For context i did a pre qualification for a credit card because i was curious and the issuer was Mission lane. On the website it told me with bold letters WILL NOT IMPACT YOUR CREDIT, but they did impact my credit and on the submit button it says the same thing again, but then i still got a hard inquiry. I called them they closed my account but they won’t send me a letter saying they were not allowed to access my credit because they don’t do that and they won’t do anything about it. I called transunion and Experian said i still have to contact them. I’m completely lost and don’t know what to do

Hello friends. Below are a few tips for what to include and attach in your dispute letters.

For those who haven't seen my comments or posts before, I'm a credit attorney. That means that I sue the credit agencies, creditors and collection agencies, when we find serious errors or misconduct, involving credit reports and debt collection.

We focus mainly on issues involving the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which is the federal law that regulates the credit agencies. We also occasionally handle Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) issues, involving collection agencies.

As I have elsewhere on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/CRedit/comments/1el647h/credit_attorney_tips_advice_for_disputing_with/), it's best if you dispute by certified mail, rather than online. The address for each credit agency is in that link.

What should you include in your dispute letters?

1. Your full legal name. This one is obvious.
2. Your date of birth. This helps the credit agency identify you.
3. Your mailing address. Of course, this helps them know where to contact you, and to match you to your credit reports.
4. The last four digits of your Social Security Number. In the past, I used to suggest that you include your full SSN. I'd still suggest that if you have a case of a mixed credit file. However, for everyone else, the last four digits is enough.
5. Any proof of the error you're disputing. For identity theft, that would be a police report and an FTC report. For an account that was paid but is listed as unpaid, that's proof of payment. The evidence varies, but attaching it is always a good idea.
6. Attach a current copy of your photo ID. Avoid an expired ID. If it does not match your current address, that's fine.
7. Proof of your address. Utility bills, apartment / house leases and mortgage statements are great. So are insurance bills. Cell phone and credit card bills work fine, though I do seem them rejected sometimes (a stall tactic).

As always, you'll want to allow for a bit over 30 days after they recieve the letters, to obtain a response. At that point, you can assess whether another dispute is needed, or if the error was fixed.

Ive been rebuilding my credit for the last 5 years or so. Finally had a charged off card from 2019 fall off my account a few months ago and shot my credit up 100+ points. I dont spend a TON at costco but both of my CapOne cards are MasterCard (which isnt accepted at Costco) so i had to use my debit card which i hated. This is also my highest limit but will primarily be used as a gas card (5% at costco, 4% other gas stations) and my Costco shopping card (2% on top of my 2% for being an executive member). Idk why but I’m just really happy about this haha

Do y’all think they will remove it from my credit after I pay them?

I can’t believe it tbh they replied back in less than a week

I wanted to share a victory with everyone who’s been working hard to rebuild their credit. Hopefully, my experience can help someone else.

Over the last few years, I’ve been actively rebuilding my credit, improving my payment history, managing debt, and cleaning up old negative accounts.

My last remaining derogatory credit-card account was an old Chase charge-off. According to my Experian credit report, the account was scheduled to remain on record until September 2026

Rather than wait, I decided to try getting it removed early from all three credit bureaus.

Here’s how it went:

TransUnion — SUCCESS! (20 MINUTES!)
Resolved 6/23/2026

TransUnion was by far the easiest.

I didn’t have to call or speak with anyone. I simply went online through CK(Credit Karma) website and submitted a dispute requesting removal of the old account.

To my surprise, within approximately 20 minutes, the account was gone!

No phone calls, no supervisors, no back-and-forth. Just an online submission and a successful removal.

Experian — SUCCESS! (PERSISTENCE REQUIRED)
Resolved date 8/28/2026

Experian was a different story.

My Experian credit report specifically stated “On record until September 2026.”

I called to request an early exclusion and was initially told to call back on August 26. Being a little impatient, I decided to try calling on August 25 anyway.

The first representative told me I had to wait until the 26th. The second representative submitted an early-exclusion request, but processed it as a dispute.

A few days later, I called again. Another representative explained that he would cancel the pending dispute and push through the early exclusion instead.

He told me the process would take approximately 24–72 hours and that I’d receive an email when completed.

Shortly afterward, I received confirmation:

“This item was removed from your credit report.”

VICTORY!

Equifax — SUCCESS!
Resolved date 10/12/2026

I’d heard Equifax could be the toughest, so I saved them for last.

On 8/30/2026, I made my initial call to Equifax to inquire about the scheduled removal date for my old Chase charge-off. The representative informed me that the account was scheduled to fall off on 12/28/2026.

I explained that I had been working diligently to rebuild my credit over the last several years and wanted to request an early exclusion as a courtesy, considering the account was approaching the end of its reporting period.

