What credit score do you need for 0 interest?
0% APR cards require good to excellent credit
Introductory no-interest credit cards typically require good credit (scores 670 to 739) or excellent credit (scores 740 and greater). If your score falls in the fair and average credit range (580 to 669) or bad credit range (below 669), you may have trouble qualifying for a 0% APR card.
The exact credit score you might need to qualify for a 0% APR loan varies depending on your situation. Many lenders require a minimum score of at least 700. Others require excellent credit scores, such as 720, 750, or even 800.
You need a good or excellent credit score of 700 or higher to get a 0% APR credit card. While you could potentially qualify for a 0% interest card with a lower credit score, you will need above-average credit to qualify for the best offers with the longest intro periods.
Your credit score is crucial to determine your eligibility for a no down payment car loan. Most lenders require a FICO credit score of at least 680 before you can qualify. If your credit score falls below 680, improve your credit score before you apply to help you qualify in the future.
The percent of the population with the highest credit score of 850 is relatively small but has been increasing. As of April 2023, about 1.7% of the U.S. scorable population had a perfect 850 FICO® Score. That compares to 1.5% in April 2018 and 0.8% in April 2013.
This one shouldn't surprise you, but 0 percent intro APR credit cards can help you save considerable sums of money on interest. This would be true regardless, but it's especially true if your alternative is a traditional credit card, given the average credit card interest rate is more than 20 percent.
Zero-percent financing deals can work well for those who have a high income and excellent credit, but in most cases 0% really isn't as great as it appears. Even if you were to stretch that same 3.99% loan over a more traditional 60-month term, you would still come out ahead of its 0% counterpart.
What Is the Best Month to Buy a Car? In addition to certain times of the week or holidays, some months are better to buy or lease new vehicles or purchase used cars than other months. In general, May, October, November and December are the best months to visit the car dealership.
How rare is a 750 credit score?
FICO® Score range | Percent within range |
---|---|
650-699 | 12% |
700-749 | 17% |
750-799 | 24% |
800-850 | 23% |
According to MyFICO, as of November 2022, the average APR on a 60-month new auto loan for someone with a FICO Score of 720 or higher is 5.64%. With a score in the 690-719 range, it's 6.83%. And for a borrower with a score in the 660-689 tier, the average APR is 9.19%.
Average Mortgage Rates by FICO® Score | |
---|---|
FICO® Score | Mortgage APR |
760-850 | 2.52% |
700-759 | 2.75% |
680-699 | 2.92% |
As a rule of thumb, it's good to put at least 20% down on a new vehicle. Historically, this has been the down payment size lenders prefer to see. It will also get you the best interest rates. For a used car, you don't have to put as much money down up front — 10% is a good down payment in this situation.
Most used auto loans go to borrowers with minimum credit scores of at least 675. For new auto loans, most borrowers have scores of around 730. The minimum credit score needed for a new car may be around 600, but those with excellent credit often get lower rates and lower monthly payments.
A credit score of 700 is good enough for you to negotiate the best interest rates. Dealerships prefer that customers buy new vehicles instead of old ones and the interest rates for financing a new car are much better than the interest rates for buying a used car.
While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.
Average FICO 8 Score by Generation | ||
---|---|---|
Generation | 2022 | 2023 |
Generation Z (ages 18-26) | 679 - Good | 680 - Good |
Millennials (27-42) | 687 - Good | 690 - Good |
Generation X (43-58) | 707 - Good | 709 - Good |
Generally speaking, a good credit score is between 690 and 719 in the commonly used 300-850 credit score range. Scores 720 and above are considered excellent, while scores 630 to 689 are considered fair.
Average FICO® Score in the U.S. Climbs to 715
Despite the slight increase over the past 12 months, average FICO® Scores have meandered throughout 2023, with average scores increasing from 714 to 716 this past summer, before settling at 715 at the end of the Q3 2023.
What is the average FICO score by age?
Generation | Average credit score (FICO) in 2023 |
---|---|
Generation Z (18-25) | 680 |
Millennials (26-41) | 690 |
Generation X (42-57) | 709 |
Baby boomers (58-76) | 745 |
A poor credit score falls between 500 and 600, while a very poor score falls between 300 and 499. “In general, people with higher scores can get more credit at better rates,” VantageScore says. So you could have trouble getting approved for higher-limit, low-interest cards with a credit score of 600 or below.
You might use the zero-interest period to run up higher balances. Here's where a zero APR card can start to hurt your credit. If you use the 0 percent intro APR period to run up higher balances than usual, you might end up with the kind of credit utilization ratio that has a negative effect on your credit score.
It's generally recommended that you have two to three credit card accounts at a time, in addition to other types of credit. Remember that your total available credit and your debt to credit ratio can impact your credit scores. If you have more than three credit cards, it may be hard to keep track of monthly payments.
However, it is difficult to qualify for a 0 percent annual percentage rate (APR) without excellent credit. You'll also have to pay other fees, so don't expect no-interest financing to be without cost.
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