800 Credit Score: How You Can Get There (2024)

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If you want a credit score that’s well above average, aim for an 800 credit score. Although this score isn’t the highest credit score possible, it puts you in the highest credit score range available for the FICO credit scoring model. Borrowers in this credit score range typically pose the least amount of risk to lenders.

Because of this, if a lender approves you, you’ll likely have a better chance of securing the most favorable terms, such as the lowest interest rate available. Forbes Advisor will teach you what it means to have an 800 credit score, how you can get there and the benefits that come along with it.

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What Does It Mean to Have an 800 Credit Score?

When you have a credit score of 800, your score is better than a good credit score. According to the most popular VantageScore and FICO credit scoring models, it’s an excellent or exceptional credit score. As of April 2018, only 21.8% of Americans had a score that was at least 800, according to a FICO report.

To score this high, you must do an outstanding job of managing your credit. This means you likely have a long credit history, perfect payment history, a good credit mix and only use a small percentage of your total credit limit. Based on your excellent credit history and good credit habits, a lender will consider you less likely to default on a loan than applicants who have lower credit scores.

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How to Get an 800 Credit Score

While there’s no guarantee your score will reach 800, applying these tips could help you improve your score.

1. Build or Rebuild Your Credit History

Since the length of your credit history accounts for 15% of your credit score, negative, minimal or no credit history can stop you from reaching an 800 credit score. To solve this problem, focus on building your credit. You can do this by taking out a credit-builder loan or applying for your first credit card.

A credit-builder loan is a personal loan that’s designed to help you add positive payment history to your credit report. Unlike a traditional personal loan, a lender doesn’t directly deposit a lump sum of money into your account. Instead, it sets aside money in a savings account or certificate of deposit account (CD), and you gain access to the funds after repaying the loan.

Using a credit card responsibly is another way to build your credit history. If you don’t qualify for or don’t want to use a traditional credit card, you can apply for a secured credit card instead. When you take out a secured card, you’ll be required to make a cash deposit that’s held in a collateral account, which is equal to your credit limit.

2. Pay Your Bills on Time

Your payment history is the most important credit score factor—it accounts for 35% of your FICO score. Because of this, you should aim to never miss a payment. If your bills become 30 days past due, your creditors can report this to the credit bureaus. Once your credit report lists a late payment, it can cause serious damage to your credit score. To avoid paying your bills late, use a spreadsheet to keep track of your due dates or enroll in autopay.

Most people who have 800 credit scores or higher pay off their balances in full each month, according to FICO.

3. Keep Your Credit Utilization Rate Low

The second most important credit score factor behind payment history is your credit utilization ratio—it accounts for 30% of your credit score. Your credit utilization ratio measures the amount of credit you use vs. your total credit limit. If your total credit limit is $10,000, aim to use no more than 30% of it—$3,000. To boost your credit score, keep your ratio closer to 0%, if possible.

4. Review Your Credit Score and Credit Reports

To keep track of your progress, monitor your credit score and credit reports. You can check your credit score for free by using a free credit scoring website. Some of these websites will even offer you recommendations on how to improve your credit score.

Since your credit score is based on the information listed on your credit reports, review them to ensure each one doesn’t contain inaccurate negative information, such as late payments or collection accounts. Even if you pay your bills on time, a credit reporting mistake can happen. You can view all three of your reports for free weekly through April 20, 2022 by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you find an error listed on one of your reports, file a dispute with each credit bureau that has it listed to remove it.

Benefits of an 800 Credit Score

A credit score of at least 800 comes with several benefits, including easier loan approvals, lower rates, better credit card offers and lower insurance premiums.

Better Loan Approval Odds

When you apply for a mortgage, personal loan or private student loan, you won’t have to worry about meeting a lender’s minimum credit score requirements with a score of 800. As long as you meet other loan requirements, such as income and debt, the lender will likely approve your application.

Lower Interest Rates

An 800 credit score will typically land you the best interest rate available if you’re approved for a loan. For example, you may qualify for a 0% financing deal on a new car or a lower mortgage or personal loan rate. This can save you thousands of dollars in interest during your lifetime.

Better Credit Card Offers

High-qualified borrowers with credit scores of at least 800 can qualify for the best 0% APR credit cards. These cards come with interest-free periods that last for up to 21 months on balance transfers and purchases. As long as you repay the balance in full before the promotional period expires, you can avoid interest payments.

Additionally, you’ll likely qualify for some of the best travel credit cards. Some of these cards come with generous travel bonuses after you reach their minimum spending requirements.

Lower Insurance Premiums

When you apply for insurance, some insurance providers factor in your credit score when calculating your insurance premium. If you live in a state that allows credit-based insurance, an 800 credit score could get you a discount on your homeowners insurance or auto insurance premiums.

For example, you may save more than $1,500 in auto insurance premiums if you have an excellent credit score versus a bad credit score (below 580), according to an auto insurance study by The Zebra.

