A credit score of 828 is not merely good, it’s exceptional. This score is a testament to a track record of impeccable credit management, including punctual bill payments, minimal credit usage, and the cultivation of long-standing accounts. But what doors does such an illustrious score open, and what steps can you take to maintain this pinnacle of credit achievement?
Understanding the implications of your credit score is crucial, regardless of how high or low it is. In this article, we'll explore the significance of your outstanding credit rating, the types of financial products you can expect to access, and strategies for preserving your elite credit status over the long haul.
What kind of credit score is 828?
An 828 credit score places you among the elite group of U.S. consumers, far surpassing the national average. Approximately 23% of Americans have an exceptional credit score ranging from 828 to 850. These scores reflect excellent credit management skills, including punctual payments, minimal credit utilization, and responsible handling of various types of credit. Attaining such a score is the result of long-term diligence and consistency rather than quick fixes.
With an outstanding credit score, you become an ideal candidate for creditors. Lenders use your score to assess your reliability in repaying borrowed funds. An exceptional credit rating indicates a low risk of default, making you more likely to be approved for loans with competitive interest rates, higher credit limits, and better terms. Additionally, you may qualify for premium credit cards offering attractive benefits such as cashback, travel rewards, and exclusive perks.
Beyond loans and credit cards, an excellent credit score can also lead to lower insurance premiums, as insurers often use credit scores to determine risk levels. In the housing market, landlords may favor applicants with high credit scores, offering better rental terms. Furthermore, some employers check credit scores during the hiring process, particularly for positions requiring financial responsibility, so a high score could enhance your job prospects. Keep up your responsible credit practices to ensure you remain among the elite and can enjoy ongoing financial advantages.
Getting a credit card with an 828 credit score
Acquiring a credit card with an 828 credit score is straightforward. Though outright approval is never guaranteed, your excellent score makes it highly likely that you will be eligible for any card you'd like. Credit card companies will likely offer you their best products, providing access to cards with the lowest interest rates, highest reward earnings, and unmatched perks. The main drawback is that such reward cards often come with significant annual fees and higher interest rates. Before you choose a card, evaluate your spending to see which rewards will be the most beneficial. Once you've identified the perks you value most, select a card where the benefits clearly outweigh any fees.
Types of Rewards Credit Cards:
Cash Back Cards:
Co-Branded Cards:
Travel Cards:
Premium Cards:
Business Rewards Cards:
Choosing the Right Card:
Evaluate Your Spending Habits: Analyze where you spend the most money. If you frequently travel, a travel or co-branded airline card might be best. If you have varied spending, a general rewards or cash back card might suit you better.
Consider the Annual Fee: Premium cards often have high annual fees but offer extensive benefits. Calculate if the perks and rewards justify the cost. For example, if a card offers $500 in travel credits and airport lounge access valued at $300, the annual fee of $450 might be worthwhile.
Compare Interest Rates: If you carry a balance month-to-month, a card with a lower interest rate will save you money. Rewards cards often have higher interest rates, so if you don’t pay your balance in full, the interest could negate any rewards earned.
Assess the Rewards Program: Look for cards that offer the highest rewards in categories you spend the most in. Additionally, consider how easy it is to redeem rewards. Some programs have blackout dates or restrictions that make it harder to use your points or miles.
Review the Perks: Benefits like travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranties can add significant value. If these perks are important to you, prioritize cards that offer them.
Choosing the right credit card involves understanding your spending habits, evaluating the benefits versus the costs, and ensuring that the card’s perks align with your lifestyle. With an excellent credit score, you have access to the best products on the market. Take the time to research and compare options to find a card that offers the greatest value for your unique financial situation.
