Credit Score

Your credit score or credit rating is a number between about 300 and 850 that summarizes your credit worthiness. Knowing what is a good credit score and how a credit score is calculated or derived can help you build your credit and improve your credit score. Whenever an item is added or deleted from your credit report, your credit score often changes. You can keep track of your credit score using the free online FICO score. Below are some basic frequently asked questions about credit score and how to improve credit score.

What is the difference between a FICO score and a credit score?

Your FICO score is simply your credit score. You often hear people refer to a FICO score as your credit score. This is because Fair Isaac and Company developed it.

What credit score is a good credit score?

A good credit score starts around 680, but the higher the credit score, the better. Your credit score directly impacts loans and credit you apply for in the future. See What is a Good Credit Score for more information on what a good credit score is and check out the credit score chart and FICO Score Chart for credit score analysis and comparison.

Why is having a good credit score important?

Banks, creditors, and lenders almost always pull your credit score to determine whether you should be qualified for a loan and how much interest rates to charge you. Below are examples why having a good credit score is important.

• You may not qualify for a loan if your credit score is not high enough, and
• You may be charged a higher interest rate because of your credit score.

How much does it cost to obtain a copy of my credit score?

You may have to pay an extra fee to receive your credit score when ordering your credit report. Your credit score is not included in the free annual report. It is possible to order just your credit score, from companies such as FICO. See Free Credit Score for some information of where to get a free credit score. FICO offers several packages that allow you to track your credit score throughout a year. FICO also offers an interesting simulator that lets you see how certain actions can potentially affect your credit score. All of this costs money however. Most of the time, it is sufficient to see your credit score once a year when you order your credit reports. See Credit Scoring to learn how your credit score is calculated.