Secured cards: the fastest way to restart a file
You fund the limit, the issuer reports it like any other card. That's the whole trick.
A secured card takes a refundable deposit — often $200 to $500 — and turns it into a credit line. From the bureaus' perspective it's an ordinary revolving account: it builds payment history, adds to your account mix, and starts aging the day it opens. That's why it's the standard first step after bankruptcy or for a file with nothing on it.
Two rules make or break it: pick an issuer that reports to all three bureaus, and keep the reported balance under 10% of the limit. A secured card used for one small recurring charge, paid before the statement closes, does the job with almost no effort.
The rest of this is inside the portal
The step-by-step tactics, exact wording, and escalation sequence live in your Fix My Reports workspace, where they're applied to your own report items. Start with a $1 trial, then $50/month — cancel anytime.