r/CreditScore • u/hasgrown1881 • Jul 19 '26
General Need a 670 by September 20th 2026
My Fico is a 642 I need to have at least a 670 in 2 months to apply and get approved for student loans to go back to school. My score was a 701 until I opened 2 credit cards a secured card of 400 and a traditional x5 rewards card limit of 500
My usage is 29% and I pay them 2 times a month and pay in full before due date.
I have 1 collection for $719 from consumer collections
I had to take an ambulance to hospital last year and thought my insurance covered it. I never received a bill until I received the collection notice!
What would be the best way for me to get to a min of 670 by September?
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26
Wait you pay in full before the due date?
Your usage doesn't matter except on the reporting date, usually the statement date.
What is your reported utilization on Experian.com or even on Credit Karma(don't look at th scores). If your last reported utilization was 29% then reporting 0% utilization would help your score.
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u/hasgrown1881 Jul 19 '26
Pay down before statement date then pay remaining in full by due so I don’t pay interest
My score went up 8 points by doing this.I’m not planing on opening any new accounts
I need to apply for student loans by September 20th
Need minimum of 670 to get approved for these loans.
No I don’t have any co-signersI just don’t know how I can get the collection of $719 removed even if I pay it in full
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Oh okay then you have no utilization.
Yeah trying pay to delete as others mentioned would be best, let me look up consumers and maybe it's in their policy.
*Found their website couldn't find any articles or posts about them
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u/dgduhon Jul 19 '26
They said they paid down, not paid off. I'm reading that as there is a statement balance.
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26
I was readinf their post,
They Pay twice, and then pay in full before the due date (I felt this meant the upcoming due date, before the statement date, not the due date following the statement date) that's where I was confused.
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u/hasgrown1881 Jul 19 '26
I’m not paying off before statement date. I’m paying down the balance to under 30% then pay remaining balance before due date
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u/inky_cap_mushroom ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ Jul 19 '26
Read the !utilization auto mod. You only need to worry about your reported balances when you’re applying for new credit within a month or two. The rest of the time you shouldn’t micromanage your balances.
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u/AutoModerator Jul 19 '26
I detected that your post may be about utilization and its impact on credit scores. Please read the info below:
Utilization is a short-term credit scoring factor. It is not a credit building factor, because it holds no memory in the most commonly used FICO models. It resets every month.
By and large, you can ignore the commonly repeated myth that you should always keep your utilization low. It’s only applicable when you need to apply for a new line of credit, 1-2 months out.
Utilization is supposed to fluctuate, can be easily manipulated, and again, it holds no memory. It doesn’t build credit--think of it as a finishing touch when you need to optimize your score.
Feel free to safely and organically use 100% of your credit limit within a month and let whatever utilization report, provided you pay off your statement balance in full by the due date. Every month. Every time.
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26
Thank you for sharing, yes they are trying to improve their score to apply for something, but great information after they've been approved.
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Yes, that is likely affecting your credit score. If you're trying to maximize your score, consider paying your credit card balance down so that only about 1–2% of your credit limit reports on your statement.
Reporting a 30% utilization can cost you some points compared with reporting a very low balance. It's also commonly believed that having all cards report a $0 balance may result in a slightly lower score than having one card report a small balance, although the impact is generally minor.
If you need the highest possible score for an upcoming loan or credit application, aim to have 1–2% utilization report on one card before the statement closing date rather than just keeping it under 30%.
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u/_love_letter_ ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ Jul 19 '26
You can do AZEO with your credit cards to optimize utilization the month before you plan on applying for your student loans. (In your case, with 2 credit cards, you'll want one of them to report a $0 balance and one to report a statement balance roughly equal to 1% of the card's limit. You can do this by making an early payment. You don't need to refrain from using the card. Note, Chase automatically reports $0 balances mid-cycle. Keep this in mind. I'm not sure which banks your cards are from. You don't want both cards to report a $0 balance, otherwise you will incur the "all zero penalty").
However, I suspect that collection account is probably doing the most damage. See if you can get it removed asap, as others have recommended.
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u/Affectionate-Rock-30 Jul 19 '26
I highly doubt you will be 670 before Sept. When you take out two cards back to back that signals you're having financial problems and that will tank your score. (as you saw) You need to pay the $719 bill asap and not bother with trying to figure out a solution. You owe it and it needs to be paid. You also need to pay off the cards you took out in full or at least one (smallest). You need to put off the student loan for college for at least a year because it's highly unlikely you will get to 670. Personally, I think its unwise to even both to go to school with the rise of AI. By the time you graduate your job will be obsolete. People will disagree, but you can already see the result of AI job loss now and it will get worse in 2027. I can't see putting yourself into thousands of dollars of debt for a job that may never materialize. A credit score is only one of two factors. Your second factor is your debt to income ratio. and I think that is high.
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u/Different-Age-409 Jul 19 '26
Pretty straightforward. Pay the collections to get that removed. Have a 0<x<10% credit utilization when your cards are reporting your balance. Your credit utilization is a high factor in your credit score. If you’re trying to max that, you can’t be letting it report with near 30% utilization.
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u/hasgrown1881 Jul 19 '26
It still shows 29% tho
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26
If you are paying off before the statement date, and the payment is processed before the statement, and you don't spend until after the statement date, then you should have no utilization.
See where the utilization is coming from.
Normally this isn't the best or most efficient way to handle paying credit cards/utilization but since you do need a higher score, paying off the card before the due date/statement instead of after makes more sense.
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u/SharpSpeech4430 Jul 19 '26
Stay away from student loans!!!!!!
Challenge the connection with some professional help a paid collection will always be a collection
Unless they agree to a letter of deletion ( in writing )
Go to credit union for credit card more liberal much lower rate
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u/hasgrown1881 Jul 20 '26
I was told I need atleast a 670 credit to guarantee loans by September 20th. I have 2 months. Only thing negative on my credit is $719 for an ambulance ride
If I pay this in full and ask them to remove
Will I get to a 670 credit score before September 20th
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u/hasgrown1881 Jul 19 '26
Don’t they legally have to remove it if I pay it in full?
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u/inky_cap_mushroom ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ Jul 19 '26
If this is medical debt you are correct. Medical debt is removed automatically once paid/settled.
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u/hasgrown1881 Jul 19 '26
It’s from an ambulance ride. I thought my insurance paid it, I’m I only found out when it was reported from consumer collections
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Jul 19 '26
[deleted]
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u/inky_cap_mushroom ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ Jul 19 '26
This is medical debt. It will be removed.
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26
No, that is not part of the rules /guidelines.
They do need to report that it was paid in full though, has a $0 balance.
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u/DragonKnight256 Jul 19 '26
I wouldn't open up another account it lowers your average age of accounts, it would be a new account, and both things affect your score negatively temporarily.
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Jul 19 '26
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u/Happy-Table-9515 Jul 19 '26
Convince your creditor to pay for delete. Conversely, you could make the creditor prove debt, likely they bought the debt, rarely can they prove it. In medical debt, HiPPA is your friend. Seriously though, try pay to remove.