Frequently Asked Questions

Our customers pay for two things: The service and their credit reports.

The credit monitoring system we use to access your credit profile charges a $1 trial for 7 days, then $27.99/month. We cannot view or work on your credit without this active subscription and it has to stay active during the entire time you are in the program.

Sign up here: https://member.identityiq.com/securemax.aspx?offercode=431293SW

Our service is FREE to start. You won’t be charged until after we meet and you decide to move forward.

Then every 30 days, pricing is as follows:

$99/month for an individual (First Work fee is not included)

or

$150/month for couples (First Work fee is not included)

If your credit is fixed in the first round, you won’t be charged any additional monthly fees. Our goal is to help you get results—not keep you in the system forever.

On average, most of our clients work with us for about 4 to 8 months—but that can vary depending on your specific situation. Credit isn’t one-size-fits-all, and unfortunately, we don’t control the credit bureaus. Sometimes they ask for more documentation, and other times they just stall. It happens.

Credit reports update monthly, so this is a month-to-month process. It’s not unusual for it to take several rounds to make real progress. And just so you know—it takes the bureaus about 30 to 45 days to even respond to each round of work we submit on your behalf.

Bottom line: there’s no such thing as a quick fix. Fixing your credit is like going to the gym—you’re building a stronger version of yourself, and that takes time. We’ll do our part, but you’ve got a role too. Stay consistent, stick to the plan, and trust the process. If you do the work, you will see results.

Our clients have the right to cancel our service anytime, even seconds after enrolling. There is no contract or fees owed when cancelling.  

The FCRA gives you the right to dispute anything on your credit report. The credit bureaus must investigate on these disputed items and remove them, if they are found not in compliance with the FCRA. 

Click here for complete FCRA guidelines: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/fcra-may2023-508.pdf

Debt Collection companies have laws and rules they must follow as well. Any debt collection company violating these rules could result in having their reporting removed from your credit report.

Click here for complete FDCPA guidelines: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text

At NextStep Credit Solutions, our mission is to help and educate consumers about their credit. Whether you're struggling with poor credit or just starting out with no credit history, we're here to guide you every step of the way.

Our main service focuses on helping individuals improve their credit scores by identifying and challenging the negative or inaccurate information that may be holding them back. For those with little to no credit, we provide the education and tools needed to build a strong credit foundation, including recommending trusted credit-building products.

We're not a credit repair company—we're your partner in unlocking financial opportunities and taking the next step toward your dreams and goals.

If you have bad credit (negative accounts reporting): You need credit repair.
If you have zero credit (no credit history or credit mix): You need to build credit. 

Credit repair is all about challenging the negative stuff that’s hurting your credit scores. If something on your report is inaccurate, incomplete, can’t be verified, doesn’t get a proper response, or breaks any of the consumer protection laws like the FCRA or FDCPA—we go after it.

And honestly, that kind of thing happens more than you’d think.

When those types of accounts get deleted, many of our clients see real jumps in their credit scores. That’s the power of knowing your rights and having a solid game plan in place.

At NextStep Credit Solutions, we play by the rules—all the rules. We follow the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) to the letter. That means no upfront fees, no fake promises, and no shady shortcuts. You can cancel anytime, no pressure.

When we file disputes, items are only removed if they’re inaccurate, incomplete, unverified, or if the credit bureaus don’t respond in time. That’s it.

So if you’re looking for some “instant fix” or falling for the hype of quick-score scams—we’re not the service for you. We don’t do nonsense, and we won’t risk violating CROA for anyone. We’re here to do it the right way, every time.

Click here for complete CROA guidelines: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/credit-repair-organizations-act

Just a heads-up—apps like Credit Karma and the Experian app don’t pull full data from all three credit bureaus, so we can’t use them for our process. Trust me, we wish your free phone apps were enough, but they’re just not built for what we need to do.

Now, if you already have a legit credit monitoring service—like IdentityIQ—we can absolutely use that. No need to sign up for something new.

But if you don’t have one yet, we recommend Smart Credit. It’s reliable and usually a little easier on the wallet.

Even though NextStep Credit Solutions isn’t a telemarketing company, we still follow the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) to stay fully compliant. That means no cold calls, no pushy phone sales, and no shady outreach tactics—period.

When a client signs up, they agree to let us review their credit reports and speak with them directly about their situation. Everything is done with full permission and transparency—just how it should be. 

