A 660 credit score is considered a fair credit rating. While this credit score isn’t the worst, there is still room for improvement.
Fair credit will mean that finances won’t be the easiest, but they may not be as tough to navigate compared to someone with a bad credit score.
Key Takeaways for a 660 Credit Score
Overview of Your
Credit Rating
A 660 credit score is right in the middle of credit score ranges, it's not super low but not super high either.
Borrowing Options With a
660 Credit Score
You’ll have a handful of borrowing options with a 660 score, including secured and unsecured loans.
Improving a 660
Credit/FICO Score
Improving a 660 score is possible! Things like paying your bills on time, paying off debt, and diversifying your credit mix can help.
Is a 660 Credit Score Good?
A 660 score isn’t considered a good credit score, but it’s also not the worst credit score you can have. So it’s right in the middle, falling in the fair range. When it comes to how you look to lenders, you'll look like someone who has made both good and not-the-best decisions with your money.
What Can You Get Approved for With a 660 Credit Score?
Having a fair credit score will mean that you’ll likely have access to several loan options, but usually, that means you won’t get the best interest rates. Curious about your loan options with a fair credit score? Continue reading to learn more:
Personal Loans
About 23% of Americans have unsecured personal loans.1 And that shouldn’t be too surprising because these loans are extremely popular. Personal loan options are definitely available for borrowers who have fair credit scores. Lenders you may be able to explore are banks, credit unions, and online lenders.
Bank Loans
With a fair credit score, bank loans are usually also accessible. Many people turn to bank loans because they usually already have a relationship with a bank or similar depository institution, which can make things smoother. A 660 should be okay with small to medium-sized bank loans. However, you’ll have to get through other qualification requirements, such as income.
Credit Cards
Credit cards are a form of revolving credit that can be used for almost any kind of purchase or expense. There are several different kinds of credit cards in the market; some cater to fair credit score borrowers, which means there are options for a 660 score.
Car Loans
Car loans, also referred to as auto loans or car financing, make it possible for people to finance the purchase of new or used cars. With a 660 score, you should be able to find a car loan or multiple that you can use. However, you may need a larger down payment when compared to someone who has good credit.
Products To Help Maintain a 660 Credit Score
Here are some products that can help maintain your credit score:
Automation With Bill Payments
Automation can be an essential tool when trying to maintain a 660 score. Payment history is the largest makeup of any credit score model, whether you look at a FICO score, VantageScore, or another model. Automation can be set up in a few different ways:
Automation Setup Method | Description |
Through third-party apps | Utilize external applications designed to manage finances and automate payments. |
On the creditor’s app or website | Set up automatic payments directly through the financial institution’s digital platforms. |
Over the phone with your lender/creditor | Arrange for automatic payments by speaking directly with customer service. |
Through your banking app | Use your bank’s app to set up automatic payments to creditors or for bill payments. |
Regardless of how you set it up, it’s important to ensure that you have enough funds in your bank account when those bill payments are due. So timing things out is key with auto-pay.
Financial Education
Sometimes, a defensive approach is exactly what you need when it comes to maintaining your credit score. With financial education, you can ensure that you protect yourself from taking any detrimental actions with your finances. And when you do take action, you can be confident that it won’t harm your score. Financial education is essential for the maintenance and improvement of your scores! Here are some places to help you get started:
- Free blogs from reputable sources
- Podcasts
- Books
- Online courses
Financial Apps
Financial apps can be so helpful when you are unsure where to begin with your money. Generally, they’ll tackle the basics like budgeting and savings, but alongside that, they can offer valuable insights into your financial habits. These habits are essentially what make up your credit score, and by knowing what is good and bad, you can directly take control of what could happen to your credit.
Here are some popular financial apps to help your credit scores:
- You Need A Budget (YNAB)
- PocketGuard
- Acorns
- Debt Payoff Planner
- Personal Capital
Credit Monitoring Services
Credit monitoring services alert you of any new activity on your credit reports or existing accounts. This can be helpful when things like automatic closings of accounts happen, balances increase or decrease, or in a more severe situation such as identity theft.
While you can get your free credit report from all three major credit bureaus annually, that is far less than the recommended amount. Credit monitoring services will essentially eliminate that task for you by staying on top of changes on your credit reports/credit accounts.
Benefits of a 660 Credit Score
Having a fair score means that you aren’t considered a subprime borrower, and that comes with lots of perks and opportunities. Here are some benefits of having a 660 score:
Faster and Smoother Funding When You Need it Fast
With a fair score, you’ll have a faster and smoother process than someone with a bad credit score. This can be extremely convenient when you need funding fast!
