How to improve your credit score
Most of what improves a credit record is unglamorous and takes months. The things that work fastest are correcting errors and clearing arrears; the things that work most are simply paying on time, repeatedly, for long enough that the recent history is good.
What this actually means for your application
Start with your free report. Errors are common and cost nothing to dispute — an account settled years ago still showing in arrears is worth more to fix than any amount of new good behaviour.
Then clear anything in arrears, smallest first if you cannot do all of it. An account brought current stops adding negative months to your payment profile, which is the single heaviest factor.
Then hold steady. Keep debit orders funded, keep facilities well below their limits, and stop making credit applications you do not need. Six clean months changes an assessment; six weeks does not.
What does not work: paying a company to remove accurate listings, closing old accounts in good standing (which shortens your history), or taking new credit purely to show activity.
Check these three things before you sign — here or anywhere
- The lender’s NCRCP number is published on its own site, and it checks out in the National Credit Regulator’s register.
- The pre-agreement quote breaks out the total cost of credit: interest, initiation fee, service fee and VAT — as one figure you can compare.
- Nobody asks you for an upfront “release fee”. A registered credit provider never charges you before it pays out.
Related
Sources and last checked
- National Credit Regulator — register of credit providers — Regulator, as at 10 August 2026.
- National Credit Act 34 of 2005 and its regulations — Government, as at 10 August 2026.
Page last checked 10 August 2026. Statutory caps and lender terms change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the provider or the National Credit Regulator. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.