Why Do You Want a Good Credit Score?

woman in jacket typing on phone against palm trees background

6 Reasons You Want a Good Credit Score

Americans often rely on credit—the ability to buy things with borrowed money that's paid back over time—to finance major purchases, such as buying a car or home, and to make life easier with conveniences like credit cards, which can help you manage your daily spending. To determine whether you qualify for such loans, lenders may look at a number of factors, including your income, debt-to-income ratio, and even employment history.

But they also almost always rely on an automated evaluation process that includes considering your credit scores and credit history to determine how likely you are to pay back your debts on time. A credit score is a three-digit number that's calculated by applying a mathematical algorithm to the information in one of your three credit reports (from Experian, TransUnion or Equifax), which are updated regularly with information from your credit accounts. Typically, the higher your credit scores, the more likely you are to qualify for loans with the most favorable terms, including lower interest rates, higher dollar amounts, and potentially lower fees.

Having a good credit score comes with many advantages, including:

1. Significant Savings on Interest Rates on Big-Ticket Loans

When you take a large loan to finance a big purchase like a home or car, even a small difference in the interest rate can translate into thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a loan. Borrowers with the highest credit scores are generally able to secure the lowest interest rates available at a given time for a mortgage or auto loan. And that can mean big bucks.

For example, a 30-year fixed mortgage of $250,000 at 5.5% will cost a borrower a total of $511,010 over the lifetime of the loan. If that same borrower can get a 4.5% interest rate—just one percentage point lower—she will pay $456,017 over the life of the loan, a difference of $54,993.

2. Better Terms and Availability on Loan Products

Borrowers with strong credit scores will have access to the most loan and credit card products available since lenders will want to lend to them. They will be able to shop around and compare rates more effectively. They'll also find the best terms, including higher dollar limits, which can make it easier to finance big purchases.

3. Access to the Best Credit Cards

High credit scores will afford you access to the most rewarding credit cards on the market, including those that offer the lowest interest rates and the best rewards, such as cash back offers, travel points, and other incentives. You are also more likely to qualify for an introductory 0% APR purchase and balance transfer offers, which can translate to significant savings over time.

Find the best credit cards in Experian CreditMatch^™.

4. Insurance Discounts

You can't be turned down for insurance if you have a low credit score, but having a high score can help you qualify for lower insurance premiums on car insurance.

5. More Housing Options

Some landlords of rental management companies consider a potential tenant's credit scores to determine whether they are financially trustworthy. The higher your credit scores, the more likely you are to be approved for a home or apartment rental. You could also save money on your security deposit if you have higher credit scores.

6. Security Deposit Waivers on Utilities

Some utility companies may consider your credit reports and scores to determine how likely you are to pay your bills on time. If you don't have a strong credit history, you may have to pay a security deposit to initiate utility services.

What Is a Good Credit Score?

While there are countless credit scoring models on the market, one of the most commonly used is the FICO^® Score^☉ model, which places scores in a range between 300 and 850. FICO^® breaks up these scores into the following credit scoring bands:

Exceptional: 800 and above
Very Good: 740 to 799
Good: 670 to 739
Poor: 579 and below

Generally, a score of 700 or above in the FICO^® model is considered a good credit score in most lenders' eyes.

How Can I Improve My Credit Scores?

While each consumer likely has dozens, if not hundreds, of credit scores, the good news is that what makes scores go up or down across different models is almost always the same. It's just that different models may apply different weights to certain factors.

There is no secret sauce to getting good credit scores. Generally speaking, the best way to improve your credit scores is to do the opposite of what caused them to go down in the first place, and give yourself enough time for them to improve. While each scoring model gives different weight to the factors that affect your score, there are usually seven factors that go into determining your scores:

- Payment history: This is typically one of the most important factors—roughly 30% to 35%—in determining your score in most scoring models. Late or missed payments bring your credit score down. Conversely, if you have a long history of paying your bills on time, your score will generally be higher. The most important thing you can do to boost your credit scores is to pay all your bills on time every month. If you establish a pattern of doing this over time, your scores will improve. You may want to setup automatic credit payments to help your score increase over time.
- Credit utilization ratio: This is the amount of revolving credit you're actively using compared with the amount of credit available to you, based on your credit card limits. The lower the ratio, the higher your credit score. Aim to keep your utilization ratio under 30%, but for the best scores, you'll want to keep it under 10%.
- Number of accounts: Credit scoring models also look at how many credit accounts you have open and on how many you carry balances. It's better to have more accounts that don't have a balance than ones on which you do carry a balance.
- Credit history: Most scoring models also look at how long you have actively used credit. They typically look at the average age of all your open accounts. The longer your credit history, the better it is for your score. You can't do much about this one, other than let time do its thing.
- Credit mix: Scoring models also take into account what types of credit you have, including installment loans and credit cards. To improve your credit score, aim for a good mix of different types of credit.
- Hard inquiries: When you apply for a new credit card or another kind of loan, the lender will request your credit report. That is considered a "hard inquiry"—and too many can lower your score slightly. However, multiple inquiries of the same kind—if you're shopping for a car loan, for example—during the same period are often treated as one inquiry. The impact of hard inquiries goes down the older the inquiries are.
- Negative credit information: If your credit report has negative financial information, like a bankruptcy or collection account, that can negatively affect your credit score, as well.

