A FICO score of 670 or higher is generally considered good. That is the short answer. The more useful answer depends on what you are actually trying to qualify for, since different products and lenders set different internal thresholds.
Good Score by Product
| Product | Typical "Good Enough" Threshold | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard rewards credit card | 670+ | Most mainstream cash-back and travel cards approve reliably above this line |
| Premium travel credit card | 700-740+ | Higher-tier products often set a stricter internal bar |
| Conventional mortgage | 620+ minimum, 740+ for best rates | You can qualify well below 700, but the interest rate gap is significant |
| FHA mortgage | 580+ (500-579 with 10% down) | Designed for lower credit profiles with government backing |
| Auto loan (prime rate) | 661+ | Below this, you move into subprime rate territory |
| Personal loan (best rates) | 720+ | Rates climb steeply as score drops below this range |
Why "Good" Is Relative
A 680 score is good enough to get approved for most standard credit cards, but it will not get you the best mortgage rate available, and it will not clear the bar for the most competitive personal loan offers. There is no single number that means "good enough for everything" — the honest way to think about it is a sliding scale where more doors open as your score climbs, without a hard ceiling where improvement stops mattering.
The Average American Credit Score
The national average FICO score has generally sat in the low-to-mid 700s in recent years, which technically falls in the "Good" to "Very Good" range. This means a score in the high 600s is below the national average even though it still qualifies as "good" by FICO's own band definitions.
Want the full range breakdown? See Credit Score Ranges Explained for all five bands from poor to exceptional, or What Affects Your Credit Score? to see what is actually moving your number up or down.
Ready to check specific approval odds? Use FiStarr's soft-pull pre-approval tools to see real card matches with no score impact, or check the Bureau Pull Database to see which bureau each issuer checks before you apply.
