If you make a late credit card payment

I made one late credit card payment recently-my first ever-and now I'm worried about how it will affect my credit score. What can I do to prevent damage?

Since it's a first-time offense, you might try calling the card company and asking it to remove the late payment information from your file as a goodwill gesture. There's no guarantee that the company will oblige, but it may if you're a valuable longstanding customer. You've got nothing to lose by asking.