Click here for complete TSR guidelines: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/telemarketing-sales-rule

If you’re a true victim of identity theft, we strongly recommend contacting your creditors right away and following their specific steps to have the fraudulent information removed.

At NextStep, we don’t handle new identity theft cases. It’s a legal gray area, and we stay out of anything that could lead to complications down the line. Your best bet is to work directly with the creditors and law enforcement to resolve those issues properly.

Getting started takes just 5 minutes. All we need is your basic personal info, a copy of your driver’s license, and a document that shows proof of residency—like a utility bill or bank statement.

Important: The card you use for billing must be a real credit or debit card from a bank. Our system can’t process prepaid cards like CashApp, Chime, or similar. They’ll get declined every time.

Every 30 days, your online portal will update with your latest credit scores and account changes. You’ll also get email updates on the work we’re doing behind the scenes.

On top of that, the credit bureaus will send you their updates by mail. And if you're the type who prefers to talk it out, no problem—you’ll have our office support number so you can call in every month and go over your progress with us directly.

At NextStep Credit Solutions, we believe fixing your credit shouldn’t be confusing, shady, or full of empty promises. Our mission is simple: to help you take back control of your financial future with real support, real education, and real results.

Here’s why our clients choose us:

✅ No Upfront Charges – You don’t pay a dime until we’ve met, reviewed your credit, and you decide to move forward. No pressure.

✅ Tailored to You – We don’t do cookie-cutter. Your credit situation is unique, and your plan should be too.

✅ Straightforward Pricing – No hidden fees, no contracts locking you in. Just honest, upfront communication from day one.

✅ Education-Driven – We’ll break it all down for you—how credit works, what’s happening with your file, and what steps to take—so you’re never in the dark.

✅ Support That’s Actually There – You’ll always know where you stand. Questions? We’ve got you. Need help? We’re just a call, text, or email away.

We’re not just here to dispute accounts—we’re here to help you repair, rebuild, and unlock opportunity... one step at a time.

Let’s be clear—at NextStep Credit Solutions, we don’t lie to clients or make empty promises. If someone tells you they can "fix your credit" without even looking at your credit reports, they’re breaking the law under the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). Period.

Think about it—would you let a doctor operate on you without knowing what’s wrong? Would you hire a lawyer who hasn’t even reviewed your case? Same logic applies here.

We never charge upfront for our services. If a company is asking for payment before you’re enrolled or before any work is done, that’s a CROA violation—and you should walk away.

And let’s talk about “credit sweeps.” We don’t offer them, and you should steer clear of anyone who does. That usually involves filing a false police report claiming identity theft just to force deletions. Not only is that illegal—it’s unethical and dangerous. This kind of stuff is exactly what gives legit credit repair companies a bad name.

Before signing up with anyone, make sure they’re educating you on the laws—not breaking them behind your back.

Most people turn to credit repair because they’ve got negative items holding their scores back—and that’s exactly what we’re here to help with.

At NextStep, we work with all types of situations. Our goal is to challenge those negative accounts and get them removed if they meet certain criteria—like being unverified, reported inaccurately or incompletely, not responded to in time, or if there’s a violation of consumer protection laws like the FCRA or FDCPA.

The most common issues we see? Late payments, charge-offs, collections, bankruptcies—basically anything that shows up as negative on your credit report. And yes, many of these can be deleted if they fit the legal grounds.

Now, if we work a file and it turns out there's no path forward for a specific item, we’ll be upfront about that too. You’ll never be left in the dark—we’ll keep you in the loop the entire way.

There are tons of services out there that exist for one reason—to save you time and help you get things done faster and more effectively.

Sure, you can cook your own meals at home. But if you don’t have the time, the right ingredients, or even know the recipe—you’ll probably just hire a chef or order takeout. Simple, right?

Credit repair is no different. It’s a service. If you don’t have the time to keep disputing month after month or the bandwidth to learn all the laws and strategies, that’s where a credit repair company like ours comes in.

Now, here’s the truth about online disputes: when you click “dispute” on a free app, it typically just tells the credit bureaus “this account doesn’t belong to me.” That’s it. And unless the furnisher doesn’t respond in time, it usually goes nowhere. Worse—once you do that, you may not be able to dispute it again, even if there are legit errors or violations later.

This is why online disputes aren’t the best route.

