Posted by: John S Kiernan

A credit score of 700 is generally considered “good.”, though individual lenders are the ones who ultimately make that determination. That’s important because a credit score of 700 on the standard 300 to 850 scale nearly qualifies as “excellent” (good credit ranges from 660 to 719). So if you have a 700 credit score, something as simple as reducing your credit utilization could quickly put you over the top, into excellent territory. And that would help you save hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of dollars more each year.

If you don’t know your current score, you can check it for free on WalletHub, the only site offering free credit scores that are updated on a daily basis.

See Your Latest Credit Score

Just remember that there’s a big difference between knowing what your credit score is and truly understanding it. So continue reading below to learn everything you need to know about your 700 credit score.

What Does A 700 Credit Score Give You?

Type of Credit	Do You Qualify?
Any Credit Card	NO
No-Annual-Fee Credit Card	YES
Big Initial Credit Card Bonus	YES
Credit Card with 0% Financing	YES
No-Foreign-Fee Credit Card	YES
Favorite Store’s Credit Card	YES
Airline/Hotel Credit Card	YES
Best Mortgage Rate	NO
Auto Loan with 0% Intro Rate	MAYBE
Lowest Auto Insurance Premium	NO
Best Personal Loan Rate	MAYBE
Apartment Rental	YES

How To Get A 700 Credit Score

If you want to know what it takes to get a credit score of 700, look no further than the Credit Analysis section of your free WalletHub account. You’ll find grades for each component of your credit score, along with an explanation of where you stand and tips to improve. Getting your credit score to 700 is kind of like making the honor roll in school. You need mainly As and Bs to pull it off.

For example, here’s a common credit scorecard for someone with a 700 credit score:

• Payment History: A = 100% on-time payments
• Credit Utilization: B = 10% - 29% utilization
• Debt Load: A = <0.28 debt-to-income ratio
• Account Age: B = Average tradeline is less than 9 years old
• Account Diversity: A = 4+ account types or 21+ total accounts
• Hard Credit Inquiries: A = Fewer than 3 in past 24 months
• Collections Accounts & Public Records: A = 0 collections accounts and public records

You don’t need to match this scorecard exactly to build a credit score of 700 or even higher. Different profiles can get the job done. For example, you might have an A in Credit Utilization but a B, or even a C, in Account Age. It’s the complete picture that matters.

Who Has A 700 Credit Score?

Credit Score	Tier	Percentage of Americans
720 – 850	Excellent	38.12%
660 – 719	Good	17.33%
620 – 659	Fair/Limited	13.47%
300 – 619	Bad	31.08%

*Based on WalletHub data as of Oct. 7, 2016

As you can see, the majority of us are in the top two tiers of the credit-score range. A lot of people don’t know where they stand, though, considering that 44% of consumers haven’t checked their credit score in the past 12 months, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. If you’re one of them, you can change that by checking your credit score on WalletHub.

700+ Credit Scores By Income

People who make at least $50,000 per year are significantly more likely to have a credit score of at least 700. And people who pull in $75,000 to $99,999 per year are in the sweet spot for a score that begins with a 7 or an 8. But note that it is possible to get into the 700-plus club if you earn less or wind up with a way lower score even if you make a lot more. It’s all about spending within your means.

700+ Credit Scores By Age

Your credit scores takes into account the average age of your credit cards and loans, so it makes sense that high credit scores skew older. But the fact that nearly one-quarter of people aged 18 to 24 have credit scores of 700+ should give newcomers plenty of hope.

Remember, no matter where you’re starting from, WalletHub will help push your credit score higher. So get on the road to top WalletFitness now!

 

Image: vladvvm / iStock.

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via Finance Xpress