US Credit Score for a Credit Card (2026): What Good Means
Good credit is a defined FICO band, 670 to 739, not a feeling. The average American score is 714, which sits inside it. So the useful question is not whether you have good credit, it is which band you are in and what that changes.
Card marketing asks for good credit without saying what it means, which leaves people guessing at a number that FICO has already published. Here it is, with what each band actually changes.
What is a good credit score?
670 to 739 on the FICO scale. These are FICO's own boundaries and labels, not a convention we picked.
| Score | FICO label | Against the US average |
|---|---|---|
| 800 to 850 | Exceptional | Well above the US average |
| 740 to 799 | Very good | Above average |
| 670 to 739 | Good | Near or slightly above average |
| 580 to 669 | Fair | Below the average score of US consumers |
| 300 to 579 | Poor | Well below average |
myFICO, credit score ranges, read 27 August 2026. Most credit scores, FICO and VantageScore alike, use the 300 to 850 range.
What is the average US credit score?
714, per FICO's Credit Insights Report. That lands in the good band, four points above its floor.
Bands are FICO's own, from myFICO, read 27 August 2026. The average of 714 is from FICO's Credit Insights Report and sits four points inside the good band.
Worth noting the direction. The average was 718 in April 2023 and has drifted down since, not up. Anyone reading older advice calibrated to a rising average is working from a trend that has since reversed.
It also means the average American already has good credit by FICO's own definition. If your score is in the 600s, the gap to the typical borrower is smaller than card marketing implies.
What credit score do you need for a credit card?
Most mainstream rewards cards target the good band, 670 and up. Premium travel cards generally expect very good, 740 and above.
We are not going to give you a card-by-card score ladder for the US, because our own data will not honestly support one. Across the 28 US cards where we record a recommended score, 25 sit at exactly 690 and 3 at 720. That is the industry's good-credit convention repeated back, not a measured gradient, and charting it would dress a labelling habit up as a finding.
The Canadian side of our catalogue does support that analysis, with seven distinct score levels across 105 cards, which is why the Canadian version of this guide carries a ladder and this one does not.
FICO or VantageScore: which one matters?
FICO, for a card application. VantageScore is what many free score apps show you, and it is not usually the number the issuer pulled.
Both models run 300 to 850 and read the same underlying credit report, but they weight it differently and can land tens of points apart for the same person on the same day. If your free app shows 700 and a lender declines you as below their threshold, a model difference is the likeliest explanation rather than an error.
The one American rule with no Canadian equivalent
If you have read Canadian card advice and found none of the familiar application rules, that is not an oversight.
The 5/24 rule, a Chase policy declining applicants who have opened five or more cards in the past 24 months, is specific to one US issuer. It has no Canadian counterpart, and the 300 to 850 scale itself does not apply there either: Canadian bureau scores run to 900. Advice does not travel across that border cleanly in either direction.
Frequently asked questions
What is the credit score range in the US?
Most credit scores use a 300 to 850 range, including FICO Scores and VantageScore. A higher number means a lender sees less risk. Canadian scores run 300 to 900, so a number quoted in a Canadian article is set against a different ceiling.
What is a good credit score?
FICO defines good as 670 to 739. Above that, 740 to 799 is very good and 800 or higher is exceptional. Below it, 580 to 669 is fair and anything under 580 is poor. These are FICO's own published boundaries, not a rule of thumb.
What is the average US credit score?
714, according to FICO's Credit Insights Report. That is inside FICO's good band and down slightly from 718 in April 2023. The average has drifted down over the past few years rather than up.
What credit score do you need for a credit card?
Most mainstream rewards cards are marketed to applicants with good credit, which means 670 or higher on the FICO scale. Secured and student cards accept lower scores. Premium travel cards generally expect the very good band or better.
Can I get a credit card with a 600 credit score?
Yes, but not most rewards cards. A 600 sits in FICO's fair band, below the good threshold that mainstream card marketing targets. Secured cards, which are backed by your own deposit, are the reliable route and report to the bureaus like any other account.
What is the difference between FICO and VantageScore?
They are competing scoring models built on the same credit report data, both on a 300 to 850 scale. Lenders overwhelmingly use FICO for card and loan decisions, while many free score services show VantageScore. The two can differ by tens of points for the same person.
Does checking your credit score lower it?
No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry with no effect. A hard inquiry, triggered when a lender pulls your file for an application, can lower your score by a small amount and stays on your report for two years.
How fast can you raise your credit score?
Payment history and balances move fastest, because both update as creditors report each month. Paying a card down below a low share of its limit can show up within one or two cycles. Length of history and past delinquencies only improve with time.
Researching and writing about Canadian personal finance since 2026.
Last reviewed August 2026 · How we research
“US Credit Score for a Credit Card (2026): What Good Means.” Vault Nerd, https://www.vaultnerd.com/learn/what-is-a-good-credit-score-in-the-us, updated August 2026.
- myFICO, credit score ranges and band definitions, read 27 August 2026
- FICO, Credit Insights Report, average US FICO Score of 714
- FICO, average US FICO Score at 718, April 2023