Boosting your credit score by the numbers

Dont bury your head in the sand but take control, suggests a financial expert

- By CAMILLA FOSTER

From getting approved for a credit card to renting a flat, your credit score can open doors, or quietly close them.

The good news is that a credit score isn't fixed, so with the right habits and a little consistency your score can improve faster than you think.

Here are seven easy ways to boost your credit score in 2026, to help you take back control of your financial future one smart step at a time.

DISPUTE ANY INACCURATE DATA ON YOUR CREDIT REPORT

Look out for wrong personal information, mixed files, incorrect account status, duplicate accounts and unrecognised debts on credit reports.

“One of the first things everyone should do is sign up for a credit report service and check all the data there is correct,” says Alastair Douglas, CEO at TotallyMoney. “If data is incorrect, you can raise a dispute or correction. Errors are common because a lot of data collection platforms are very old.”