During that initial conversation, I was given a case number to reference regarding my request and to follow up in two to three weeks.

I followed up with another phone call(after waiting) and was told that it was “still pending”. Yesterday I called again; I was transferred to a supervisor and I again explained that I wasn’t disputing the accuracy of the account, but simply requesting consideration for an early exclusion. And just like that, the representative was able to accommodate my request, the account was removed from my Equifax credit report.

What made this particularly satisfying was that Equifax had given me a scheduled removal date of December 28, meaning I was able to get the account removed nearly four months early from my initial call.

THE RESULTS

My Equifax credit scores improved:

FICO 8: 696 → 717 (+21 points)
VantageScore: 618 → 645 (+27 points)

My Experian FICO is currently 712.

My TransUnion VantageScore is currently 634.

And here’s the interesting part: my overall credit utilization is still around 60%, meaning I have plenty of room for further improvement.

WHAT I LEARNED

1. Every bureau handles these requests differently. What worked for TransUnion wasn’t necessarily the process Experian used.
2. Check the expected removal date listed on your credit report before requesting an early exclusion. The dates and procedures may differ between bureaus.
3. Be polite and persistent when speaking with representatives.
4. If you’re told no, ask when the account becomes eligible and whether a supervisor can review it.
5. Be clear about what you’re requesting. An early exclusion is different from claiming an account is inaccurate.
6. Approval isn’t guaranteed, and another person’s experience may be different.

THE BIGGEST WIN?

This was my LAST negative credit-card tradeline. After years of rebuilding, it’s finally gone from all three bureaus.

Now my focus is on lowering utilization, eliminating high-interest debt, and continuing to build a stronger financial future.

I’m sharing this because I know how discouraging rebuilding credit can be, especially when you’ve been putting in the work for years but still have old mistakes following you.

Sometimes patience pays off. Sometimes persistence pays off. In my case, it took both.

Consistency compounds. Keep going!

I sent the CEO of Amex an email , has anyone gotten any luck with this ? I also have another card with 3x late payment I’m hoping to get those adjustment as well.

Swamped with payday/tribal loans, I’m in a really good position now to pay them off. Several have gone to collections or debt collectors. Still within the 8 years to file bankruptcy. Vet if that helps. Together they’re about 20k spread over like 10 loans.

Brought my score from 655 to 547

Was seeing if I should just pay everything and everyone off as is or could I write to them to pay to delete from my report if that’s a thing.

Not worried about getting 800 in my lifetime just want to survive and clean up my credit enough to buy a home. Any advice is helpful.

My Chase Credit Journey score (VantageScore based on Experian data) dropped from 666 on October 6 to 634 on October 13. The “Recent changes” section lists:

• Account balances decreased
• Credit card balances decreased
• AMEX utilization decreased, although it’s still my card with the highest utilization
• Total available credit increased

These all seem positive, and my FICO score directly through Experian actually increased.

Does this section just list changes rather than explain the drop? Could the different scoring models explain this?

I also lost my driver’s license last month and have since replaced it, so I’m concerned about possible identity theft. Should I worry, and what should I check?

Adding my data point: first letter sent to Capital One on 9/27/26 asking for 9 late payments (I had a very hard year with job/unsafe housing situation and didn’t know anything about $) from 2024 removed. They called the next morning and denied it siting the typical accurate reporting line. I sent another letter with some tweaking on 10/09/26, got a call that evening for some information gathering and was given a case #. Second call from the same person today (10/13/26) and she denied my request. Just tweaked my letter again and sent it out again. I’ve sent it to multiple emails and hoping third time is the charm. I have high credit utilization as I am working part time while I finish school but have managed to build some savings and make every payment since on time. Hoping others have had success in similar cases and hoping this time it works for me!

i've been aggressively paying off debt all year. I gave up my apartment and moved into my work truck and have been working everyday for the last 5 months. Before that i worked everyday for 3 months straight. So for the past year i've took off twice. both times were 4 days. all my credit cards are paid off. same with the "other" loan & i've paid most of my student loans i only owe 6k now & plan to pay that off by december . i do have a repo it isn't showing up on here but im on a payment plan with ally bank. will start at her aggressively paying that next year after im done with my final student loan.

I just wanted to inform everyone that BOA removed my moms late payment that was over 30 days late. I emailed the ceo and clientcare and was just being polite. The situation happened after a payment was made to bring the account to zero and then for some reason the system removed autopayments and there was a small lingering interest charge that was ignored.

Her credit had dropped 90-70 pts but 3-4 days after the correction by BOA the credit agencies corrected it and now it’s back up. Thought it would take 30-60 days. Anyways if someone’s situation is similar, dont give up!