How do I get and keep a good credit score? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

How to maintain a good FICO score? ›

Experts advise keeping your use of credit at no more than 30 percent of your total credit limit. You don't need to revolve on credit cards to get a good score. Paying off the balance each month helps get you the best scores.

Five major factors impact your credit rating: credit payment performance, credit utilization, credit history length, credit mix, and inquiries. There are key strategies to improve and maintain your credit rating, such as making payments on time, not overextending yourself, and limiting your credit applications.

Reduce the amount of debt you owe

Pay off debt rather than moving it around: the most effective way to improve your credit scores in this area is by paying down your revolving (credit card) debt. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your scores.

Is "credit score" the same as "FICO^® score"? Basically, "credit score" and "FICO^® score" are all referring to the same thing. A FICO^® score is a type of credit scoring model. While different reporting agencies may weigh factors slightly differently, they are all essentially measuring the same thing.

Consider yourself in “good” shape if your credit score is above the average for people in your age group. Given that the average credit score for people aged 18 to 26 is 680, a score between 680 and 690 (the average for people aged 27 to 42) could be considered “good.”

Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850.

What is one way to keep a good credit score? ›

Pay your bills on time

Prioritize and schedule your monthly payments, making sure to pay at least the minimum payment on time every month on all your accounts. Try to pay more than what's due whenever possible. This helps to pay down debt faster, save on interest expense and may improve your credit score.

How many Americans have an 850 credit score? Only 1.31% of Americans with a FICO® Score have a perfect 850 credit score. While a score this high is rare among any demographic, older generations are more likely to have perfect credit. Baby boomers make up a whopping 59.4% of the people with an 850 credit score.

You can borrow from $1,000 to $100,000 or more with a 700 credit score. The exact amount of money you will get depends on other factors besides your credit score, such as your income, your employment status, the type of loan you get, and even the lender.

Why is my FICO score higher than my other credit scores? Every credit-scoring model is different. And credit scores can change based on what credit report is used to inform the model. Those variances can make some scores higher or lower than others.

Your credit score is a major factor in whether you'll be approved for a car loan. Some lenders use specialized credit scores, such as a FICO Auto Score. In general, you'll need at least prime credit, meaning a credit score of 661 or up, to get a loan at a good interest rate.

If you want an excellent score, however, you must do more. For an 800 score, the rule of thumb is to keep your revolving balances at or below 10% of your credit limit. (People with credit scores of 800 or above only use 7% of credit lines on average.) If you can swing it, 5% is better.

Perhaps the most important factor in your credit score is on-time payments. In fact, both FICO and VantageScore list payment history as the top factor in calculating your credit score, since paying your bills on time demonstrates that you pose a lower credit risk to lenders.

Payment history (35%)

The first thing any lender wants to know is whether you've paid past credit accounts on time. This helps a lender figure out the amount of risk it will take on when extending credit. This is the most important factor in a FICO Score.