What a 740 credit score gets you
Mortgage
Options available
Conventional, FHA and VA options may be available, subject to program and lender requirements. Pricing is good but not the best: both the daily rate tables and Fannie Mae's fee grid still have two cheaper bands above you.
Car loan
Options available
Banks, credit unions and carmakers' finance arms will all lend at this score. On current car-loan tables the 740s price almost the same as the 720s, so most of what reaching 740 bought you is on the house, not the car.
Credit cards
Options available
Rewards and travel cards are realistic. Be careful with timing: a new account adds an inquiry and lowers the average age of your accounts, and with zero points of cushion that can put you back at 739.
Renting
Options available
A landlord who screens on credit will pass this score. Screening companies often turn your file into their own accept-or-reject recommendation, so if you are ever turned down, ask which report was used and check it.
These are broad credit-score categories, not approval odds. Lenders also assess income, debt, credit history and their own requirements.
What 740 costs you in interest
On today's mortgage staircase, 740 is the first bar after the steepest drop in the upper half of the chart. The car chart is close to flat from 720 to 759, so the gain from crossing 740 shows up almost entirely on the house.
$350,000 mortgage, 30-year fixed
At 740: 7.47%, $2,440 a month, $528,423 in interest over the loan.
| Score band | Rate | Monthly | Total interest | vs. best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 780–850 | 7.29% | $2,397 | $512,963 | – |
| 760–779 Next | 7.39% | $2,421 | $521,539 | +$8,576 |
| 740–759 You | 7.47% | $2,440 | $528,423 | +$15,460 |
| 720–739 | 7.58% | $2,466 | $537,923 | +$24,960 |
| 700–719 | 7.63% | $2,478 | $542,254 | +$29,290 |
| 680–699 | 7.75% | $2,507 | $552,679 | +$39,716 |
| 660–679 | 7.79% | $2,517 | $556,165 | +$43,201 |
| 640–659 | 7.9% | $2,544 | $565,775 | +$52,812 |
| 620–639 | 8.08% | $2,588 | $581,580 | +$68,617 |
$35,000 new car, 60 months
At 740: 6.38%, $683 a month, $5,971 in interest.
| Score band | Rate | Monthly | Total interest | vs. best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 780–850 | 6.2% | $680 | $5,794 | – |
| 760–779 Next | 6.24% | $681 | $5,834 | +$39 |
| 740–759 You | 6.38% | $683 | $5,971 | +$177 |
| 720–739 | 6.4% | $683 | $5,991 | +$196 |
| 700–719 | 6.85% | $691 | $6,434 | +$640 |
| 680–699 | 7.5% | $701 | $7,080 | +$1,285 |
| 660–679 | 8.3% | $715 | $7,883 | +$2,088 |
| 640–659 | 9.19% | $730 | $8,786 | +$2,992 |
National averages by FICO band from myFICO (data: Curinos), as of October 29, 2026. The rate you are offered depends on the lender, your down payment, income and debts. Where these rates come from.
What would a different score cost?
Same loan. Two scores. See the difference.
At 760 compared with 740
| Score | Reference rate | Monthly payment | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 740 | 7.47% | $2,440.06 | $528,423.37 |
| 760 | 7.39% | $2,420.94 | $521,539.16 |
At 760, the estimate is $19.12 less per month and $6,884.21 less interest over the full term.
Reference rates: 30-year fixed mortgages, October 29, 2026, myFICO (Curinos). Changing the amount or term holds these rates constant. Methodology.
What this estimate includes
Estimates use national average bands, not an offer or approval prediction. Your lender may use a different score. Mortgage payments exclude taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance and fees. Full-term interest assumes no refinancing, early payoff or extra payments.
How to get from 740 to 760
At 740 the first job is keeping a margin, not climbing. Lose one point and you are back in the 720-739 band, which costs noticeably more on a mortgage. Growth is slow from here because nothing is broken.
- Build a cushion before you build the score. If a mortgage is coming, hold off on new cards, store financing and car loans until it closes. Each application brings an inquiry and a young account.
- Lower the balances that get reported. Amounts owed are 30% of a FICO score. Paying a card down before its statement closes, rather than by the due date, means a smaller balance reaches the bureaus.
- Read all three reports once. They are free at AnnualCreditReport.com. At 740 a wrong late payment or a duplicated account is the kind of thing that costs exactly the points you are missing.
- Leave old accounts open. Length of history is 15% of the score, and closing an old card also shrinks the total limit your balances are measured against.
With no mortgage on the horizon, 740 already does the job. Protect it and let time add the rest.
What a Very good score means (740 to 799)
Near the top of every lender's price list. The rungs left are small, and almost all on the mortgage. 27.5% of Americans with a FICO score are in this range, according to Experian's 2025 data. What the very good range means in practice.
Questions about a 740 score
Does a 740 credit score get the best mortgage rate?
Not quite. The best band on published mortgage rate tables and on Fannie Mae's fee grid starts at 780, and there is another one at 760. 740 is the start of the third-best band.
Is 740 a good credit score for a car loan?
Yes. A 740 can support a competitive application, subject to income, debts and lender requirements, and on published car-loan tables the gap between 740 and the top band at 780 is small on a typical loan.
Sources (6)
- myFICO Loan Savings Calculator (rates by FICO band, data: Curinos), updated daily
- Fannie Mae Loan-Level Price Adjustment Matrix, September 30, 2026
- Experian: What is the average credit score in the U.S.? (share of consumers in each FICO range), 2025 data, published March 2026
- myFICO: What is a FICO Score? (score ranges and what goes into them)
- CFPB: Tenant background checks market report, November 2022
- AnnualCreditReport.com (free reports from all three bureaus)
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