You probably know that what a credit score is — the three-digit number telling lenders how likely someone is to pay back a debt on time. You might even know what your credit score is, and whether it's "good" or "bad."
But do you know what a perfect credit score is?
FICO is the scoring model most lenders use to check creditworthiness. The lowest possible FICO Score is 300, while the highest is 850.
How many people have an 850 credit score?
Most Americans have good credit, but a perfect credit score is exceedingly rare. According to Experian data from March 2025, only about 1.76% of scorable consumers have a FICO Score of 850.
These top scorers share several characteristics, including paying bills on time every time, keeping credit usage low and having a lengthy credit history. Unsurprisingly, they tend to be older: Two-thirds are Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation.
Find the right credit card by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace and get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
How do you get an 850 credit score?
Taking out a loan or using your credit card won't sabotage your chances at an 850. In fact, a lack of credit activity is likely to hurt you more. The balance on your accounts is important, but not as much as your credit utilization and history of delinquent accounts.
Consumers with 850 scores use an average of just 4% of their available credit, compared to 28% for most people. Perfect scorers also have no delinquent accounts in their credit history.
If you're committed to perfect credit, the first step is to check your current score. Many banks and credit card companies provide FICO or VantageScore scores to customers for free, but you also want to review your credit reports with Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax for outdated or incorrect information or signs of identity theft.
If you find mistakes on your credit reports you can try to resolve them yourself or use a credit repair company to send challenges or dispute letters.
Identity theft protection services like Aura and Experian CreditWorks will provide your FICO® score and credit reports, and add ID theft protection, dark web monitoring and other useful tools.
Experian Boost®
Cost
Free
Average credit score increase
13 points, though results vary
Credit report affected
Experian®
Credit scoring model used
Results will vary. See website for details.
How to sign up for Experian Boost:
- Connect the bank account(s) you use to pay your bills
- Choose and verify the positive payment data you want added to your Experian credit file
- Receive an updated FICO® Score
Learn more about eligible payments and how Experian Boost works.
If you need to work on raising your score *Experian Boost® is a free service that links utility, cellphone and streaming-service bills to your Experian report and gives you credit for on-time payments.
According to Experian, users whose scores improved saw an average increase of 13 points.
How important is it to have perfect credit?
An 850 FICO Score will unlock a lot of financial opportunities, including the best luxury credit cards and the lowest loan rates. But you can get approved for both even with a few dings on your record.
"If you're at 760, or 780, you're already getting the best you can get," said Jim Droske, president of the credit counseling company Illinois Credit Services. "You're already hitting that pinnacle of what lenders care about. Anything above that is just pride."
In fact, anything 670 or above is considered good credit, enabling you to get a conventional mortgage and qualify for top credit cards.
Credit cards if you have a perfect credit score
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is great if you want simplicity thanks to its flat-rate 2% unlimited cash rewards on purchases and $0 annual fee.
- High, unlimited flat-rate return on purchases
- Intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
- Lower introductory balance transfer fee
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft (subject to a $25 deductible)
- Charges a 3% foreign transaction fee
- Balance transfer fee increases to 5% of each transfer (minimum $5) after 120 days
- Limited redemption options unless you pair it with a Wells Fargo card that allows point transfers
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Best for travel rewards
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a reasonable annual fee and earns flexible travel rewards, which makes it a great travel card for beginners or heavy travelers.
- Valuable welcome offer worth at least $750 in travel
- You can transfer miles to over 15 Capital One partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- No foreign transaction fees
- Lacks ongoing travel benefits such as statement credits or lounge access
- Limited bonus spending category that only applies to certain Capital One Travel bookings
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fee
None
FAQs
Is it possible to have an 850 credit score?
It is possible to have a perfect 850 credit score, but in most cases, a 760 will get you the same rates and terms.
What's considered a good FICO Score?
Anything between 670 to 739 is considered in the good range and will usually get you approved for a conventional mortgage, auto loan or line of credit.
What is the worst possible credit score?
A 300 is the very bottom of the "very poor" range. According to FICO, a history of credit errors, including numerous missed payments, defaulted loans and bankruptcy.
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Meet our experts
At CNBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. For this story, we interviewed Jim Droske, president of Illinois Credit Services, and Ethan Dornhelm, VP of FICO Scores and predictive analytics.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed financial decisions. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit monitoring and credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.
