What Can You Get Approved For With a 798 Credit Score?

With a 798 credit score, you can likely get approved for premium rewards cards, low-rate personal loans, auto loans, and most mortgages, as long as your income and debts support what you're borrowing. Your score already puts you in the top auto and mortgage pricing tiers. You're 2 points from exceptional credit at 800, but that milestone changes your label more than your price.

Is 798 a good credit score?

Yes. FICO's very good range runs from 740 to 799, and 798 sits near the top of it. At 800, you'd move into exceptional credit.

A score this high usually reflects a long run of on-time payments, low card balances, and few recent applications. What separates 798 from 800 is usually small, like a month's reported balance or a recent hard inquiry. The bigger risk is losing ground. An error on your report or a missed payment can cost more than any further gain would earn you.

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What can you get approved for with a 798 credit score?

At 798, credit typically isn't what's standing between you and approval. Lenders will look harder at your income, your job history, and your debt-to-income ratio (DTI).

Credit cards

Premium travel cards, top-tier cash back cards, large sign-up bonuses, and high credit limits are realistic at 798. So are long 0% intro APR periods. You'll likely see more prescreened offers, too.

Since you'll likely qualify for most cards, pick those you'll actually use. If you travel, look for airfare and hotel rewards or lounge access. If you're planning a large purchase, a long 0% intro APR period can be worth more than points, but only if you pay the balance off before it ends.

Each new application triggers a hard inquiry, so open a new card only when it serves a financial goal. Before you apply, check whether the issuer offers prequalification, which uses a soft credit check that doesn't affect your score.

Personal loans

Most personal lenders will approve a 798 if your income and DTI support the loan. Expect offers at or near a lender's lowest advertised interest rates.

The Federal Reserve's average for a 24-month bank personal loan is 11.86%, and a 798 borrower can often get offers below it.

How much you can borrow still depends on your income and existing debt.

Auto loans

At 798, you're in Experian's super prime tier (781+), the top tier for auto loans, and 17 points above its cutoff. Super prime borrowers average 4.41% on new cars and 6.29% on used cars. On a $20,000, 60-month new car loan at average rates, a super prime borrower would pay about $1,000 less in interest than a prime borrower. Experian sorts these tiers by VantageScore 4.0, so your FICO score may place you a little differently.

Manufacturer promotions like 0% financing or cash back offers are within reach at this score. Ask the dealer what score a specific promotion requires. Get preapproved by a bank or credit union first, then compare that rate against the dealer's financing and any promotion. A cash rebate can be worth more than a lower rate.

Use an auto loan calculator to check payment amounts before you sign.

Mortgages

At 798, most mortgage types are open to you, and your score already earns Fannie Mae's best pricing. Your down payment is now what matters most.

• Conventional loans. Fannie Mae no longer sets a minimum score for loans run through its automated system, but lenders still set their own. Fannie Mae does charge lenders an upfront fee on the loans it buys, based on your score and down payment. For scores of 780 and up, that fee is 0.375% of the loan amount with 20% down and 0% with 25% down or more. On a $200,000 loan, that's $750 versus $0. You'd see the difference in your rate or your closing costs.
• FHA loans. These loans are an option, but they carry their own mortgage insurance premium. Borrowers with scores of 580 or higher can qualify with 3.5% down, and lenders can set higher minimums. At 798, a conventional loan is usually the one to price first. Still, an FHA quote is worth comparing if your down payment is small.
• Jumbo loans. Each lender sets its own score, income, and reserve requirements for loans above conventional limits. A 798 meets many of them, but ask each lender. Your income and reserves usually decide approval.

Small rate differences add up on a mortgage. For example, on a $300,000, 30-year loan, 6.0% instead of 6.5% saves about $98 a month, or about $35,000 over the life of the loan.

Run the numbers >> Use Kikoff's mortgage calculator to estimate your monthly payment and plan your homebuying budget.

What interest rates can you expect with a 798 credit score?

Expect offers near the best a lender advertises. Exact rates still depend on the lender, the loan, and market conditions. The Federal Reserve's averages across all borrowers were 22.15% for card accounts charging interest and 11.86% for 24-month bank personal loans. At 798, your offers will typically come in below both.

Exceptional credit at 800 is 2 points away, but it typically won't lower your price on auto loans or conventional mortgages. Both top pricing tiers start below your score: 780 for Fannie Mae's mortgage fee and 781 for Experian's super prime auto tier. Lenders are competing for your business, so compare at least two or three offers on any loan.

5 ways to protect or raise a 798 credit score

1. Check your reports before a big application. You can get all three for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com. If something is wrong, like an account that isn't yours, dispute it with the bureau reporting it. Disputing is free.
2. Freeze your credit when you're not applying. A credit freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. It's free at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and you can lift it temporarily when you apply.
3. Automate every payment. Payment history makes up 35% of a FICO Score, and a missed payment stays on your report for seven years.
4. Keep reported balances low. Your issuer usually reports your statement balance, so paying before the statement closes keeps your utilization low even if you pay in full.
5. Rate-shop in one window. Each hard inquiry can take a few points off for about a year. FICO counts multiple auto, mortgage, or student loan inquiries made within 14 to 45 days as one, depending on the FICO version. Card and personal loan applications each count separately.

If your report is thin on accounts, adding one helps. A Kikoff Credit Account reports your payments to all three bureaus.

Read more >> What Can You Get Approved For With an 825 Credit Score?

Bottom line

A 798 score gets you approved for nearly everything at or near a lender's best pricing, as long as your income and debts support the loan. You're 2 points from 800, FICO's exceptional range, but that step changes your label more than your price. What matters now is staying above 780 and 781, because one error or missed payment can cost you a tier before you notice.

Kikoff brings credit building, bill and rent reporting, AI-powered disputes, credit monitoring, and debt negotiation into one place. Sign up with no credit check. Plans start at $5 a month.