Some people doggedly pursue a perfect credit score: an 850. But they shouldn't. In this stock image, a bullseye is pictured. Getty Images April 13, 2014— -- There are some people in life for whom ...

Only a tiny slice of Americans ever see a perfect 850 credit score, yet the habits that get them there are surprisingly ...

A perfect 850 credit score might sound impressive -- but what does it really get you? Here's the truth heading into 2026.

A perfect credit score of 850 is hard to attain. According to recent data from Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, only about 1.5% of U.S. consumers have a perfect FICO score of 850.

As Lynnette Khlafani-Cox looked at her credit score back in 2022, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The number that popped up on her screen: 850. She is a renowned money expert known as ‘The ...

I'm not a perfectionist, so achieving an 850 credit score was never a goal of mine. However, as a CNET Money editor, I know that having a higher score can help in a lot of ways, including getting ...

It’s the Bigfoot of the financial world; a perfect credit score. AKA, the highest score a person can get. This mythical and elusive number for the FICO Score is 850. And, for those unaware, FICO ...

Perfect credit, or even really good credit, opens doors for American consumers. Better interest rates on loans. Better odds of renting an apartment or landing a job. Lower insurance premiums. But how ...

The credit score that matters the most is the score that your potential lender is using to determine your creditworthiness.

If you've ever wondered who's rocking a perfect 850 FICO® Score, here's your answer: not many people. In fact, just 1.54% of Americans are in that elite club, according to Motley Fool Money research.

I wasn't chasing the elusive 850 credit score, but this one easy change got me there anyway. Here's what I did. Tiffany Wendeln Connors was a senior editor for CNET Money with a focus on credit cards.