What Qualifies as Excellent Credit?
Excellent credit typically means a FICO score of 750 or higher, or a VantageScore of 781 or above. At this level, you qualify for the best credit cards on the market with the lowest interest rates, highest credit limits, and most generous rewards.
If you've worked hard to build your credit to this level, it's time to take advantage of the financial tools that reward responsible credit management.
Best Cards for Excellent Credit
Best Overall: Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a favorite among people with excellent credit. It earns 3x points on dining and online groceries, 2x on travel, and 1x on everything else. Points transfer to airline and hotel partners, giving you flexible redemption options.
The annual fee is reasonable for the perks you get, which include trip cancellation insurance, primary car rental coverage, and no foreign transaction fees.
Best Cash Back: Citi Double Cash Card
If you prefer straightforward cash back over points, the Citi Double Cash Card offers an effective 2% on everything: 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. There's no annual fee and no category tracking required.
Best Travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve
For frequent travelers, the Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points on dining and travel, a $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass lounge access, and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit. The annual fee is higher, but the benefits often more than cover it.
Best Rewards: American Express Gold Card
The Amex Gold earns 4x points at restaurants and US supermarkets, with dining credits that offset the annual fee. If food is your biggest spending category, this card is hard to beat.
Best No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Active Cash
Earning 2% cash back on everything with no annual fee makes this one of the best value cards available. It's a great complement to category-specific cards.
What Makes These Cards Different
Cards designed for excellent credit offer benefits you simply can't get with fair or good credit cards. These include higher credit limits (often $10,000 or more), lower APRs (sometimes under 15%), premium travel perks like lounge access and travel insurance, sign-up bonuses worth $500 or more, and concierge services and purchase protections.
These perks reflect the trust issuers place in borrowers with proven track records. Your excellent credit score tells them you're a low-risk customer, so they compete for your business with better offers. Compare with credit cards for good credit to see the difference at each tier.
How to Maintain Excellent Credit
Getting excellent credit is an achievement. Keeping it requires continued attention to the habits that got you there.
Never miss a payment. Even one missed payment can drop your score significantly. Set up autopay for at least the minimum payment on every card.
Keep utilization below 10%. While 30% is the general guideline, excellent credit holders typically keep their utilization in single digits. If your limit is $10,000, try to keep your balance below $1,000.
Don't close old accounts. The length of your credit history is a factor in your score. Keep your oldest cards open, even if you rarely use them. Charge a small recurring bill to each one to keep them active.
Limit new applications. Each hard inquiry temporarily lowers your score. Be strategic about new card applications and space them out by at least six months.
Monitor your credit regularly. Check your credit report at least once a year for errors. At this level, even small inaccuracies can keep you from the absolute best rates and terms.
Choosing the Right Card Strategy
With excellent credit, you have the luxury of building a card portfolio that maximizes rewards across different spending categories.
A common strategy is pairing a high-rewards dining card with a flat-rate cash back card for everything else. For example, using the Amex Gold for restaurants and groceries while putting all other purchases on a 2% cash back card gives you strong returns across the board.
Travel enthusiasts might pair a travel rewards card with a no-foreign-transaction-fee card to maximize value on both domestic and international spending.
The Bottom Line
Excellent credit opens the door to the best financial products available. Take advantage of premium rewards, low interest rates, and exclusive perks. If you're still building toward excellent credit, the credit builder card can help you get there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What FICO score is considered excellent credit?
Excellent credit is generally defined as a FICO score of 750 or higher. Some lenders set their threshold at 760 for their very best rates. A VantageScore of 781 or above is considered excellent. At these levels, you'll qualify for premium credit cards, the lowest interest rates, and the highest credit limits.
What is the easiest premium credit card to get with excellent credit?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Citi Double Cash are among the more accessible premium cards for people with excellent credit. They don't require scores as high as cards like the American Express Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve. A score of 750+ with a solid income history puts you in a strong position for both.
Can having too many credit cards hurt an excellent credit score?
Opening many new cards in a short period can temporarily lower your score due to hard inquiries and reduced average account age. However, having multiple well-managed cards long-term generally helps your score by increasing your total available credit and lowering utilization. The key is spacing out new applications and managing all accounts responsibly.
