Is 699 A Good Credit Score

What Is The Average Credit Score In America

The average credit score in the U.S. is at an all-time high of 711. This coincides with what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defines as “prime.”

About 1 in 5 American adults either have no credit history or are unscorable. As a result, these individuals will have difficulty obtaining new lines of credit.

In the eyes of lenders, credit scores fall into several buckets, which indicate how risky it may be to extend credit to an individual. Outside of playing a role in approvals for a loan or credit, these scores can also impact an individual’s lending terms. Perhaps the most important terms among those are interest rates.

The higher an individual’s credit score, the lower their quoted APR will typically be.

FICO credit scores break down in the following manner:

• 800 to 850: Exceptional
• 300 to 579: Very poor

This means the average credit score of 711 is in the good range.

Though the average credit score has generally improved since 2005, slight dips were seen around the Great Recession that ended in 2009. A large number of people declaring bankruptcy or defaulting on their loans would have caused their credit scores to plummet, which in turn would have affected the overall average.

The Most Important Features Of Credit Cards If Your Fico Score Is Between 650 And 699

Shopping for credit cards in the average credit score range is highly specialized. The ability to actually get a card is less in doubt than it is for those with credit scores below 650. This is the range when you start to look for the perks that a card offers. Here are the factors we consider most important in this credit score range:

Recognize That Your Rates Can Increase

Currently, credit card companies cannot raise your credit rate for at least one year after you have opened your account, unless any of the following circumstances apply:

• A six month introductory rate exists
• You are late paying your bill by sixty days
• You have a card with a variable rate that is tied to an index and that index increases

You need to recognize that your credit rates will increase in the future, at least after the initial twelve months, and you need to establish with your potential creditor exactly when your rates will increase, by how much, and if there is anything you can do to lower your rates.

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What Does It Mean To Be Pre

It does not mean that you’re already fully approved for the card, however.

You still have to apply, which may involve a hard credit check. And it’s possible that if you have fair credit, you might not qualify.

One way to get an idea of whether you’ll qualify is to check the card issuer’s website.

Some credit card companies tell you what kind of credit is needed for approval for specific cards .

Credit Score Is It Good Or Bad How To Improve Your 699 Fico Score

Before you can do anything to increase your 699 credit score, you need to identify what part of it needs to be improved, plain and simple. And in order to identify what needs to be improved, you should probably be aware of all the things that count and dont count towards your score.

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Why You Can Trust Bankrate

At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry regardless or where you are in your journey and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to:

• Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
• Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you’re well-equipped to make confident decisions.
• Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.

At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.

What Is A Decent Credit Score

Generally speaking, a credit score is a three-digit number ranging from 300 to 850. Although ranges vary depending on the credit scoring model, generally credit scores from 580 to 669 are considered fair; 670 to 739 are considered good; 740 to 799 are considered very good; and 800 and up are considered excellent.

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Average Credit Score By Income

The higher ones income level, the higher their average credit score tends to be.

While debt-to-income ratio doesnt play a direct role in determining one’s credit score, it does have an indirect one. One of the factors lenders consider when modeling an individual’s credit risk is their credit utilization the percentage of total available credit a consumer is using month to month.

To improve one’s credit score, credit utilization should generally be kept below 30%. The lower one’s income is, the more a consumer may rely on their credit for their expenditures.

Another way income may play into credit utilization, and ultimately one’s credit score, is by determining one’s . Credit issuers look at borrowers incomes when deciding on the amount of revolving credit that should be issued.

The lower one’s income, the lower their line of credit is likely to be.

In turn, by having significantly lower credit limits, it becomes easier for lower-income individuals to eat up a larger portion of what’s available, increasing their credit utilization.

The graphic belows shows that median credit scores are highly correlated to income.

For context:

• Low income: Up to 50% of the area median income
• Moderate income: Greater than 50% and up to 80% of the area median income
• Medium income: Greater than 80% and up to 120% of the area median income
• High income: More than 120% of the area median income

Loan Application Rejected Do This

Your loan application is complete. You made it through the paperwork and now youre just waiting for that magical notification: Congratulations, your loan has been approved! Instead, you get a big ol red-stamp of rejection.