How to Maintain an 800 Credit Score

Once you achieve an 800 credit score, your work is far from finished. Your credit score isn’t set in stone—it fluctuates based on the factors we discussed above. If you want to keep your score in the highest credit score range possible, you’ll have to continue practicing good credit habits. This means monitoring your credit score and reports often, keeping your credit utilization low and paying your bills on time.

Raise Your FICO® Score Instantly with Experian Boost™

Experian can help raise your FICO® Score based on bill payment like your phone, utilities and popular streaming services. Results may vary. See site for more details.

800 Credit Score: How You Can Get There (2024)

FAQs

800 Credit Score: How You Can Get There? ›

Making on-time payments to creditors, keeping your credit utilization low, having a long credit history, maintaining a good mix of credit types, and occasionally applying for new credit lines are the factors that can get you into the 800 credit score club.

How do you get to 800 credit score? ›

On-time payments

The best way to get your credit score over 800 comes down to paying your bills on time every month, even if it is making the minimum payment due. According to LendingTree's analysis of 100,000 credit reports, 100% of borrowers with a credit score of 800 or higher paid their bills on time, every time.

How long did it take you to get a 800 credit score? ›

The longer you've been using credit, the more it means to your credit score. Members of the 800 Club average just under 22 years of using credit. Even the youngest ones, Millennials, average more than 14 years.

How to get a 900 credit score? ›

A credit score of 900 is not possible, but older scoring models that are no longer used once went up to 900 or higher. The highest possible credit score you can get now is 850.

How many credit cards do you need for an 800 credit score? ›

Consumers with 800-plus credit scores have an average of 8.3 open accounts — similar to 7.9 in 2021. Gen Xers now have 8.6 open accounts, on average — the highest among any of the generations. While not as important as payment history or amounts owed, credit mix accounts for 10% of consumers' credit scores.

How to raise your credit score 200 points in 30 days? ›

How to Raise your Credit Score by 200 Points in 30 Days?
  1. Be a Responsible Payer. ...
  2. Limit your Loan and Credit Card Applications. ...
  3. Lower your Credit Utilisation Rate. ...
  4. Raise Dispute for Inaccuracies in your Credit Report. ...
  5. Do not Close Old Accounts.
Aug 1, 2022

Is 900 a good credit score? ›

A 900 credit score may be the highest on some scoring models, but this number isn't always possible. Only 1.31% of the population can achieve a credit score of 850, so there's a certain point where trying to get the highest possible credit score isn't realistic at all. Having good credit can start at around 700.

How rare is an 800 credit score? ›

According to a report by FICO, only 23% of the scorable population has a credit score of 800 or above.

What is a good credit score to buy a house? ›

You'll typically need a credit score of 620 to finance a home purchase. However, some lenders may offer mortgage loans to borrowers with scores as low as 500. Whether you qualify for a specific loan type also depends on personal factors like your debt-to-income ratio (DTI), loan-to-value ratio (LTV) and income.

How much can I borrow with a 700 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.

Is a 1000 credit score possible? ›

A credit score of 1,000 is not possible because the standard credit score range used by FICO and VantageScore is 300 to 850. Other credit scoring models have a high of 900 or 950, but they are industry-specific and only used by certain financial institutions.

What is a perfect credit score? ›

A perfect credit score of 850 is hard to get, but an excellent credit score is more achievable. If you want to get the best credit cards, mortgages and competitive loan rates — which can save you money over time — excellent credit can help you qualify. “Excellent” is the highest tier of credit scores you can have.

What is a good credit score for my age? ›

What is a good credit score for your age? You might consider your score to be good if it meets or exceeds the average for your peers, but that isn't the best gauge. Following NerdWallet's general guidelines, a good credit score is within the 690 to 719 range on the standard 300-850 scale, regardless of age.

How to get 800 credit score fast? ›

How to get an 800 credit score
  1. Build your credit history. ...
  2. Make consistent on-time payments. ...
  3. Maintain a low credit utilization. ...
  4. Add your bills to your credit report. ...
  5. Monitor your credit report.
Nov 10, 2023

Is there a big difference between 750 and 800 credit score? ›

A 750 credit score is Very Good, but it can be even better. If you can elevate your score into the Exceptional range (800-850), you could become eligible for the very best lending terms, including the lowest interest rates and fees, and the most enticing credit-card rewards programs.

Can you buy anything with a 800 credit score? ›

With an 800 credit score, you can breathe easy — you will typically qualify for most financial products and get among the very best rates. That may not be the case if you are relatively new to credit, however, because lenders look for more than a high score.

How long does it take to build credit from 700 to 800? ›

The amount of time it takes to go from a 700 to 800 credit score could be as little as a few months to several years. While your financial habits and credit history will play a role in how long it takes, there are some factors that have specific timelines.

How rare is 825 credit score? ›

Membership in the 800+ credit score club is quite exclusive, with fewer than 1 in 6 people boasting a score that high, according to WalletHub data.

How to get 800 900 credit score? ›

Making on-time payments to creditors, keeping your credit utilization low, having a long credit history, maintaining a good mix of credit types, and occasionally applying for new credit lines are the factors that can get you into the 800 credit score club.

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