A Good Amount of Loan Options to Choose from
With a fair score, you should have a good amount of loan options to choose from. This can be extremely helpful when you need to borrow a loan.
You Won’t Have that Far to Go for Good Credit
The great thing about having fair credit is that you are really close to getting a good or excellent score. With just a little more work, you can get to a good score and then eventually work your way up to a great score.
How To Maintain Your 660 Credit Score
If you have a fair credit score, the last thing you’ll want is to fall into the bad credit score category! Luckily, there are things you can do to help you maintain your 660 score. These actions may also help you get higher credit scores, which can have even more benefits:
Keep Your Debt Low
Your debt impacts several aspects of credit scoring, including your credit utilization and several other factors, like your ability to pay your bills on time. And so, regardless of what credit score tier you are in, keeping your debt low will be extremely helpful for maintaining and improving your credit.
Keep Revolving Accounts Open
Credit cards are one type of revolving credit account, and these accounts can be closed. This usually happens in two ways. One way is automatic; once these accounts are paid off and not used for a long period of time, they will be closed. You can also close those credit accounts on your own. However, doing so can really hurt your credit utilization because it reduces your credit limit. And so, it is important to keep revolving accounts open.
Make Your Bill Payments On Time
Making timely payments on your bills, especially your credit accounts is crucial to maintaining your FICO score. Even a single late payment can impact your credit history by remaining on your credit report for up to seven years!
Be Strategic With Your Credit Utilization
Your credit utilization is the ratio between your existing debt, such as credit card debt, loans, etc., against your existing credit limit. Credit utilization is a huge factor that impacts your credit scores, so it’s important to keep that in mind before taking any financial steps.
FAQs About 660 Credit Scores
How does an auto loan impact my FICO score, and what role do payments play?
An auto loan can significantly impact your FICO score in several ways. Firstly, it contributes to your credit mix, which is one of the factors FICO scores consider. Having a variety of credit types, including auto loans, can positively affect your score. Secondly, your payment pattern on an auto loan is crucial.
Consistently making on-time payments can establish a positive payment history, improving your FICO score over time to get to a good credit score. However, late or missed payments can negatively impact your score. It’s important to manage auto loans responsibly, as they are a key component of your credit reports and can influence lenders’ perceptions of your creditworthiness.
Can getting a secured credit card help improve my credit utilization rate and contribute to getting a good credit score?
Yes, obtaining a secured credit card is a strategic move to improve your credit utilization rate and work towards a better credit score. A secured credit card requires a cash deposit that typically serves as your credit limit. By using this card and keeping your balances low, you can demonstrate responsible credit usage and lower your overall credit utilization rate, which is a major factor in calculating FICO scores.
Credit card issuers report your activity to the credit bureaus, so maintaining a low balance and making timely payments can positively affect your credit reports and help elevate your FICO scores.
How do interest rates on auto loans vary with different FICO scores, and why is it harder to secure favorable rates with a low credit score?
Interest rates on auto loans are directly influenced by your FICO scores. Individuals with higher FICO scores are generally offered lower interest rates because they are perceived as lower-risk borrowers by lenders. This is because a high FICO score typically reflects a history of responsible credit management, including a positive payment history and sensible credit utilization.
On the other hand, securing favorable interest rates with a low credit score can be challenging. A low score suggests to lenders that there’s a higher risk of default, prompting them to mitigate this risk by offering higher interest rates. Improving your FICO score can lead to better loan terms, including lower interest rates, which can make a significant difference in the total cost of an auto loan over time.
What Interest Rate Can I Get With a 660 Credit Score?
Knowing exactly what interest rate you will get with a 660 score can be challenging to estimate for a few reasons. One reason is that the loan type will have an impact on its interest rate; for example, a payday loan will usually have higher interest rates than personal loans. Other factors that impact interest are the lender and the borrower’s finances.
Preapproval with a lender can let you know closer estimates of what kind of interest rate you will get with a 660 score.
Can I Buy a House With a 660 Credit Score?
One part of the home-buying process is your credit scores. With a 660 score, you may be okay with some mortgage lenders, while others may require a good credit score as a minimum requirement.
Along with your credit scores and credit history, lenders will look at things like your income, employment, debt-to-income ratio, your ability to make a down payment, and more.
And so, as you can see, there are lots of parts with your credit history and FICO score that mortgage lenders will consider.
Top 5 Resources for a 660 Credit Score
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