Your credit score has a grading system that adds or subtracts points based on your credit report. If you have a poor credit score, you will not be able to land a loan or a new credit card. Here is a list of what to avoid to maintain your credit score.

Paying late/Non-payment  

Pay your credit card bills on time to maintain your credit score. Consistently being late will hurt your credit score, while not paying at all will move your account closer to being charged off. If your account is charged off, the lender writes off the account balance as a bad debt. While you still owe the money, the lender will punish you on your credit report.

Having your account sent to third-party collectors

Lenders may send your account to third-party debt collectors before or after charging it off. A collection status on your credit score shows that the lender gave up trying to get what was due from you, and had to bank on someone else to do it.

Defaulting on a loan

Loan defaults are similar to credit card charge-offs. A default indicates that you have not fulfilled your end of the loan contract

Filing for bankruptcy

Bankruptcy will devastate your credit score. Look for options such as consumer credit counseling.

Foreclosure

If you are lagging behind on your mortgage payments, your credit score will be hurt. Getting approval for future mortgage loans will be harder

Keeping high balances

Lenders are looking for people who use credit just right. If you have high credit card balances relative to your credit limit, it is a red flag. It shows lenders that you are hard up for cash and struggling to make payments

Applying for several credit cards or loans

By opening new accounts, the average age of your credit history falls. When the lender views your credit report, a hard inquiry record will appear on the report. The more hard inquiries you get on your report, the worse your credit score becomes. If you have numerous hard inquiries in a short span of time, lenders will be wary about granting you a credit card or a loan. Banks and credit card companies tend to avoid people who appear desperate by applying for several things at the same time.