Want to instantly increase your credit score? Experian Boost^® helps by giving you credit for the utility and mobile phone bills you're already paying. Until now, those payments did not positively impact your scores.

This service is completely free and can boost your credit scores fast by using your own positive payment history. It can also help those with poor or limited credit situations. Other services such as credit repair may cost you up to thousands and only help remove inaccuracies from your credit report.

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

300 credit score 301 credit score 302 credit score 303 credit score 304 credit score 305 credit score 306 credit score 307 credit score 308 credit score 309 credit score 310 credit score 311 credit score 312 credit score 313 credit score 314 credit score 315 credit score 316 credit score 317 credit score 318 credit score 319 credit score 320 credit score 321 credit score 322 credit score 323 credit score 324 credit score 325 credit score 326 credit score 327 credit score 328 credit score 329 credit score 330 credit score 331 credit score 332 credit score 333 credit score 334 credit score 335 credit score 336 credit score 337 credit score 338 credit score 339 credit score 340 credit score 341 credit score 342 credit score 343 credit score 344 credit score 345 credit score 346 credit score 347 credit score 348 credit score 349 credit score 350 credit score 351 credit score 352 credit score 353 credit score 354 credit score 355 credit score 356 credit score 357 credit score 358 credit score 359 credit score 360 credit score 361 credit score 362 credit score 363 credit score 364 credit score 365 credit score 366 credit score 367 credit score 368 credit score 369 credit score 370 credit score 371 credit score 372 credit score 373 credit score 374 credit score 375 credit score 376 credit score 377 credit score 378 credit score 379 credit score 380 credit score 381 credit score 382 credit score 383 credit score 384 credit score 385 credit score 386 credit score 387 credit score 388 credit score 389 credit score 390 credit score 391 credit score 392 credit score 393 credit score 394 credit score 395 credit score 396 credit score 397 credit score 398 credit score 399 credit score 400 credit score 401 credit score 402 credit score 403 credit score 404 credit score 405 credit score 406 credit score 407 credit score 408 credit score 409 credit score 410 credit score 411 credit score 412 credit score 413 credit score 414 credit score 415 credit score 416 credit score 417 credit score 418 credit score 419 credit score 420 credit score 421 credit score 422 credit score 423 credit score 424 credit score 425 credit score 426 credit score 427 credit score 428 credit score 429 credit score 430 credit score 431 credit score 432 credit score 433 credit score 434 credit score 435 credit score 436 credit score 437 credit score 438 credit score 439 credit score 440 credit score 441 credit score 442 credit score 443 credit score 444 credit score 445 credit score 446 credit score 447 credit score 448 credit score 449 credit score 450 credit score 451 credit score 452 credit score 453 credit score 454 credit score 455 credit score 456 credit score 457 credit score 458 credit score 459 credit score 460 credit score 461 credit score 462 credit score 463 credit score 464 credit score 465 credit score 466 credit score 467 credit score 468 credit score 469 credit score 470 credit score 471 credit score 472 credit score 473 credit score 474 credit score 475 credit score 476 credit score 477 credit score 478 credit score 479 credit score 480 credit score 481 credit score 482 credit score 483 credit score 484 credit score 485 credit score 486 credit score 487 credit score 488 credit score 489 credit score 490 credit score 491 credit score 492 credit score 493 credit score 494 credit score 495 credit score 496 credit score 497 credit score 498 credit score 499 credit score 500 credit score 501 credit score 502 credit score 503 credit score 504 credit score 505 credit score 506 credit score 507 credit score 508 credit score 509 credit score 510 credit score 511 credit score 512 credit score 513 credit score 514 credit score 515 credit score 516 credit score 517 credit score 518 credit score 519 credit score 520 credit score 521 credit score 522 credit score 523 credit score 524 credit score 525 credit score 526 credit score 527 credit score 528 credit score 529 credit score 530 credit score 531 credit score 532 credit score 533 credit score 534 credit score 535 credit score 536 credit score 537 credit score 538 credit score 539 credit score 540 credit score 541 credit score 542 credit score 543 credit score 544 credit score 545 credit score 546 credit score 547 credit score 548 credit score 549 credit score 550 credit score 551 credit score 552 credit score 553 credit score 554 credit score 555 credit score 556 credit score 557 credit score 558 credit score 559 credit score 560 credit score 561 credit score 562 credit score 563 credit score 564 credit score 565 credit score 566 credit score 567 credit score 568 credit score 569 credit score 570 credit score 571 credit score 572 credit score 573 credit score 574 credit score 575 credit score 576 credit score 577 credit score 578 credit score 579 credit score