Its tough not to take a credit rejection personally, especially when you think youve done everything right. Luckily there are some simple changes you can make to ensure that you look great to creditors! But first, youll need to understand why your loan application was rejected.

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Use Your Understanding Of Credit To Build Your Credit Score

The first step in your credit journey is understanding what a credit score is and how it is calculated. Once you know the basics about credit score, you can begin to improve your credit score. Doing so doesn’t simply improve your standing in the eyes of lenders, but it can also save you thousands of dollars in interest payments over the course of your lifetime.

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Can You Pay Off Your Balance Each Month

Never apply for a loan or credit if you dont first believe that you can afford to pay off the balance at the end of each month. This may sound obvious, but youd be surprised at how many people apply for credit or loans without asking themselves this question.

Ask yourself how you will use the credit card. Will you carry a balance, or can you indeed pay it off each month? Will you pay it off some months and not in others?

Roughly three fifths of all Americans who possess a credit card have a balance on that card. Despite this, you may want to pay off your balance at the end of each month so you can definitively avoid additional interest charges.

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Different Credit Score Groups

Depending on your credit score , there are different pros and cons at hand. For someone in the very poor credit range, lenders will be very little likely to consider you an adequate borrower. Your ability to pay back money borrowed is exceedingly risky. Being in the poor FICO range is still viewed as a risk. On the bright side, there are some lenders who will accept those with an at-risk 699 credit score. If you have fair credit, however, you can expect most lenders to consider this score good enough. Those with good or excellent credit, likewise, will be considered a very dependable or an exceptionally dependable borrower, respectively. This is why it is crucial to seek at least fair credit, if not good or exceptional.

Americans FICO scores are all over the place with 20% in with exceptional scores, 18% with good, 22% with fair, 20% with poor, and 17% with very poor credit. While the latter statistics may or may not be surprising, many factors are put into calculating ones credit score.

Its important to note that calculating your 699 FICO credit score is a more complex task than what it sounds.Receiving your credit score may vary from source to source for this reason. Other information, besides the latter five, are also incorporated into the credit score evaluation process.

How To Earn An Excellent/exceptional Credit Score:

Borrowers with credit scores in the excellent credit range likely haven’t missed a payment in the past seven years. Additionally, they will most likely have a credit utilization rate of less than 30%: meaning that their current ratio of credit balances to credit limits is roughly 1:3 or better. They also likely have a diverse mix of credit; demonstrating that many different lenders are comfortable extending credit to them.

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Compare More Recommended Credit Card

Is your credit score not 650, 660, 670, 680, or 690? Find more top credit cards for your credit score range:

• Best credit cards for a credit score under 599

Note: According to our research, these credit cards offer the best chance of approval for applicants with credit scores of 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698 and 699. This does not mean guaranteed approval as credit decisions take into factors other than FICO score.

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Keep Your Utilization Low

About 30% of your credit score comes from your credit utilization rate. The term credit utilization refers to the percentage of the total available credit you use every month. For example, lets say you have a credit card with a credit limit of $1,000 and you put $100 on the card every month. Your utilization rate is 10%.

If you have a high credit utilization rate, youll be considered a riskier borrower compared to someone with a lower utilization rate. You can increase your score by reducing the amount of money you put on your credit cards. Most lenders prefer to see utilization rates below 30%. To see the maximum increase in your credit score, try to keep your utilization below 10%.;

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Learn More About Your Credit Score

A 699 FICO® Score is Good, but by raising your score into the Very Good range, you could qualify for lower interest rates and better borrowing terms. A great way to get started is to get your free credit report from Experian and check your credit score to find out the specific factors that impact your score the most. Read more about score ranges and what a good credit score is.

How Long Does It Take To Get A 699 Credit Score

It depends where you started out.

If you had fair credit starting out, this score may be easy to reach, once you remove any bad marks on your credit. Three collection accounts, for example, could drop a 800 credit score well below 600.

