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What Credit Score Do You Start With?

8 min read

Last Updated: September 23, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

Most credit scores range from 300 to 850.
It takes at least 6 months after opening your first credit account, such as a credit card or loan account, to establish a credit score.
Your credit score is determined by several factors, including your payment history, credit utilization ratio, and the length of your credit history.

If you’ve begun building your credit history, you may wonder: Where do I start? What is my starting credit score? The answer to those questions is unique to you. Believe it or not, everybody starts out with a different credit score. The score you begin with depends on the credit habits you’ve started practicing with your loan or credit card accounts.

Learning more about how your credit score works is important if you want to improve your financial well-being and set achievable goals, especially if you’re just starting your credit journey.

Starting credit score

When you start building your credit history with a credit card or loan, you begin working toward your first credit score. There’s more than one credit scoring model, but 90% of top lenders use FICO^® Credit Scores, including Discover.¹

Most FICO^® Credit Scores range from 300 to 850.¹ But you don't necessarily start at 300, and your credit score doesn't necessarily increase with time.

Credit scores are based on your credit history. Before you begin generating credit activity for credit bureaus to add to your file, your credit score simply doesn't exist yet. A person who doesn't yet have a credit history or score is considered “credit invisible”. Some credit cards are designed for people who don’t yet have a credit history.

Learn More

When you're ready, applying for your first credit card is a good first step to establishing a credit score. If you have no credit history, qualifying for an unsecured credit card may be challenging. But you may get approved for a student card if you’re in college, or a secured credit card. Using these cards responsibly is a great way to build positive credit history and eventually qualify for an unsecured card.

There’s no single “starting” credit score that serves as the foundation for everyone’s credit. Instead, your first credit score depends on your credit activity for at least the first 6 months that you manage a loan or card, according to myFICO^®. If you practice responsible credit habits, you may start with higher credit scores.

What is a credit score?

A credit score is a 3-digit number that helps lenders evaluate your experience with credit. Your score isn’t fixed—it changes with your credit habits over time. Credit scoring agencies use the information from your credit reports to determine your credit scores.

Your scores influence your credit approval for loans and credit cards, and the terms you receive, like annual percentage rate and interest rate offers, credit limits, and more.

What are credit score ranges?

Credit scoring companies typically categorize each credit score into a credit score range, which makes it easier for lenders to assess creditworthiness. A higher credit score means a better credit range. Each credit scoring model may use its own credit ranges. A FICO^® credit score may fall into the following ranges¹:

Exceptional: 800 or higher
Very Good: 740 to 799
Good: 670 to 739
Fair: 580 to 669
Poor: Lower than 580

With an exceptional credit score, you may qualify for a wide range of credit cards and loans with high credit limits and favorable terms (if you meet other requirements). If you want to achieve a score in the exceptional credit range, you should maintain excellent credit habits for a long time.

With a poor credit score, on the other hand, you may not qualify for many new credit cards or loans. If a credit card issuer does offer you credit, you may have a high annual percentage rate or low credit limit. Bad credit habits, like missing payments and maxing out credit cards, may lead to a poor credit score. Fortunately, you may turn your score around by practicing positive habits.

How do credit scores work?

Once you get approved for credit products such as credit cards and loans, you begin building credit history. Lenders like credit card companies and banks report your activity to the credit bureaus. Each credit bureau (also known as a “credit reporting agency”) that receives your information creates a credit report. The information from your credit reports is the basis for your credit scores.

You may have more than one credit score because scoring models prioritize different aspects of your report. Plus, each credit reporting agency may receive different information from your lenders, leading to small differences in credit reports and scores. So, you might notice higher credit scores from certain credit bureaus.

To receive a FICO^® Credit Score, you have to meet the following minimum scoring requirements, according to myFICO:

Have at least 1 account that’s been opened for 6 months or more
Have at least 1 account that has been reported to a major credit bureau within the past 6 months
Not be deceased

You may meet the minimum scoring criteria with a single credit account or multiple accounts on your file.

What goes into a credit score?

Different credit score models may prioritize different factors to determine your credit scores. FICO^® Credit Scores consider the following for the general population¹:

Payment history: 35%. Payment history is your record of whether you pay your credit accounts on time.
Amounts owed: 30%. Also known as your credit utilization ratio, this is the total amount of money you owe credit card issuers compared to your total available credit.
Length of credit history: 15%. The longer your record of repaying loans is, the more creditworthy you may seem to a credit card issuer.
New credit: 10%. Applying for a great deal of credit at once may be seen as a sign of financial instability.
Credit mix: 10%. Having more than one type of credit, such as a mortgage, personal loan, and credit card, helps demonstrate your ability to manage credit.

What can you do to start with a good credit score?

Your early credit habits determine the credit score you start with, so it’s important to start strong. The following considerations may help you build a positive credit history:

Avoid applying for too many loans or credit cards at one time. Multiple hard credit checks may hurt your score. Plus, you may have trouble staying on top of payments with multiple open credit accounts.
Pay your bills on time. Whether you have a credit card or a personal loan, missed or late payments may damage your credit. If you have trouble remembering your due dates, you may be able to enroll in autopay.
Keep your balances small. Try not to spend a significant portion of your available credit. Repaying your balance in full whenever possible keeps your credit utilization rate low. Even if you can’t afford to repay the entire balance at once, paying more than the monthly minimum may help you pay it down more quickly. That also means you should avoid overspending with your card, so you don’t end up with credit card debt that’s difficult to manage.

Monitor your credit score

Once you’ve established a good credit score, you can maintain it by continuing to use credit wisely. Stay on top of your payments and keep your balances to a minimum. Over time, you may want to apply for more credit to improve your credit mix, increase your credit limit, or access rewards. Compare your options carefully and try to apply for only the credit you need.

You should also keep an eye on your credit score and your credit report to ensure you stay on the right track. If you identify any errors in your credit report, you can report them to the credit bureau right away so they don’t hurt your score. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you can access your credit report from each major credit bureau for free once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com. Some credit card issuers also offer credit monitoring tools, so you may identify issues right away.

Did you know?

As a Discover^® Cardmember, you get your FICO^® Credit Score for free on monthly statements, on mobile and online.¹

See If You’re Pre-Approved

If your credit becomes difficult to manage, don’t hesitate to get help. You might make changes in your budget to tackle debts, explore debt consolidation options, or reach out to a credit counsellor for guidance.

The bottom line

Whether you start out with great credit, fair credit, or bad credit, the credit decisions you make today lay the foundation for your future creditworthiness. Now that you know more about your starting credit score, you may practice good habits to maintain a good credit history and work toward an excellent credit score. No matter where you are on your credit journey, it’s never too late to practice responsible credit habits.

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