What Can You Do With a 800 Credit Score?

Credit scores affect everything from your ability to get a loan to the rates you pay on your car insurance. Having good credit can be a huge benefit to your personal finances. 

An 800 credit score is often considered the ultimate goal for many. 800 is a high score— a rating considered “excellent” by almost any standard. 

If you’re wondering what you can do with an 800 credit score, or how to get there yourself, this guide will explain what you need to know. 

What does an 800 credit score mean?

An 800 credit score means excellent credit. FICO credit scores range from 300 to 850, with 850 being the highest. Anything above 800 is typically considered “excellent.”

With an 800 credit score, lenders can see that you are very responsible with your credit. They will likely be more willing to loan you money and to offer you lower interest rates on those loans. 

Wondering how you stack up to your peers? Check out the average credit score by state here. 

Benefits of an 800 credit score

There are many benefits to having a high credit score, from lower interest rates to better availability of credit. 

Lower interest rates: When you have excellent credit, lenders see that you are responsible and tend to repay your debts. Overall, they see you as a lower risk person to lend money to. Since you’re considered less risky, lenders are willing to loan you money at lower interest rates. Over the long run, this can produce huge savings, particularly on large loans like mortgages. 

Easier approval: With excellent credit, you will find it easier to get approved for loans, credit cards and other financial products. You will still have to submit income information, but ultimately, having excellent credit will drastically improve your odds of approval for credit. 

Higher credit limits: Having excellent credit can also make it easier to get approved for higher credit limits and/or larger loans. Keep in mind that your income level will still play a big role in the size of your credit limit, but credit score is also an important factor. 

Lower insurance rates: Many insurance providers pull your credit report during the quoting process. They use your credit to gauge how responsible you are — and if you have a high score, they may be able to offer you lower rates. 

How to get an 800 credit score

Wondering how to increase your credit score to 800 or even higher? The answer will depend on what your current score is but some principles remain the same. Here’s how to improve your credit.

Make on-time payments. Payment history makes up 35% of your FICO credit score. Ensuring you make on-time payments on all your credit accounts is vital for building good credit. 

Improve your credit mix. Having multiple types of credit accounts is beneficial to your score. If you only have your mortgage, adding a credit card can actually benefit your score — even if you don’t use it much. 

Keep an eye on your credit report. To reach a high score, you have to be aware of what’s going on with your credit. This starts by checking your credit score frequently — and no, it won’t hurt your credit to check your score! It’s also wise to access your full credit report on occasion to check for any credit reporting errors. 

Be patient. Building good credit doesn’t happen overnight. Achieving an 800 credit score can take a long time, but that’s okay! Just keep at it with your same responsible credit habits, and you will get there eventually. 

Monitor your debt level. Debt in general isn’t harmful to your score, but if your debt becomes too high, it can start to ding your credit. Try to keep your credit utilization under 30% of your available credit and take steps to pay off high-interest debt first. 

Is credit card debt holding you back? Tally† is an app that helps qualifying Americans consolidate credit card balances into a lower interest line of credit. Learn how Tally works here. 

How to keep an 800 credit score

If you’ve already achieved an 800+ credit score, you surely want to keep it that way! 

For the most part, you’ll just need to keep making on-time monthly payments and using credit responsibly. You should also keep an eye on your credit utilization, aiming to keep it under 30%. If you have $10,000 in combined credit limits, this means keeping your current balances under $3,000. 

Ultimately, the same habits and routines that led you to achieve an 800 credit score are the same that will help you stay there. 

With that said, keep in mind that some fluctuations in your credit score are to be expected. Don’t panic if your score drops a bit — just keep an eye out for things that can hurt your credit score, and make adjustments if needed. If there’s a large drop in your credit score, that could signal a bigger problem and is worth paying close attention to. 

Bottom line

An 800 credit score is an exceptional score, which is considered nearly perfect for many people. While scores technically go as high as 850, from a lender’s perspective, there isn’t a big difference once you reach 800+.

With a score of 800 or more, you can do just about anything with your credit — but your income level will also affect your ability to get a loan. To maintain a high score, ensure you’re making on-time payments, and keep using credit responsibly! 

†To get the benefits of a Tally line of credit, you must qualify for and accept a Tally line of credit. Based on your credit history, the APR (which is the same as your interest rate) will be between 7.90% - 29.99% per year. The APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Annual fees range from $0 - $300.