Discover the Best Credit Cards for Good Credit Scores

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What Is a Good Credit Score?

A “good” credit score varies depending on the scoring model you use. Both FICO and VantageScore – the two most popular scoring models – have slightly different calculations for what is a good score and what they consider excellent or fair.

FICO

The FICO scoring model is the oldest – and most popular credit scoring model with banks. Estimates state that approximately 90% of banks, lenders, and financial institutions rely on FICO Scores to judge the creditworthiness of an applicant.

The FICO scoring range is from 350 to 850, and breaks down as follows:

• Excellent: 850 – 800
• Very Good: 799 – 740
• Good: 739 – 670
• Fair: 669 – 580
• Poor/Bad: 579 -350

VantageScore

VantageScore, like FICO, also measures the creditworthiness and reliability of potential applicants. While less popular than FICO, VantageScore is the creation of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

The VantageScore model ranges from 300 to 850, and breaks down as follows:

• Excellent: 850 – 781
• Good: 780 – 661
• Fair: 660 – 601
• Poor/Bad: 600 – 500
• Very Poor/ Very Bad: 499 – 300

What Factors Determine what a “Good” Credit Score Is?

Both FICO and VantageScore differ in terms of how much weight – or emphasis – they place on certain credit factors. FICO, for example, places greater importance on the total amount of debt a person has and less on their average age of credit. VantageScore, on the other hand, puts more weight on the average age of credit than FICO and slightly less on the total amount of debt owed.

Despite these discrepancies, there are a few things everyone should pay attention to maintain or build their credit score. These factors include:

• Payment History: How many of your payments are made on time, and how many payments do you miss?
• Total Debt: How much do you owe on your credit accounts?
• Credit Utilization: How much of your available credit are you using?

Individuals with a good credit score rarely miss payments. After all, how can a lender deem your credit as good and your lending risks as minimal if you regularly fail to pay back your debts? Additionally, lenders might view you as a risky applicant if you rely too much on your credit accounts. Over-reliance on credit might appear to a bank as someone being financially stretched.

How to Build a Good Credit Score

Graduating from bad credit to good credit or fair credit to good credit takes time and effort. No one starts with a good credit score. Building a good credit score begins early, often at the age of 18, when people are first eligible for most credit cards.

Common routes into credit include student loans, student credit cards, and becoming an authorized user on a family member’s credit card account. Secured credit cards are another popular option for people with no credit, as they are easier to get due to their security deposit requirements.

Building credit depends on making the right financial moves and practicing fiscal discipline. These steps include keeping your credit utilization low and paying all your credit card balances and other bills on time each month.

Keeping your credit utilization – or credit use – low is one of the best ways to build up a good credit score. Credit utilization accounts for 20% of your VantageScore and 30% of your FICO Score. Paying your bills on time is even more important, accounting for 35% of your FICO Score and 40% of your VantageScore.

How Long Does It Take to Build Good Credit?

Getting a good credit score doesn’t happen overnight. Building good credit from scratch can take months, as establishing credit takes time and patience. According to Experian, it can take six months or more for someone new to credit to gain enough information on their credit report to reach a good credit score. This process can take even longer if that person misses a single payment.

Going from a fair credit score to good credit depends on the financial situation of everyone. Those with a good history of on-time payments can quickly reach good credit – or even excellent credit. Those with missed payments, however, may face a long road.

Because missed payments account for as much as 40% of your credit score, these mistakes can take months – or years – to repair. In these cases, the only solution is to keep making on-time payments on all of your accounts and to add a secured card to help increase the number of on-time payments you make. Doing this can quickly overwhelm the missed payments, resulting in a higher percentage of on-time payments – building up your credit score.

How to Get an Excellent Credit Score

Graduating from good credit to excellent credit also takes time. Gaining an excellent credit score opens up the biggest signup bonuses and the lowest interest rates (APR). Fortunately, already having a good credit score is a foot forward in this process. People with a good FICO score or good VantageScore already have many of the tools and habits in place to build their credit score.

What Are the Benefits of a Good Credit Score?

Having a good credit score means you have a better chance of successfully applying for almost any credit card offer on the market. Lenders like to see a good credit score as it shows the applicant is less risky than other applicants, and they can rely on them to make their payments every month.

Here are some of the benefits of having a good credit score:

• You qualify for most rewards credit cards
• No security deposit required
• You’ll enjoy some of the best signup bonuses
• You receive longer 0% intro APR periods
• Lower APR than applicants with fair credit

What to Look for In a Credit Card for Good Credit

Good credit unlocks a variety of rewards and benefits not open to those with bad credit or subprime credit scores. Here are some of the essential features to look at when deciding on your next credit card for good credit:

APR (Annual Percentage Rate)

The interest rates a card charges lets you know how easy it will be to carry a balance from month to month. One of the top benefits of a good credit score is access to lower interest rates than those with no credit, bad credit, or fair credit.

The average APR for someone with a good credit score is approximately 18.24%, which is almost 8% lower than the variable APR for someone with a fair credit score.

Always pay attention to the rate your bank offers you when you apply for a new credit card. If your score is improving, consider calling the card issuer to see if they will provide you with a lower APR.

Annual Fees

A good credit score opens the possibility of getting some of the best credit card offers available. Because of their good score, many applicants have access to cards with excellent rewards. These cards may – or may not – come with an annual fee.

Some cards, like the Chase Freedom, come with no annual fee. All Discover credit cards have no annual fees. Other cards offer tiers, with better rewards coming with a higher yearly charge. The U.S. Bank Altitude Go, for instance, has no annual fee, while the impressive U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve has a $400 annual fee.

Rewards

Since a good credit score means better credit card offers, it also means better rewards. Rewards come in the form of cash back, points, or miles and vary in value depending on the issuer. Before applying for your next credit card, always read the terms and conditions to see how you earn points – and how you redeem them.

Some reward programs offer limited award options, such as statement credits or merchandise. Others, such as American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Chase Ultimate Rewards, offer the chance to transfer miles or points to airline partners or hotel loyalty programs. These programs offer excellent value-for-money.

Perks

Other factors to consider when selecting your next good credit card include perks and cardholder benefits. Many good credit cards are Visa Signature or Mastercard World products. Both Visa and Mastercard offer greater protections for users with these cards over classic Mastercard or Visa products.

Other features these cardholders may receive include:

• Lounge Access
• No Foreign Transaction fees
• Statement Credits for Travel Incidentals
• Higher Credit Limit

What Are the Best Good Credit Cards for 2020?

Now that you know what to look out for, what are the best credit cards for good credit of 2020? With so many cards to choose from it can be difficult to sort the good from the great. Here are some of the top picks for good credit from the BestCards team:

• U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card – Best No Annual Fee Rewards Credit Card
• Upgrade Card – Best Valance Transfer Card
• American Express® Business Gold Card – Best Business Credit Card
• American Express® Green Card – Best Travel Card
• Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card – Best Online Shopping Credit Card
• Discover it® Cash Back – Best Everyday Cash Back Card
• USAA Military Affiliate Visa Signature® Card – Best Military Credit Card
• Navy Federal cashRewards Visa Signature®  – Best Credit Union Card
• NASA FCU Visa Star Trek™ Credit Card – Best Card for SCIFI Fans
• Ducks Unlimited Visa® – Best Gas Station Credit Card

Find the Best Card for Average Credit Today

The team at BestCards.com knows how hard it can be to find the perfect credit card, especially without the right tools or knowledge. That’s why we strive to provide insightful credit card reviews, plus informative articles, and advice to guide you. Take advantage of these resources and more to find your ideal credit card today!