What Is the Highest Credit Score?
6 Min Read | Last updated: January 7, 2025
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By both FICO® and VantageScore® standards, the highest credit score is 850. See how a high credit score can benefit you, and tips for improving your credit.
At-A-Glance
- A strong credit score is one factor that could help you obtain more favorable interest rates and loan terms.
- A perfect credit score can be achievable, though only a small percentage of Americans reach it at any given time.
- Getting, and maintaining, the highest possible credit score may require adhering to several important financial best practices.
Maximizing your credit score can be a notable achievement. However, maintaining the highest possible score can be challenging and may not even be necessary.
Still, depending on your financial goals, having a high credit score can be a great goal and one that’s worth pursuing. Read on to learn why aiming for a high credit score can benefit your finances, plus tips for improving your credit score.
What’s the Best Credit Score You Can Have?
The best credit score possible may depend on the scoring model that’s being used. For your Base FICO® Score, the highest possible score in the U.S. is 850. Similarly, the two newest VantageScore® credit scores (VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0) go up to 850 as well.1
The one exception to this can be industry-specific credit scores for credit card issuers and auto lenders, which can have a different range. FICO’s industry-specific scoring models range between 250 and 900.2
Achieving a perfect score can be rare and often may require long history of responsible credit use, including timely payments and maintaining a low credit utilization ratio.
Is a perfect credit score attainable? Yes. Is the perfect credit score necessary? Not so much. According to FICO, scores between 670 and 739 are considered good, and anything above 800 is exceptional.3
While your goal may be set on reaching the highest score possible, establishing an excellent credit score may provide similar access to the best loan rates, terms, and credit limits as well. In many cases, having a score of at least 760 can be enough to put you in the same range of rates as those with perfect scores.4
Benefits of Having a High Credit Score
Having a high credit score can improve your access to certain types of credit, making you more eligible for certain loans and credit cards. Having a high credit score could offer the following benefits and opportunities:
- Access to Unsecured Credit Cards
With a high credit score, you could gain access to credit cards with better interest rates or in some cases, balance transfer cards. You may also be approved for a higher credit limit. - Access to Loans
A high credit score could help you to gain access to loans or lines of credit when needed. - Access to a Car Loan
A high credit score could help your eligibility for a car loan with better terms, including a potentially lower interest rate. - Access to Better Mortgage Rates
A high credit score could help your eligibility for mortgages. It may help you qualify for a mortgage with better terms and a lower interest rate. - More Options When Renting
Landlords may use credit scores and reports to screen tenants. Strong credit could help you to get approved for a rental. - More Employment Opportunities
A strong credit score could also mean the chance to make a good impression on a potential employer who may run a credit check.
Credit Scoring Ranges
Here’s a look at how FICO and VantageScore credit scoring systems may break down:
For FICO, the credit score ranges are as follows:5
| Poor | 579 and below |
|---|---|
| Fair | 580 to 669 |
| Good | 670 to 739 |
| Very Good | 740 to 799 |
| Exceptional | 800+ |
For VantageScore, the credit score ranges are:6
| Very Poor | 300 to 499 |
|---|---|
| Poor | 500 to 600 |
| Fair | 601 to 660 |
| Good | 661 to 780 |
| Excellent | 781 to 850 |
What Factors Affect Your Credit Score?
Understanding the factors that contribute to your score can help you build your credit. FICO and VantageScore each factor in roughly the same categories of information. These include:
- Payment History
Payment history can impact your credit score, so you may want to be sure to make your credit card and loan payments on time, every time. - Amounts Owed
Amounts owed may be another factor that can impact your score. Using a significant amount of your available credit and carrying that balance forward could impact your credit score. - Length of Credit History
The length of your credit history may be another factor that can impact your score. Keeping an account that’s in good standing open for longer could benefit your score. - Types of Credit Used
A diverse credit mix may indicate your ability to manage different forms of debt, a plus in the eyes of credit scoring agencies and lenders.
Did you know?
Paying off a loan can be a great achievement, but it can reduce your credit mix (and sometimes the length of your credit history as well). Therefore, you may want to keep in mind that paying off a loan could briefly lower your credit score by a few points.
- New Credit Accounts
When you apply for a new line of credit, such as a credit card or loan, the lender may make a “hard inquiry” into your credit history at some stage during the process. Hard inquiries can lower your credit score by a few points, and the more credit you apply for, the greater the impact on your score. These inquiries can stay on your credit report for up to two years, but their impact may lessen over time.
How to Improve Your Credit Score
If you’d like to improve your credit score, here are some steps that can help you to build strong credit over time:
- Make Your Payments On Time
You may want to make your minimum payment on time every month. Being late just once by 30 days or more could damage your credit score.7
- Try to Keep Your Balances Low
Your credit utilization ratio is a crucial scoring factor in credit scores, so you may want to keep your balances low.8
- Space Out Your Credit Applications
You may also want to avoid making multiple credit applications in a short period of time. A credit application could cause a small dip in your score, but multiple ones in a short time period could add up.9
- Monitor Your Credit
You may want to keep an eye on your credit reports. This allows you to see what your score is. It also may allow you to take action if you notice any information that may be inaccurate; something that could be holding your credit back.
The Takeaway
The highest credit score you may get in the U.S. is 850. While landing that 850 credit score can be gratifying, it may not be a requirement to qualify for the best rates and terms when applying for new credit. However, the steps you take in your pursuit of an excellent score may help you qualify for lower interest rates and better loan terms, similar to those with an 850 score.
1,2,3,5,6,7,8 “What Is a Good Credit Score?,” Experian
4 “How Good Does Your Credit Score Really Need to Be?,” The Ascent
9 “How Multiple Credit Applications Affect Your Credit Score,” Experian
Michael Grace is a personal finance and technology freelance writer based in New York.
All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.
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