557 Credit Score
Is 557 a good or bad credit score? How to improve a 557 score.
A 557 credit score is considered as “poor” score. While people with the 557 FICO score won’t have as much trouble getting loans as those with lower credit, they will face higher APR. Because they are likely considered subprime borrowers, they’ll be offered higher interest rates and worse terms for all credit cards and auto loans.
Overview of a 557 credit score
Your credit score is one of the most important determining factors for your future. It could be the one thing that determines whether you are able to get a loan for a new home or keep renting. It can impact how high the interest rates on your car, home, and student loans are. The better your credit score is, the less you’ll have to pay for borrowing money.
And even more importantly, your FICO score is one of the biggest indicators of your fiscal responsibility, that’s why it’s very important to understand is 557 credit score “good” or “bad“. Anytime you apply for a new loan or credit card, someone will be looking over your credit report. And you’ll even find that future landlords and employers will consider your credit before making their decision. The lower your credit score is, the bigger your risk of having to make a large deposit before getting a new lease or opening a new account. Your credit score could even result in lost job opportunities.
It is very important that you don’t just check your credit score once with only one credit bureau. The danger of doing this is that you will never be able to detect in case there is an error. A bureau is not infallible, mistakes could be made due to human factor. It is therefore important to check your credit across all bureaus. This is a very safe practice that will guarantee that you are given a valid credit rating at all times.
If you do not check your credit rating across all bureaus, the mistake of a bureau may negatively affect your situation and this will not be good for you.
Credit Cards for 557 Credit Score
Just like people with bad credit score, people whose credit score is within the
range of 557 – 577
(poor credit) are also going to struggle with receiving favors from potential
lenders as a result of what their credit score says about their credibility when it
comes to handling financial commitments.
Of course, those with the poor credit are also limited when it comes to the kind of credit
card available for usage.
You definitely have to work on improving your 557 FICO score. However, while you are working on it, you can apply for the ‘Discover it’ secured credit card. It’s similar to the Capital One card and also does not require an annual fee. The “Discover it” credit card also requires no monthly fee and requires a minimum deposit of just two hundred dollars. Another credit card in this category you can enjoy is the Indigo Master card. Just like the “Capital one” credit card and the “Discover it” credit card, it also does not require any monthly fee, it however requires an annual fee (up to $99).
| Card Name | APR | Annual Fee | Secured/Unsecured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit One Bank Visa | 20.99% | $99 | Unsecured |
| Indigo MasterCard | 23.90% | $99 | Unsecured |
| Milestone MasterCard | 23.90% | $35 – $75 | Unsecured |
| OpenSky Visa | 18.14% | $35 | Secured |
Auto loans for 557 FICO Score
Whether you’re in the market for a new or used car, you can expect an auto loan interest rate anywhere
between 10.01% and 12.01% if your credit scores falls in this range. Even though your score is slightly below average, lenders will still few you preferably compared to those with lesser scores. While your interest rates will be slightly above average, they will certainly be manageable, and, having 557 FICO score, you will likely have no problems finding a loan.
Long gone are the days when people with poor FICO score were not given auto loans. Nowadays, you can get a loan but not all the dealers provide this opportunity. Some of the lenders who provide loans increase the interest rate. This will cost you a lot of dollars as it will increase your monthly payments and the total cost.
For making it easy for you to understand, we have this table to show you the difference between getting an auto loan with 607 and 557 credit score. First of all, we will need to define an initial cost of the car. Let us use the average amount borrowed for an auto loan. Mostly, a loan with $25000 initial cost is selected by the car buyers.
We will be considering two types of car loan, loan type 36 and 48 months. The table shows how much you will be saving your money by improving your credit score.
| Loan Type | Credit Score | Rate* | Monthly Payment | Total Payed | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 557 | 11.0119% | $818.61 | $29469.92 | – |
| 36 | 607 | 9.5969% | $801.96 | $28870.44 | $599.48 |
| 48 | 557 | 11.0119% | $646.28 | $31021.56 | – |
| 48 | 607 | 9.5969% | $629.24 | $30203.32 | $818.24 |
| Loan Type | Credit Score | Rate* | Monthly Payment | Total Payed | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 557 | 13.7202% | $851.05 | $30637.7 | – |
| 36 | 607 | 11.6502% | $826.19 | $29742.74 | $894.96 |
| 48 | 557 | 13.7202% | $679.66 | $32623.59 | – |
| 48 | 607 | 11.6502% | $654.06 | $31394.9 | $1228.69 |
First, we will take a look at how much you can save if you selected 36 month car loan. The interest rate on the car loan with 557 credit score is 11.0119%, your monthly payment will be $818.61. The total paid amount will be $29469.92. However, when you increase your 557 FICO score by 50 points, the APR will be lower. This is because people with better credit get loans at the lower interest rate. The APR will be 9.5969%, the auto monthly payment will be $801.96 while the total paid amount will be equal to $28870.44. Therefore, this shows that you can save $599.48, just by improving your credit score a little bit.
