All good info... using concepts like these I raised my credit score from low 600s to mid 700s in one years time. Checking CreditKarma every month to keep motivated. No real tricks, just pay the statement balance every month, and once credit score started going up, I opened a few new cards to build overall credit limit that helped me keep total balance well under 30%. New cards all had 0% apr as a bonus for x/months. I did get a slight ding with the hard inquiries, but the effect seemed to go away over a few months time.