
How to recover from credit card delinquency
Delinquency can have a rough impact on your credit, but it’s possible to recover.
Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012 — and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library.
In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor.
Nicole Dieker is the author of Frugal and the Beast: And Other Financial Fairy Tales, in which she reworks classic fairy tales to highlight their hidden financial lessons. She also writes the Larkin Day Mystery series.
"The more you know about credit cards, the better equipped you'll be to make choices that work out in your favor – whether you're taking advantage of your credit card grace period to avoid interest charges, using a 0% intro APR credit card to fund a vacation or redeeming your credit card rewards at their maximum value. Credit is a powerful tool, when used wisely – and as a person who's been writing about personal finance for a decade, I hope to provide you with the tools to make as many wise decisions as possible."
— Nicole Dieker
Delinquency can have a rough impact on your credit, but it’s possible to recover.
Credit utilization is a big part of your credit score, and you should take steps to manage it well.
Discover cardholders can request a credit limit increase by phone, online or on the Discover app.
Use your credit card as a tool for improving your credit score and maximizing rewards.
Here’s how to maximize the benefits of a 0% intro APR credit card.
Taking money out of a credit card at the ATM is one way to get cash quickly — but it’s costly.
Credit card issuers consider many factors before deciding whether to approve you.
A lower APR is better and a good credit score will help you qualify for better APRs