Experienced credit pros know which methods work best for different situations—and when to apply them. Whether you hire a service or go the DIY route, always send disputes by mail, include documentation, and keep a paper trail. That’s how you protect yourself and improve your chances of real results.

The card you place on file with us will be charged when your service payment is due—typically the following month, on the same day you enrolled (unless you’ve requested a different billing date).

You’ll always get an email ahead of time reminding you that your payment is coming up.

For example: If you signed up on January 5th, your payments will fall on the 5th of each month moving forward.

Simple, clear, and no surprises.

You’ll get a reminder email 7 days before your payment is due, giving you a heads-up that it’s coming up.

If your payment doesn’t go through, don’t worry—you’ll get an email with a link to update your payment method. From that email, you can also:

Update your billing info

Request a new payment date

Or cancel future services if needed

For any billing concerns, feel free to email us at [email protected]. Our team responds Monday through Friday, 8AM–5PM PST—we’ve got you covered.

At NextStep, we’re a drama-free, stress-free company—and we do everything we can to keep it that way, especially when it comes to money.

That’s one of the reasons we don’t charge any upfront fees. We want you to fully understand how the process works before you ever pay for anything.

Clients are free to cancel services anytime—as long as it’s before the next billing cycle starts. That way, there’s no confusion or frustration around payments.

Once we’ve completed our service and submitted disputes to the credit bureaus, we’re unable to offer refunds or stop the investigation process—it’s already in motion at that point.

For example: If you’ve been enrolled for several months and later claim you didn’t realize you were in the program, the only thing we can do is cancel future service. It’s like signing up for Netflix and then asking for a refund months later because you forgot you had an account—it just doesn’t work that way.

We’re all about keeping things clear, fair, and respectful—for you and for us.

Absolutely—but just a quick note:

Our customer support number is reserved only for fully enrolled clients. Why? Because our phone lines stay busy, and we need to prioritize case-specific support for our active clients.

We’ve made sure that all the common questions—like pricing, timeframes, and how our service works—are clearly answered online. If we opened the phones to everyone calling about basic info, we’d never have the time to properly support the clients already in the program.

If you’ve got a quick question that wasn’t covered on this page, feel free to reach out using our contact form or email us at [email protected]. We’ll get back to you during regular business hours—Monday through Friday, 8AM–5PM PST.

We appreciate your understanding and can’t wait to help when you're ready to take the next step.

This is one of the most common questions we get—and here’s the short answer:

Your score will not drop just from using our service— unless new negative activity hits your credit profile.

At NextStep Credit Solutions, we don’t control your credit score, and reviewing your reports with us does NOT create a hard inquiry or hurt your score in any way.

Credit scores typically drop because of things like:

Missed or late payments

Applying for new credit (causing hard inquiries)

Accounts going into collections or charge-off status

High credit card balances

Opening too many new accounts (which lowers your average account age)

Remember: credit repair is about fixing what’s wrong, not adding new debt or damage. We're here to challenge inaccurate, outdated, or unverifiable items—so you can move forward with a stronger financial foundation.

Don’t hesitate to reach out—seriously!

With years of experience under our belt, we’ve created this FAQ to cover the most common questions we get asked every day. But we also know everyone’s situation is a little different, so chances are you’ll still have a question or two that’s more specific to you—and that’s totally expected.

Feel free to fill out our contact form or email us directly at [email protected]. We’ll get back to you the same business day (Monday–Friday, 8AM–5PM PST).

Pro tip: If you don’t see a response in your inbox, check your spam folder—just in case.

Our service is 100% online—just like how most of us pay our utility bills these days. The world has gone digital, and so have we.

Our website is designed to answer most of your questions upfront, and if you still have something specific to ask, it only takes a second to drop us a message on the Contact Us page.

Because of our busy workflow and the need to protect client information, we don’t offer in-person consultations—especially ones where people don’t show up. Instead, once you're enrolled, you’ll have access to our support number and can get your questions answered in a quick 3–5 minute phone call, right from the comfort of your home.

This is a new question we’ve been hearing more often—and here’s the deal:

As mentioned earlier, we strictly follow all the guidelines laid out in the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). That means we do NOT and will NOT accept any upfront payments. Period.

Staying compliant with federal law is far more important to us than collecting money early and risking legal trouble or fines. We take what we do seriously—and that includes doing it the right way from day one.