. Just don’t go wild with it treat it like a debit card
 
Don’t underestimate how much “credit age” factors in. One reason my score took forever to move was I kept closing cards. Leave them open if you can!
 
I started at 585 after some rough years. I got to 720 in about 18 months. Paid down two cards aggressively, got added as an authorized user on my sister’s card (she has a 20-year-old account!), and stopped applying for random store credit. You can definitely do it. It’s slow, but doable
 
I hit 640 after my divorce. What helped me the most: setting all my bills to autopay and using YNAB to track every dollar. I haven’t missed a payment since. It’s wild how much stress comes off your shoulders once you’re not worrying about forgetting due dates
 
Took me 2 years to go from 610 to 720. No shortcuts. Just discipline. I used the Avalanche method to pay off cards highest interest first. Super satisfying to see those balances go to $0
 
My credit was trash after a medical bankruptcy. Stayed at 630s for almost a year, then finally cracked 680 after getting a credit builder loan from a local CU. That was the game-changer for me
 
Be careful with those “secured card will save you” narratives. If you already have open tradelines, opening a new one might ding your score in the short term
 
Been there. I was sitting at a 624 in mid-2021 and finally broke 700 this year. Aggressively paying down balances helped the most, especially getting my utilization under 10%. I also became a credit limit increase addict. Every 6 months, I asked. Also, auto-pay for everything now to avoid even a single late mark. Keep going!
 
Dude same boat. I was 635 in April. I opened a secured card with Discover, set it to auto-pay $5 Netflix every month, and left it alone. Paid down two cards slowly and my score’s at 685 now. Takes time, but being boring and consistent works. Also: stop checking Credit Karma...it messes with your head
 
I started journaling my debt payoff every week to stay motivated. It helped! I also read The Credit Game (book’s kinda cheesy but insightful). I didn’t open any new credit but asked for limit increases every 3 months like it was a job. My score went from 610 to 730 in 14 months. You’ve got this
 
Why does everyone keep pushing secured cards like it’s a silver bullet? If OP already has open accounts and is paying on time, what’s the point of adding another? Especially if it costs fees. I’d argue focusing on utilization and account age makes more sense here.
 
Valid point, Steve. But I will say that adding one low-limit secured card can help with utilization if it’s getting spread too thin. It gives some breathing room. I wouldn’t open a ton, but one with a long-term issuer like Discover can be a stepping stone.
 
Man I used to be deep in it. Low 600s, multiple collections, the works. What really helped was settling old accounts and then sending goodwill letters like crazy. Not all worked, but two deletions gave me +60 points combined. Totally worth the stamps.
 
Honestly, once i stopped caring and just focused on good habits, it started rising. I think constantly stressing and checking your score hurts more than helps. Make your payments. Keep balances low. The score will follow, even if it feels glacial.
 
I was at 602 two years ago. Just hit 720 last month. I didn’t get fancy. One secured card. One store card. Paid them off in full each month. Only thing I did differently? NEVER carried more than 10% of the limit. Like, even $30 on a $300 card I paid off ASAP.
 
Biggest thing that helped me was getting my credit utilization under 10%. I paid my cards down aggressively over 6 months and saw a 50-point jump. It’s wild how much that one factor matters
 
Also, pull your reports from AnnualCreditReport.com and comb them for errors. I had two late payments on there that weren’t even mine. Disputed them and got a 30-point boost
 
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