What Is a Bad Credit Score?

I’ve already talked about good credit scores, so the next logical question was, “what’s a bad credit score?”

Whoa there!  Before we talk numbers, it’s important to note that we’re talking about Fico scores, which are the most commonly used credit scores by lenders.

Fico scores range from 300-850, with higher scores representing a lower risk of default.  In other words, the higher the credit score, the better off you are in the eyes of potential creditors.

So back to our question. Well, much like all things credit, it’s hard to pin it down to a three-digit number, as it’s more subjective than that, but it’s safe to say bad credit scores fall below 620.

In the mortgage world, credit scores below 620 are considered subprime, meaning the borrower’s credit is of substandard quality. Of course, you can be considered subprime if your credit is below 400 or as high as 619, so it’s quite a wide range.

The takeaway is that your credit score is not where it should be, and actually well below average, limiting your ability to get approved for a credit card, auto loan, mortgage, and so forth. If you do happen to be approved, you’ll likely be stuck with a much higher interest rate than what you would have received with a decent credit score.

Excellent credit score: 800
Good credit score: 740
Average credit score: 710
Bad credit score: 580

If you’ve got a bad credit score, consider checking out some ways to improve your credit score.

You should also order a free copy of your credit report and determine why your credit score is low.

Often times you’ll find that there are mistakes on your credit report, such as erroneous medical collections. If you find this to be the case, you should attempt to remove those negative items from your credit report as soon as possible.

If you sign up with the so-called free credit report companies via their free trial, you can dispute items on your credit report with a simple click of your mouse.

The credit bureaus also allow you to dispute items on your credit report for free.

Even if the information is accurate, if the original creditor is unable (or doesn’t bother) to prove the item in question is indeed delinquent, it will be removed.

Let’s look at a quick example of how you can turn that bad credit score around!

Current credit score: 580
Negative item on credit report: unpaid medical collection
Credit score after successful dispute: 660

If you dispute the item successfully, your 580 credit score, which I consider bad, could climb to 660 or higher, which I consider an average credit score, albeit lower than the national average.

The result would be more approvals from credit card issuers, banks and other lenders, and lower interest rates on said loans.

And if you continued to practice healthy credit score habits, before you know it you could achieve an excellent credit score. So don’t be discouraged if your credit score isn’t quite up to snuff.  They aren’t set in stone and there’s always time to turn things around for the better.