Dispute Any Errors In Your Credit Report If you still haven't seen an exact copy of your actual credit history, get a copy now and analyze it properly. Log on to sites like annualcreditreport.com and others, and get a copy from the credit bureaus too. Once you get a copy of your credit report, check out each of the details, and quickly highlight, as well as dispute any errors or numerical flaws. Timely payments make for happy credit card owners, while late or missed credit card payments are an exercise in futility, and paves the way for your constant haranguing by collection agencies, and also cuts deep wounds in your credit score. Avoid Getting Extra Credit Cards If you can live with just one credit card, then by all means remain happy with only one card at your disposal. Other loans and forms of credit also hurt your credit history, and may have serious effects on your financial health. Aside from credit card payments, other loans or bills like unpaid apartment rentals and medical bills can also hurt your overall credit score. Here are five ways to hurt your credit score. The information submitted by your creditors to these credit reporting bureaus include date of account opening, type of accounts, payment history for each account, late payments, unpaid child support, overdrawn checks, or any foreclosures, suits, wage attachments, liens and bankruptcies that are derived from federal and state agencies. While filing for bankruptcy may help an individual get a fresh start, it also has its share of long-term negative effects, especially on their credit score. Here's how bankruptcy can hurt your credit score. Why Bankruptcy Is A Tough Thing To Handle Bankruptcy brings more than sleepless nights and bad dreams for the individual. However, the big three are not immune to errors and major flaws, and according to credit experts, these three agencies incur error rates ranging from 20 to 30 percent, although some of the errors may be as simple as reporting the wrong month of a delinquent account. Nevertheless, any simple credit report errors may still have a damaging on the person s credit score, which can result in the individual getting rejected for a much-needed credit line.