# What is your credit score (range in a Poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182 "2020-08-03T19:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/21 "2020-08-04T16:47:46Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I think that’s absolutely the case, but still: I’m 58, make very good money, have a car loan, a mortgage and two credit cards I always pay off, and I’m at 799. I’ve never missed a payment on anything, ever. I find it ridiculously unlikely that 80% of the Dope has an 800+ score when I don’t (well, at the moment, I may be 801 next week). So sampling (especially self-sampling) bias seems pretty certain. That or folks rounding up. I get my score from my Citicard CC which offers it for free. I’ve been at 824 since I started checking. I only have two CCs. My only other line of credit, my mortgage, closed in 2016 but it still factors in. I’m guessing my score will go down once the mortgage drops off. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/22 "2020-08-04T17:09:08Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I get my score from my Citicard CC which offers it for free Well, the OP specified FICO: is Citicard reporting to you that score or some other (experian, etc)? Possibly these are the same thing: is a credit score always a FICO score, or are there multiple reporters w different but similar criteria? Are we all discussing the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/23 "2020-08-04T17:23:10Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Possibly these are the same thing: is a credit score always a FICO score, or are there multiple reporters w different but similar criteria? Are we all discussing the same thing? My American Express gives me my Experian score. My US Bank card used to give me my TransUnion score. I say “used to” because US Bank recently decided that I didn’t use my card enough and cancelled it rather than, say, trying to drop my APR or give me some incentive to use it over my other card. Both of those were in the same neighborhood and I assume my FICO is the same though I haven’t looked at that lately. I figure clicking the 800+ button is good enough for message board purposes. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/24 "2020-08-04T17:29:21Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Well, the OP specified FICO: is Citicard reporting to you that score or some other (experian, etc)? > > Possibly these are the same thing: is a credit score always a FICO score, or are there multiple reporters w different but similar criteria? Are we all discussing the same thing? Citibank reports it as FICO with the little registered trademark symbol. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/25 "2020-08-04T17:50:20Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > My US Bank card used to give me my TransUnion score. I say “used to” because US Bank recently decided that I didn’t use my card enough and cancelled it rather than, say, trying to drop my APR or give me some incentive to use it over my other card. They did this to us as well, so I haven’t had a U.S. credit card, mortgage or car loan in more than 10 years. So my credit score is probably rather poor, even though I have a Swiss bank account. (This is actually a bit of a joke, because everyone who lives here has a Swiss bank account, of some sort.) I don’t think I have any way of checking my credit score, and I’ll worry about it when we decide to move back to the U.S. To my knowledge, there’s no equivalent in Switzerland. But anything to do with mortgages is quite different than the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/26 "2020-08-04T18:24:02Z")
Definitely gonna be some sample bias in this. While all opinions contrary to my own are stupid, i must admit Dopers tend to be educated erudite people, who tend to do well in our society. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/27 "2020-08-04T20:14:55Z")
I bounce around between 820 and 834. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/28 "2020-08-04T21:30:51Z")
Mine was pretty bad for a long time. Lots of late payments, high balances et cetera. Now that stuff is behind me, but I suffer from a thin file - i only have one department store card and a mortgage, so I’m stuck in the ‘fair’ territory. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/29 "2020-08-05T00:44:57Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I find it ridiculously unlikely that 80% of the Dope has an 800+ score when I don’t (well, at the moment, I may be 801 next week). So sampling (especially self-sampling) bias seems pretty certain. I’m 100% positive that’s the case. It also seems unlikely that over 2/3rds of people here drive a standard, but that’s how the polls _always_ shake out despite standard cars in the US being as rare as those of us who are left-handed. People who have high credit scores and prefer manual transmissions clearly also like to answer polls 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/30 "2020-08-05T00:50:27Z")
I’m right handed and prefer manual transmissions and i support this message. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/31 "2020-08-05T10:54:19Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > It also seems unlikely that over 2/3rds of people here drive a standard, but that’s how the polls _always_ shake out despite standard cars in the US being as rare as those of us who are left-handed. I wonder what percentage of dopers have a pilot’s license. It seems above the population average. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/32 "2020-08-05T11:45:17Z")
Curious why the poll stops at 850. Is that normal for US systems? Scotiabank in Canada goes up to 900 and I’m currently showing 850. ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/33 "2020-08-05T12:47:11Z")
Had to click on “very good” even though a few years ago I was in the low 800s and it dropped about 20 points. One credit card dropped me due to lack of use, a department store card no more after the store closed, and paid off my mortgage. I guess my “good credit” actually hurt me due to some algorithm with the amount of credit you have available and how much you are using. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/34 "2020-08-05T12:49:14Z")
My rating was just over 800… until I moved to Canada. Now it’s slowly, but steadily, dropping. Luckily (!) my dog just had a bit of a surgery scare (she’s okay now), so we just put some debt on my American credit card. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/35 "2020-08-05T12:56:04Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > Curious why the poll stops at 850. Is that normal for US systems? Yes, the standard FICO scores range from 300 to 850. There are other types of scores that go to 900, but they are for slightly different purposes. You may be getting one of those scores from Scotiabank. > **[What are the Different Credit Score Ranges?](https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/infographic-what-are-the-different-scoring-ranges/)** > > A credit score can range from 300 to 850 depending on the scoring model, such as a mortgage score. Bankcard and auto scores can range from 250 to 900. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/36 "2020-08-05T13:39:53Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Yes, the standard FICO scores range from 300 to 850. Given the previous question of what you need to do to get your score into the 580-620 range, I want to know how you manage to get your score down into the low 300s. Default on your mortgage, auto loan and three credit cards simultaneously? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/37 "2020-08-05T13:51:51Z")
It was 690 when I lived overseas, owing to the fact that I thought I had paid off a credit card in full and failed to realize that about $3 of interest had accrued during the last cycle. I think credit card companies have to make it clear now what the “payoff amount” really means, but back then, they didn’t. It’s now 810 or so, depending on the month. Paying off grad school loans for 10 years helped. My income’s not great but no debt and live well within my means, realizing all the while that one trip to the hospital could change everything – like most of America’s “middle class” these days (is there such a thing as an American middle class anymore? lol) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/38 "2020-08-05T17:42:08Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I want to know how you manage to get your score down into the low 300s Don’t pay your bills on time ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/39 "2020-08-05T17:57:51Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Don’t pay your bills on time Sure, but I had a storied history of not paying my bills on time at one point in my life (plus defaulting on a card, etc) and wasn’t that low. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182/40 "2020-08-05T18:25:25Z")
At my worst, I had scads of late payments, some defaults, and two judgments against me for more than $1000; and my FICO was in the mid 400’s. You’d have to be really bad to get into the 300s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-credit-score-range-in-a-poll/917182.md?page=3)