Getting a personal loan with an 828 credit score
Holding an 828 credit score makes acquiring a personal loan a more straightforward task. Lenders view you as a very attractive borrower, allowing you to benefit from the lowest available interest rates and the most favorable terms. Nonetheless, it's beneficial to conduct thorough research and comparison shop for loans. Investigate the prevailing rates, strive to prequalify for a glimpse at possible offers, and ensure you snag the best deal. An outstanding credit score like yours could lead to considerable savings throughout the loan's lifespan.
Where to Find Different Types of Loans
Banks:
Credit Unions:
Online Lenders:
Loan Marketplaces:
Cash Advance Apps:
Prequalify Before You Apply
Shopping around for the best loan deal is essential, even with an excellent credit score. Different lenders offer varying rates, terms, and fees, so it's a good idea to check and compare offers before you settle on a loan. Prequalifying allows you to do just that. You can view potential offers without affecting your credit score. During prequalification, the lender conducts a soft credit pull and reviews your basic financial information to determine if you meet their criteria. If you qualify, they will provide an offer outlining the potential loan amount, rate, and terms. Your task is to compare these offers and then officially apply for the most favorable one.
Take a look and compare the following factors to ensure you get the best deal:
Interest Rates: Compare the interest rates offered by different lenders. A lower rate means lower overall cost.
Loan Terms: Consider the length of the loan and monthly payment amounts. Shorter terms may have higher payments but lower total interest.
Fees: Watch for origination fees, prepayment penalties, and late payment fees.
Total Loan Cost: Look at the total repayment amount, including interest and fees.
Reasons Other Than Your Credit Score You May Be Denied
While a high credit score means you are a highly desirable candidate, you could still be denied a loan. Lenders consider your overall financial health and ability to repay the money when choosing who to approve. Reasons they may deny your loan application may include:
High Debt-to-Income Ratio: Lenders assess your ability to manage monthly payments. A high ratio suggests you have too much existing debt relative to your income.
Insufficient Income: Lenders require proof of sufficient income to ensure you can repay the loan.
Too Many Existing Loan or Credit Accounts: Having multiple loans or credit accounts can indicate higher risk.
Unstable Employment: Lenders prefer borrowers with stable and consistent employment history.
Lender-Specific Reasons: Each lender has unique criteria that may include factors like loan purpose, geographic location, and loan amount.
If you're denied, lenders must, by law, send you an adverse action notice within 60 days. Take the time to read this notice as it will outline the specific reasons why your loan application was denied and what credit information the lender used to come to that decision. You can then take action to rectify the issues.
Take your 828 credit score with a grain of salt
Your score is only one part of your financial well-being. Lenders also consider other factors like income, employment, and debt levels to determine if they will lend to you. Yes, an 828 credit score is an impressive achievement, but it’s only part of your financial health. Some lenders don't even consider it at all. Do not become complacent, as scores can change for better or worse.
To maintain your status as a strong financial candidate, you must continue to practice sound financial habits. Maintain your score by continuing to pay your bills on time and keeping your usage low. Then, continue to pay down your existing debts and stay employed to be considered a good candidate all around. By upholding responsible financial habits, you can remain a well-rounded and appealing candidate to lenders.
Tips for maintaining your exceptional credit score
Now that you've achieved an exceptional credit score, it's time to maintain it.
FICO vs. VantageScores
FICO and VantageScores are the two primary credit scoring models used by lenders. Both scores range from 300 to 850 and are calculated using information from your credit reports. While they are similar, they do have differences in their calculation methods and criteria.
FICO Scores:
- FICO scores are the most widely used by lenders.
- They are calculated based on five factors: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%), and credit mix (10%).
- FICO updates its scoring models periodically, with FICO 8 and FICO 9 being among the most common versions used today.
VantageScores:
- VantageScores are less commonly used but still significant in the lending industry.
- They are calculated based on six factors: payment history (40%), depth of credit (21%), utilization (20%), balances (11%), recent credit (5%), and available credit (3%).
- VantageScore 4.0 is the latest model and incorporates trends such as trended data, which looks at longer-term behaviors.
