What's a bad credit score — and how can it hurt your financial future? Updated Thu, Mar 13 2025. Alexandria White Money Reporter, Credit Cards.

Want a better credit score? Learn proven methods to fix negative marks, master credit utilization, and leverage authorized ...

A bad credit score can make it harder to qualify for loans, credit cards, and even rental applications — but the good news is that it’s fixable with the right strategy.

Key Takeaways. A FICO score between 300 and 579 is considered a bad credit score. With a bad credit score, if you do get approved for credit, you'll likely have to pay high interest rates.

A bad credit score is in the 300 to 629 range, according to NerdWallet’s general guidelines. But individual lenders and card issuers set their own guidelines for what constitutes a bad score.

A bad credit score generally falls below 600 on a scale of 300-850, depending on the credit scoring model. Bad credit is often used interchangeably with a “poor” credit score.

Credit history length accounts for 15% of your credit score, and the longer your credit history, the better. Instead, hide the old cards in some place safe so you can’t easily use them.

Under FICO, any credit score below 670 is considered a bad credit score or a sub-prime credit score. A bad VantageScore credit score is under 661, slightly more generous than FICO.

Key factors that make a credit card ideal for poor credit scores in 2025 are not having annual fees and reporting your payment activity to all three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and ...

In this way, a credit score is a much better measurement of your access to money than your ability to manage it responsibly. How I raised my credit score 250 points Throughout my 20s, I buried my ...

A bad score can cost you that much. Your credit score largely determines how much interest you pay on a car loan. And interest rates are trending high. The average new car loan was $40,366 in 2023.

Credit Score Range. What It Means. What You Get. 300-579. Bad Credit. Hard to get approved, very high interest rates. 580-669. Fair Credit. Some approvals, still higher rates ...