We understand that sorting out your credit score isn’t a big priority after a busy day. There’s food to cook, TV to watch or friends to meet. But we promise that our quick tips here won’t take long to read.

They could help change your life for the good for many years to come. Applying for loans or credit cards could soon be easier and cheaper. And a better credit score can even help secure your first home.

Convinced? We hope you are. Here’s a few quick wins from our experts.

Slash your stash of credit cards

Do you have a bunch of credit cards that you don’t use very often, and they’ve got low balances? Then we’d suggest you pay them all off and just use two as your everyday cards that you pay off every month. Then close the accounts of the ones that you won’t be using.

Avoid maxing out your plastic

We understand credit cards can be useful when money’s tight. But try to keep your cards running at no more than 30% of their credit limits. The credit agencies like this. For example, if your limit is £1,0000, don’t go over £300.

Rock solid repayments are best

Miss a payment on your loan or credit card and it’ll damage your credit score. It’s crucial not to do this, so to prevent it happening we suggest using monthly direct debits to pay them. And to keep an eye on your overdraft limit so the payments don’t bounce.

Consider a credit-building card

If you have a low credit score or have a thin credit file, one idea is to sign up for a credit card that helps rebuild your score and expand your file. They do it by starting you off on a low limit, which is then increased as your payment history gets longer and more reliable.

CreditLadder can help you improve your credit score

If you want to improve your credit position by reporting your rent payments, CreditLadder is the only way to improve your credit score and position across all four of the main Credit Reference Agencies in the UK, namely Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Crediva. Building up a high credit score has a lot of benefits, including helping you access finance at better rates - this can also help save you money.

CreditLadder also runs a free mortgage application service in partnership with Tembo which will tell you how much you could borrow.

Remember the information provided in this article is for information purposes only and should not be considered as advice.