In the same way, if you prefer the 48 month loan and your credit score is 557, you get APR of 11.0119%. The monthly payment is $646.28 and the total cost will be $31021.56. On the other hand, when you have 607 credit score with APR 11.0119%, the monthly payment will be equal to $629.24. The total cost will be $30203.32. Hence, you will be able to save $818.24.
There are many benefits of increasing your FICO score from 557 to 607. You will get better interest rates, you will have to pay less on monthly basis, and the total amount paid will be less as well. So, in some cases, it can be concluded that increasing your credit score of 557 by 50 points, will help you save thousands on your loan. It is worth improving your credit score before applying for the loan, as it will not only help save your money but will help have a good reputation as well.
557 Credit Score Personal Loan Options
While this credit score range isn’t the lowest on the totem pole, it is still below average. While you should be able to secure a personal loan, your interest rates and terms will definitely be less than favorable. Interests will often vary anywhere from sixteen to eighteen percent, with most leaning towards the higher end of that range. If you’d like to secure a lower rate, a cosigner is a good option while you work to build your credit.
Guide on poor credit loans
Getting mortgages with a 557 credit
Just like with personal loans, a credit score between 550 and 649 will provide you with sub-par rates and terms. In fact, with a 557 credit score, you may not even qualify for mortgages with many lenders. If you will – you should anticipate interest rates ranging from five to six percent.
Considering these things, your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your life. It can affect every action you take, from the house you live in to the car you drive. Taking steps to improve your 557 credit score is the best way to save money and make your life easier down the road. There’s no excuse to not improve your credit score!
What makes an impact on your credit?
The three major credit bureaus rely on five types of information to calculate your credit score. They collect this information from a variety of sources, and compile it to give you an overall score. The score is comprised of 35% payment history, 30% amount owed, 15% credit history, 10% new credit, and 10% credit diversity.
Your payment history is the key factor that helps to determine your credit score. In the simplest terms, your payment history is based on how often you pay at least the minimum payment on your bills on time. However, some of the other factors aren’t so simple. The second most important factor is the amount you owe, which is based on the amount of credit you have available compared to the amount of debt you have. This is called your credit utilization ration, and it matters because lenders believe you are more likely to miss payments if your credit cards are maxed out.
The third factor in play is your length of credit history, which assesses the average age of your accounts and how long it’s been since those accounts were actually used. The last two, smallest factors are how often you apply for new accounts and how diverse your credit portfolio is. In other words, opening multiple accounts at a time hurts your score, while having different types of accounts improves it.
Improving Your Credit Score
-
Keep your credit card balances low. The amount of money you owe versus the amount of credit you have impacts your credit rating. The lower your balances are, the higher your score will be. Ideally, your cards should never have more than thirty percent of their available credit line charged. Consolidating your credit card debt via a personal loan could be a great solution to a low credit score. In addition, paying your balance in full every month may not make a difference—some credit bureaus consider the amount on your statement rather than the amount after your payment.
-
Keep your old debt on your report. So many people call their credit bureaus the week after they’ve paid off a home or car and try to get the debt removed from their report. But paid debt is actually a form of good debt that will boost your score—not lower it.
-
Be smart when shopping for a loan. Applying for several loans or credit cards in a row can drastically hurt your score. But most lenders will give you a “grace period” where your credit score won’t be impacted. If you do all of your loan shopping in a three-week period, for example, there’s a good chance it won’t count against you. Reaching out to one of the bureaus is a good way to find out their exact policy.
-
Pay your bills and cut your debt. Make your monthly payments on time and in full as often as possible. At the end of the day, the less debt you owe, the higher your credit score will be. Being smart about how you use your credit card will do nothing for your score if its maxed out.
- Don’t let yourself worry. You shouldn’t be checking your credit score every day or expecting changes overnight. Just adopt good habits, like the ones above, and keep working towards gradual improvement.
Improving your 557 credit score can take a lot of work, but following these steps can make all the difference. It will take time, but you can see your credit score go up within a year, which could save you countless amounts on interest rates. Dedicating the effort to improving your credit is worth the investment.
Different Types of Credit Scores
The three main credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each bureau gives you a score, and these three scores combine to create both your 557 FICO Credit Score and your VantageScore. Your score will differ slightly among each bureau for a variety of reasons, including their specific scoring models and how often they access your financial data. Keeping track of all five of these scores on a regular basis is the best way to ensure that your credit score is an accurate reflection of your financial situation.