

If you’ve worked hard to establish excellent credit—by paying your bills on time each month, keeping your credit card balances low, and avoiding carrying a balance—you should reap the benefits. An excellent credit score may not only help you qualify for better personal loan terms or mortgage rates, it could also help you qualify for more types of rewards credit cards. If you have excellent credit, the right credit card may help you manage your finances, earn rewards, and maintain a strong credit score.
Excellent credit may open up a world of premium credit cards. This may include cards with generous cash back offers, exclusive travel perks, and higher credit limits. While your credit score generally isn’t the only thing credit card companies look at when evaluating your application, having an excellent score may make approval more likely.
The score a credit card company considers “excellent” depends on what scoring model it uses. FICO® Scores range from poor (580 or below) to exceptional (800 or above)1. This score takes several factors into account, such as your payment history and how often you receive a hard credit check.
VantageScore® is another common model credit card companies use. This score ranges from subprime (300-600) to superprime (781-850). VantageScore uses similar factors to FICO, but may weight them differently.
With Discover, you earn rewards on all purchases every time you use your card. An excellent credit score may boost your odds of qualifying for several Discover Cards that align with your shopping habits. You’re never guaranteed approval on any credit card, as the credit card issuer always needs to review your credit file and other application information. But with an excellent credit score, you may be more qualified for a wide range of cards from Discover.
Commute a long distance for work or spend loads of time running errands for your family? You may want an everyday card that offers you rewards for filling up your tank. Plus, if you’re often stopping for a bite on the road, you might also want a card that rewards dining out.
With an excellent score, you may qualify for a Discover it Chrome Card. Earn 2% Cashback Bonus® at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically.2
The Discover it Miles Card is a great everyday travel credit card pick for avid adventurers with excellent credit. You can earn unlimited 1.5x Miles automatically on travel purchases and all your everyday purchases.3
While some travel credit cards only allow you to redeem rewards for flights with certain airlines, the Discover it Miles Card offers more flexible redemption options, so you can travel the way you want. Turn Miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants, and more.3
Take your time to save your miles for your dream vacation.
With an excellent credit score, you may qualify for the Discover it Cash Back Card, featuring additional rewards rates in categories that change throughout the year. This card offers one of the highest rewards rates of any Discover Card. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
An excellent credit score may have positive effects on your financial life beyond your credit card options. Good credit may help you achieve the following:
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An excellent credit score may also help you qualify for a card with a low introductory APR promotion. Any balance you carry on a low intro APR card during the promotional period accrues interest at the lower rate until the promotional period ends.
An excellent credit score may help you qualify for premium credit cards with favorable rates and lucrative rewards programs. If you’re not there yet, don’t worry. Responsible credit habits, like repaying your balance in full each month and making all payments on time, may help you improve your score and take control of your financial future.
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Legal Disclaimer: We hope you found this helpful. Our content is not intended to provide legal, investment or financial advice or to indicate that a particular product or service is available or right for you. For specific advice about your unique circumstances, consider talking with a qualified professional. Capital One does not provide, endorse or guarantee any third-party product, service, information, or recommendation listed above. The third parties listed are solely responsible for their products and services, and all trademarks listed are the property of their respective owners. By clicking on some of the links provided, you may be taken to a third-party website that is not hosted by Capital One. In those cases, the owner of the website is responsible for the website content. Their privacy practices and level of security may be different from Capital One's, so please review their policies. Some of the above information may not describe the features and offerings of your specific Discover account. Please review your account terms for details on your specific account.
The credit score provided in CreditWise is a FICO® Score 8 based on TransUnion data. The FICO Score 8 gives you a good sense of your credit health but it may not be the same score model used by your lender or creditor. The availability of the CreditWise tool and certain features in the tool depends on our ability to obtain your credit history from TransUnion and whether you have sufficient credit history to generate a FICO Score 8. In order to enroll in CreditWise, you need to be a US resident, 18 or older, and have a valid social security number that can be matched to a credit profile from the TransUnion® credit bureau. Some monitoring and alerts may not be available to you if the information you enter at enrollment does not match the information in your credit file at (or you do not have a file at) one or more consumer reporting agencies. You do not need to be a Capital One account holder (which includes Discover card accounts) to sign up for CreditWise.
FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.
2% Cash Back at gas and restaurants: You will earn 2% cash back on your first $1000 in combined purchases at gas stations (stand-alone) and restaurants each calendar quarter. Calendar quarters begin January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. Purchases at gas stations and restaurants over the quarterly cap, and all other purchases, except as noted below, earn 1% cash back. Gas station purchases include those made at merchants classified as places that sell automotive gasoline that can be bought at the pump or inside the station, and some public electric vehicle charging stations. Gas stations affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible. Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. Restaurants located inside of or affiliated with another business, such as hotels or retails stores and establishments classified as a bakery, may not qualify. Purchases must be made with merchants in the U.S. To qualify for 2%, the purchase transaction date must be before or on the last day of the offer or promotion. For online purchases, the transaction date from the merchant may be the date when the item ships. Rewards are added to your account within two billing periods. Capital One uses merchant category codes to determine if a purchase is in one of the additional cash back categories. This means that sometimes a purchase may not earn additional cash back. For example, some food trucks or food carts may use a merchandise code and restaurants in department stores or hotels may use a merchandise or hotel code instead of a dining code. Certain third-party payment accounts and digital wallet transactions may not earn additional cash back if the technology does not provide sufficient transaction details or a qualifying MCC. Capital One is not responsible for merchant category codes used by merchants. Applies to all rewards: Earnings will apply to net purchases (purchases minus any credits or returns). Cash advances, balance transfers, transfers from Discover or Capital One checking or other deposit accounts, and checks used to access your account are not considered purchases and will not earn rewards. Portions of purchases paid with rewards, transactions that do not comply with our policies and/or applicable laws, or any cash you receive in connection with a purchase at the point of sale through Discover's Cash at Checkout feature will not earn rewards. See Your Rewards Program Terms & Conditions and your online account for more details.
Redeem miles: Redemption rates for these options may vary and are subject to change.