What Is the Highest Credit Score? Can You Get a ‘Perfect’ Score?
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The highest credit score you can have on the most widely used scoring systems is an 850.
The widely-used FICO 8 scoring model and the VantageScore 3.0 both use a 300-850 scale. Credit scoring company FICO says about 1% of its scores reach 850. VantageScore spokesman Jeff Richardson says fewer than 1% of its credit scores are perfect.
Even if you succeed in getting the highest credit score possible, you're unlikely to keep it month after month. Scores fluctuate because they are a snapshot of your credit profile, which changes over time.
And you don't need to be perfect to get good terms from lenders; anything above 720 is excellent credit. The way people get excellent scores is by practicing good credit habits consistently and for a long time. As you might expect, older consumers are more likely to have high scores than younger ones.
An excellent credit score is good enough
You don't need a perfect credit score to get the best deals. A score of 720 or higher is generally considered excellent. And scoring 800 or above qualifies you for the best terms offered.
What people who score 800 or higher do
According to FICO, those who achieve ultra-high credit scores pay on time, use credit lightly, have a long credit history and rarely open a new account. Here’s what they tend to have in common:
Owes less than $3,500 on credit cards.
Uses only 7% of credit limit.
No late payments on credit reports (meaning any late payments were more than seven years ago).
How to aim for the highest credit score possible
If you really, really want to fight for every possible point, we have some strategies that can help:
Pay every bill on time, every time. Payment history is the biggest factor in your score, so a misstep there can really set you back.
Keep your credit balances well under 10% of your credit limits. Credit utilization — the amount of your credit limits in use — is another highly influential factor in your score. The lower you can get it, the better.
Have multiple credit accounts, and installment loans as well as credit cards.
If your credit history is on the short side, ask to be an authorized user on an old, established credit card with a spotless payment record and low credit utilization.
Check your credit reports to spot errors that could hold down your scores.
Apply for new credit only if you really need it.
