What is a good credit score?

Most consumer scores use a 300 to 850 range, where roughly 580 to 669 is fair, 670 to 739 good, 740 to 799 very good, and 800 and above exceptional. The practical thresholds matter more than the labels: the best mortgage and auto loan pricing typically starts somewhere around 740 to 760, and improvements above 800 buy very little additional benefit. There is no single score, since FICO and VanguageScore use different models and each bureau holds slightly different data, so the number you see in an app often differs from the one a lender pulls.

Two factors dominate. Payment history is the largest component, which is why a single late payment reported at 30 days can cost significant points and why autopay on at least the minimum is the highest-value habit available. Credit utilization, the share of available revolving credit you are using, is second, and keeping it low, commonly cited under 30 percent and better under 10, helps considerably. Utilization is recalculated with each reporting cycle rather than averaged over time, so paying a card down before the statement closes can raise a score within a month. Length of credit history, credit mix, and new inquiries matter less, which is why closing an old card can hurt by shortening history and reducing available credit at once. You are entitled to free reports from all three bureaus, and disputing genuine errors is free and worth doing, since bureau data errors are common enough to be a documented problem.