So, it's a tough month – your tyres are starting to show thread and you may have overspent on make-up just a little. Before you know it, a debit order bounces. Not the biggest deal, right? Uhm, actually it is. One late payment can mess with your credit score for years.

Time is a healer

Late payments can show up on your credit score for as long as seven years. Wait … What?! Luckily, the longer ago the late payment happened, the less damaging it is. Pay up as soon as you can, and just make sure it doesn't happen again, okay?

Behave

Most credit rating agencies keep an eye on how you behave as a consumer. One slip-up shouldn't be the end of the world. They'll see that you're that guy who really has a grip on things. So, just keep doing the right thing and in no time your credit score will be squeaky clean again.

Up, up and away

To make a long story short, the credit peeps will soon catch on to the fact that this kind of thing doesn't normally happen with you. Your good payment history will soon counteract the negative stuff.