580 credit score 581 credit score 582 credit score 583 credit score 584 credit score 585 credit score 586 credit score 587 credit score 588 credit score 589 credit score 590 credit score 591 credit score 592 credit score 593 credit score 594 credit score 595 credit score 596 credit score 597 credit score 598 credit score 599 credit score 600 credit score 601 credit score 602 credit score 603 credit score 604 credit score 605 credit score 606 credit score 607 credit score 608 credit score 609 credit score 610 credit score 611 credit score 612 credit score 613 credit score 614 credit score 615 credit score 616 credit score 617 credit score 618 credit score 619 credit score 620 credit score 621 credit score 622 credit score 623 credit score 624 credit score 625 credit score 626 credit score 627 credit score 628 credit score 629 credit score 630 credit score 631 credit score 632 credit score 633 credit score 634 credit score 635 credit score 636 credit score 637 credit score 638 credit score 639 credit score 640 credit score 641 credit score 642 credit score 643 credit score 644 credit score 645 credit score 646 credit score 647 credit score 648 credit score 649 credit score 650 credit score 651 credit score 652 credit score 653 credit score 654 credit score 655 credit score 656 credit score 657 credit score 658 credit score 659 credit score 660 credit score 661 credit score 662 credit score 663 credit score 664 credit score 665 credit score 666 credit score 667 credit score 668 credit score 669 credit score

670 credit score 671 credit score 672 credit score 673 credit score 674 credit score 675 credit score 676 credit score 677 credit score 678 credit score 679 credit score 680 credit score 681 credit score 682 credit score 683 credit score 684 credit score 685 credit score 686 credit score 687 credit score 688 credit score 689 credit score 690 credit score 691 credit score 692 credit score 693 credit score 694 credit score 695 credit score 696 credit score 697 credit score 698 credit score 699 credit score 700 credit score 701 credit score 702 credit score 703 credit score 704 credit score 705 credit score 706 credit score 707 credit score 708 credit score 709 credit score 710 credit score 711 credit score 712 credit score 713 credit score 714 credit score 715 credit score 716 credit score 717 credit score 718 credit score 719 credit score 720 credit score 721 credit score 722 credit score 723 credit score 724 credit score 725 credit score 726 credit score 727 credit score 728 credit score 729 credit score 730 credit score 731 credit score 732 credit score 733 credit score 734 credit score 735 credit score 736 credit score 737 credit score 738 credit score 739 credit score

740 credit score 741 credit score 742 credit score 743 credit score 744 credit score 745 credit score 746 credit score 747 credit score 748 credit score 749 credit score 750 credit score 751 credit score 752 credit score 753 credit score 754 credit score 755 credit score 756 credit score 757 credit score 758 credit score 759 credit score 760 credit score 761 credit score 762 credit score 763 credit score 764 credit score 765 credit score 766 credit score 767 credit score 768 credit score 769 credit score 770 credit score 771 credit score 772 credit score 773 credit score 774 credit score 775 credit score 776 credit score 777 credit score 778 credit score 779 credit score 780 credit score 781 credit score 782 credit score 783 credit score 784 credit score 785 credit score 786 credit score 787 credit score 788 credit score 789 credit score 790 credit score 791 credit score 792 credit score 793 credit score 794 credit score 795 credit score 796 credit score 797 credit score 798 credit score 799 credit score

Resources

Credit Score

Credit Report

Fraud & Identity Theft

Improve Credit

Personal Finance

Calculators

Why Do You Want a Good Credit Score?

In this article:

6 Reasons You Want a Good Credit Score

1. Significant Savings on Interest Rates on Big-Ticket Loans

2. Better Terms and Availability on Loan Products

3. Access to the Best Credit Cards

4. Insurance Discounts

5. More Housing Options

6. Security Deposit Waivers on Utilities

What Is a Good Credit Score?

How Can I Improve My Credit Scores?

Instantly raise your FICO^® Score for free

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

Resources

Latest Research

Latest Reviews

Instantly raise your FICO^® Score^☉ for free^ø

Credit support

Credit advice

Most popular

Credit reports

Credit scores

Improving credit

Establishing credit

Identity Theft support

Identity Theft Advice

Most popular

Identity theft and fraud

Cybersecurity

Privacy

Credit Card advice

Most popular

Balance transfer

Cash back

For bad credit

For fair credit

For students

APR

Rewards

New to credit

Loan advice

Most popular

Debt consolidation

Personal

Student

Auto advice

Most popular

In this article:

6 Reasons You Want a Good Credit Score

1. Significant Savings on Interest Rates on Big-Ticket Loans

2. Better Terms and Availability on Loan Products

3. Access to the Best Credit Cards

4. Insurance Discounts

5. More Housing Options

6. Security Deposit Waivers on Utilities

What Is a Good Credit Score?

How Can I Improve My Credit Scores?

Instantly raise your FICO® Score for free

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

Resources

Latest Research

Latest Reviews

Instantly raise your FICO^® Score for free