Understanding both scores can help you better manage your credit and predict how actions might affect your creditworthiness.
The good news is you don't have to manage and monitor both your FICO and VantageScores actively. Since they are similar, if you have an excellent score in one, you are highly likely to have an excellent score in the other.
Review Your Report
Now that you've achieved an exceptional credit score, it's essential to maintain it. Regularly checking your credit report is crucial. Review your reports from the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—at least once a year. This helps you spot and dispute any inaccuracies or fraudulent activities promptly. Ensure all reported information is accurate and up-to-date. Correcting any errors can prevent unwarranted drops in your score. By staying vigilant and addressing discrepancies early, you can protect and sustain your high credit rating over time.
Timely Bill Payments
Your high credit score likely reflects a history devoid of late payments. Maintaining this perfect payment record is crucial for score maintenance. To prevent missed payments, enable reminders or set up autopay. A missed payment can significantly impact your score, especially when it's notably high. If you do miss a payment deadline, contact your credit issuer promptly. They might be willing to remove the negative entry if it's a rare occurrence. Consistently on-time payments are essential to sustaining your exceptional credit rating and financial health.
Low Credit Balances
Your credit utilization—how much of your available credit you’re using—should remain below 30% to maintain a healthy credit score. To boost your score even further, aim to bring it under 10%. A higher credit limit can make it easier to keep your utilization low. Creditors may increase your limits based on your history of responsible use. Alternatively, you can pay off your balances multiple times per month to reduce your utilization rate. Both strategies help demonstrate responsible credit management and can contribute to an improved credit score.
Aging Your Accounts
How long you’ve had credit plays a significant role in your credit score. The longer your accounts have been open and active, the better, as this provides lenders with more data to assess your creditworthiness. Closing old accounts can reduce your average account age and negatively impact your credit utilization rate. To prevent this, make occasional, minor purchases with your older accounts. However, if an account incurs high fees, it might be wise to close it to save money. The negative effects will dissipate over time, as account age isn't the biggest factor in your credit score.
Judicious Credit Applications
Every application for new credit results in a hard inquiry, which temporarily lowers your credit score by five to ten points. To minimize their impact, only apply for credit when absolutely necessary. While a single inquiry has a minor effect, multiple inquiries in a short timeframe can significantly damage your score and signal financial instability to lenders. This can make you appear as a higher risk candidate, potentially leading to higher interest rates or even denial of credit. By being selective and strategic about when you apply for new credit, you can better maintain your high credit score.
Credit Mix
Lenders want to see that you can manage various types of credit well. Ideally, you'll have a mix of installment credit (loans) and revolving credit (credit cards) to demonstrate your ability to handle different credit types. However, it's not necessary to take on debt just to diversify your credit portfolio. This factor has a minimal impact on your overall score. An exceptional score is achievable with responsible credit card use alone. Focus on maintaining low balances, making timely payments, and managing your existing credit effectively to sustain and even improve your high credit rating.
Next steps for your 828 credit score
A credit score of 828 signifies excellent financial management and unlocks the best financial products. With such a score, you'll receive loans with the most advantageous terms and credit cards with the best rewards and perks. This includes lower interest rates, higher credit limits, and access to premium credit cards offering substantial cash back, travel rewards, and exclusive benefits.
However, maintaining a high credit score requires ongoing vigilance rather than a passive approach. It's essential to sustain low credit utilization, ideally below 10%, to demonstrate responsible credit usage. Pay all your bills punctually, as late payments can significantly damage your score. Lastly, keep old accounts active so that lenders have plenty of good data to review.
By adhering to the financial principles that helped you achieve this high score—such as prudent borrowing, timely payments, and regular credit monitoring—you can ensure your credit remains in top shape for the foreseeable future, securing your financial well-being.
This content is general in nature and is provided for informational purposes only. MoneyFor is not a financial advisor and does not offer financial planning services. This content may contain references to products and services offered through MoneyFor marketplace.