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Is 600 a good or bad credit score?

Published Date
Author Maeva Tchang

Find out where you fall on the credit scale.

Your credit score is a number between 300 and 900 that represents your credit history.

Equifax, one of the major credit reporting agencies (or bureaus) in Canada, categorizes your score as either poor, fair, good, very good or excellent. A credit score of 600, or really anything in the 600 to 659 range, is generally considered fair. Even though you’ve been putting in the work, you could benefit from taking some additional steps to improve your score, which can better your chances of being approved for credit products – like a credit card, line of credit or car loan – at a lower interest rate.

Take your score from fair to fabulous

Ready to bring your score to the next level? In addition to paying your bills on time every month, and staying well below your credit limit, try to be mindful of the following:

  • The number of credit applications. Inquiries on your credit report are either hard hits, which can negatively impact your credit score, or soft hits, which don’t. Applying for a credit card generates a hard hit, so it’s always best to know ahead of time whether or not you’ll be approved. This is why Capital One’s online tool Quick Check® is a good bet. It lets you know ahead of time which credit card you’ll be pre-approved1 for and only creates a soft hit, leaving no impact to your credit score. This way, you know that when you apply for the card, it will be worth it.

  • Your debt-to-income ratio. This is how much of your monthly income (before taxes) goes toward paying off debts, and it’s recommended that you don’t carry more than 34 cents on the dollar.

  • Activity on your credit report. If you feel your credit score is lower than it should be, it may be a sign of credit card fraud. Checking your credit report can help you spot suspicious activity that may be negatively impacting your credit score.

* The credit score and report information by Credit Keeper is intended for educational purposes only. Lenders and other commercial users may use a different type of credit score and other information when making credit decisions.

Credit Keeper is a service offered by Capital One and is powered by credit information provided by TransUnion. Availability may vary depending on our ability to verify your identity and obtain your information from TransUnion. Credit Keeper might be unavailable to some Quebec residents.

TransUnion and associated names and logos are trademarks of TransUnion, LLC or an affiliate.

1 If Quick Check pre-approves a card, you can be 100% sure we’ll approve your application as long as:

a. There’s been no change in your credit file information, personal information or financial status from the time you receive your Quick Check results to the time you apply for one of our credit cards;

b. You’re at least the age of majority in the province or territory you live in;

c. Your application isn’t flagged for fraud prevention;

d. You don’t have an existing Capital One account; and

e. You haven’t applied for a Capital One account in the last 30 days or had an account with us that was not in good standing in the last year. In good standing means not past due, over limit, fraudulent, restricted, or part of a consumer credit counselling program or bankruptcy.

In some cases, we may not be able to open an account for you even though your application was approved. This can happen if we’re unable to verify your identity, or you don’t provide the required security funds if you’re approved for a Secured Mastercard®.