If you are paying off your old debt and not increasing any balances on other account, then you are on your way to improving your credit score.  You need to keep the ratio of the amount of credit used to the amount of credit available as low as possible when working toward this goal.  The damage done to your credit from delinquent payments cannot be undone and will remain on your report for seven years, but as time passes those past due account will have less impact on your credit score. Those low interest credit cards you once had are gone but time, and a steady payment history will do the most good toward fixing that bad credit score. To balance out the negative information on your credit report, try to add some positive. Adding new accounts that you are paying on time will increase your score. Another idea is borrowing from yourself which means your bank could loan you the amount you have in your saving account.  You make regular monthly payments until the loan is paid in full, six months or a year.  This is a way you can prove your good standing in making on-time payments.