What Is a Good Credit Score? The FICO Ranges Explained

The Five FICO Score Ranges

FICO scores run from 300 to 850, split into five ranges. myFICO, the company that publishes the FICO scoring model, defines them as poor (300-579), fair (580-669), good (670-739), very good (740-799), and exceptional (800-850).

Most lenders treat "good" as the point where credit becomes meaningfully easier and cheaper. Below 670, you can often still qualify for a loan or card, but usually at a higher rate or a smaller limit. Above 740, the rate difference from one lender to the next starts to shrink, since most already treat you as low-risk.

FICO is not the only score in use. VantageScore, built by the three credit bureaus, uses a similar 300-850 range but can score the same credit report slightly differently. Check which score type a lender is quoting before you compare offers.

What Actually Builds Your Score

Five factors make up a FICO score, and they are not weighted equally. Payment history counts for 35%, amounts owed (your utilization) counts for 30%, length of credit history counts for 15%, new credit counts for 10%, and credit mix counts for 10%, according to myFICO.

Payment history is simply whether you paid past accounts on time. Amounts owed looks mostly at your credit utilization ratio, the share of your available credit you're currently using. A common guideline is to keep utilization under 30%, though scores in the exceptional range typically run well under 10%.

Here's a tradeoff most people miss: closing your oldest credit card can hurt your score two ways at once. It shortens your average account age, part of that 15% history factor, and it lowers your total available credit, which can spike your utilization even if your spending doesn't change. Keeping an old, no-fee card open often helps your score more than closing it ever would.

How to Check Your Score for Free

You can check your FICO or VantageScore for free through several legitimate channels, without paying for a monitoring service. Many credit card issuers and lenders now show your score for free on your monthly statement or online account, according to the CFPB.

A HUD-approved nonprofit credit counselor can also pull your score for free as part of a counseling session, and some banks and credit unions offer free score access to any customer with an open account.

Don't confuse this with your credit report. AnnualCreditReport.com gives you a free copy of your report from each bureau, but those free reports don't include your score. Checking your report catches errors; checking your score tracks where you actually stand.

How to Get Your Free Credit Report Every Week

You can pull your credit report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion once a week, from every bureau, at no cost — not just once a year. The FTC made this weekly access permanent in October 2023, after the three bureaus first ran it as a temporary pandemic-era program starting in 2020. Request all three at once through AnnualCreditReport.com, the only site authorized to give out these free reports, call 1-877-322-8228 if you'd rather request by phone (your reports arrive by mail within 15 days), or mail a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Even if you skip the weekly option, federal law still guarantees one free report per bureau every 12 months no matter what.

Getting the report is only step one. Read it for two things: mistakes and strangers. Check that every account, balance, and payment entry actually belongs to you and looks accurate, since a wrong late payment or someone else's account mixed into your file can drag your score down for a mistake you didn't make. Then scan for accounts you don't recognize at all, a card, loan, or address you never opened or lived at, since that's often the first sign someone else is using your identity. The three bureaus don't always show identical information, because they don't all get reports from the same lenders, which is exactly why checking all three matters.

If you find an error, dispute it in writing with both the credit bureau and whichever company reported the bad information, describing each mistake and attaching any supporting documents. The FTC says the credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate once it receives your dispute and must give you the results in writing. If the bureau doesn't fix it, you can ask that a statement of your dispute be added to your file, or file a complaint directly with the CFPB.

How Long It Takes to Improve Your Score

Your score can move within a single billing cycle when the change involves utilization, since issuers typically report your balance to the bureaus about once a month. Paying down a high balance before your statement closes can raise your score noticeably at the next update.

Other changes take longer. A new account needs time to season before it meaningfully helps your length-of-history factor. A missed payment can stay on your credit report for up to seven years, per the CFPB, though its effect on your score fades well before it disappears from your report.

There's no single timeline that fits everyone, since your starting score and the type of negative mark both change the math. Someone with one late payment and an otherwise clean file usually recovers faster than someone rebuilding after a bankruptcy or a charge-off.

What Score You Actually Need for Common Goals

Lenders set their own cutoffs, so no single score guarantees approval anywhere, but general tiers hold up across most lenders. A conventional mortgage typically wants good credit or better, while government-backed loan programs are built to work with lower scores — check current requirements directly with a HUD-approved lender, since specific cutoffs can change. Run your own numbers through the mortgage calculator once you know roughly where your score sits.

An auto loan follows a similar pattern: very good to exceptional credit unlocks a lender's lowest advertised rates, while fair credit can still get approved, just at a meaningfully higher APR. Test a few rate scenarios in our auto loan calculator before you shop.

The best rewards credit cards, with the richest sign-up bonuses and point values, are generally reserved for good to exceptional credit. See what actually moves the needle in which credit card perks are worth it, or check the exact score you need for a 0% APR card if that's your near-term goal.

Building or Rebuilding From Fair Credit

If your score sits in the fair range, a handful of specific moves close the gap fastest. Paying every bill on time going forward is the single biggest lever, since payment history alone is over a third of your score.

A secured card or a credit-builder loan can add positive payment history if your file is thin rather than damaged. Once your score improves, a balance transfer card or a personal loan for excellent credit both become realistic ways to consolidate debt at a far better rate than fair-credit terms allow.

Avoid opening several new accounts at once while you're rebuilding. Each hard inquiry has a small, temporary effect on your score, and a cluster of new accounts can also drag down your average account age right when you need it working for you.

Frequently asked questions