If you started out with weak credit , a single negative mark could lower you well below the 500s.

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Can I Get A Rewards Credit Card With Fair Credit

You may struggle to get approved for a cash back or travel rewards credit card with fair credit. While you might be able to find a card that earns a limited amount of cash back on purchases, the most-rewarding credit cards generally require good or excellent credit.

If a top-notch rewards card is your ultimate goal, dont be discouraged. You may be surprised by how much good, persistent habits can affect your credit scores.

And thats one nice thing about credit cards. Even the ones that arent the absolute best can help you build credit by reporting your account activity to the three major credit bureaus. This information makes its way into your credit reports and ultimately can impact your credit scores. So, as long as you make on-time payments and follow the other credit-building tips outlined above, you can put yourself in a position to qualify for a better credit card in the future.

Compare offers for on Credit Karma to learn more about your options.

Negotiating With Your Creditors

Despite what many people believe, your creditors are not your adversaries and they are not working against you. Therefore, you should not treat them as such. Instead, your creditors are working with you in an attempt for both of you to gain a profit.

If you fail to do things, such as pay your bills on time, it negatively impacts the ability of your creditor to do business with you. While they should be understanding of any reasonable financial hardships that you have undergone in the past few weeks or months, they can tell the difference between short term financial problems that were out of your control and blatant financial responsibilities on your part.

Ultimately, its your responsibility to communicate effectively with your creditor so that you can both benefit equally from your business agreement.

For an example, if you are forced to skip on a payment or to default on an entire loan the very first thing you need to do is to contact your creditor and talk about the Issue in detail with them. This action alone will tell them that what has happened is out of your control and that you are trying to correct the Issue in contrast to them believing that you are just behaving irresponsibly. In addition, this will also strengthen your business relationship.

Examples of how your creditor may be willing to help you after you have discussed your problems with them include the following:

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How To Get A Good Credit Score

Good credit habits, practiced consistently, will build your score. Heres what you need to do:

• Pay bills on time. This is important because payment history has the largest impact of all the factors in your score. A missed or late payment can do tremendous damage to a credit score and it can stay on your credit report for up to 7 years.

• Try to keep your credit card balances well below your credit limits; aim for, and lower is better. High utilization dings your score, but the damage will fade when you’re able to reduce your balances and the lower utilization shows up on your credit reports. You also may be able to lower utilization by getting a higher credit limit or becoming an authorized user on a lightly used card with a large limit.

• Keep credit accounts open unless there is a compelling reason, such as high fees or poor service, to close them.;Keeping older accounts open helps your average age of accounts, which has a small influence on your score. Also, closing an account;cuts into your overall credit limit,;driving up your credit utilization.

• Avoid making several credit applications in a short time frame. Credit checks for the purpose of credit decisions can cause a small, temporary dip in your score, and;several in a short time can add up.

• Monitor your credit reports and dispute information you believe is incorrect or too old to be included .

Formulating A Plan To Improve Your 699 Credit Rating

First aid foremost, you need to understand that it takes time for you to build up your credit score. Dont expect it to be improved in the next week or the next month, even if you do everything necessary to improve it.

If you have any negative factors on your credit report right now, including a late payment, a bankruptcy, or an inquiry, you may want to pay the bills now and then wait. Remember that time is your ally, not your enemy. In the end, there is no quick fix for rebuilding a credit score. It takes time.

In formulating a plan to rebuild your credit rating, you need to understand how specific actions that you take will harm or hurt your credit score. For example, will working with your creditor to close an existing account in favor of rebuilding a new one with more favorable terms hurt or harm you?

Here are two factors for you to consider: a change to your credit report will affect your credit score , and your score is based entirely on the figures that are already in your report.

A major question that people have is how long it will take for them to improve their credit score. But heres what these people are missing: there isnt anything you can do to boost your actual score. Instead, you can do many things to rebuild your history of credit, and the healthier your credit history, the more elevated your credit score will be.

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