Our take in 10 seconds
At 720, leverage is the product. Every lender's rate sheet has a bid for you, and they differ enough that the second quote routinely beats the first by real money. The only structural gap left is 740 — worth engineering only if a mortgage or HELOC is imminent, because it's the last pricing step that moves six-figure debt. Everything else: shop it, don't chase points for it.
Where you stand
What 720 means on the ladder
Exceptional800–850
800–850
Top of the good band, above the U.S. median. At 720 you clear the 700 and 720 pricing steps that most lenders' tables use — the remaining step at 740 mostly matters for mortgages, HELOCs, and the very best card offers. Insurers in most states now score you into their better tiers, which is worth actual money if you re-quote.
The real menu
What 720 gets you
| Product | At 720, honestly |
|---|
| Personal loans | Near-best pricing everywhere. The spread between lenders' offers to you is now pure negotiating material. |
| Mortgages & HELOCs | Strong tiers — one step from best. On a big loan, the 740 step is the one remaining reason to wait a quarter. |
| Credit cards | Premium and 0% offers compete for you. Signup value now exceeds what most people at 720 bother collecting. |
| Auto loans | Top published tiers at most lenders. Dealer markup, not your score, is now the thing to fight. |
| Home equity | Bank HELOCs at good margins — and the full equity toolkit opens if you own. |
Flip the leverage
The 720 playbook: extract, don't apply
Never take a first offer. At this tier a competing quote is a phone call away and lenders know it — use one soft-pull number to anchor every other conversation. Audit everything priced when you were lower: a car loan from your 640 days, insurance quoted at 660, cards from your first year of credit — all of it reprices at 720, none of it reprices automatically. And if you own a home, this is where equity borrowing gets cheap enough to compare seriously against personal loans for big projects — the three ways to tap it.
Make lenders bid — starting with a soft pullAt 720 you should never take a first offer. Two minutes at Upstart gives you a real number to negotiate everything else against.
Check My Rate at Upstart →Paid partner link · WiseIQ earns a commission if you apply. Soft-pull rate check; your score is not affected by checking.
Insurance is the forgotten repricing. Most states let carriers use credit in pricing, and 720 typically lands a better tier than whatever you were quoted at last renewal. A
fresh quote takes minutes and the surcharge you're still paying doesn't remove itself.
(Paid partner link.)
Who gets paid on this page
Upstart — if you check your rate and take a loan through our linkpays us a commission
Farmers Insurance — if you request a quote through our linkpays us a commission
Every other company discussedpays us $0
Questions
FAQ
Is 720 a good credit score?
Yes — top of the good band and above the U.S. median. You clear nearly every pricing tier lenders publish; only the 740+ tier, which matters most for mortgages, sits above you.
Is 720 enough for the best mortgage rate?
Close but not quite — conventional pricing's best tier starts at 740. On a large loan that one step is worth engineering: a quarter of single-digit utilization and no new inquiries usually covers twenty points.
What APR can I get on a personal loan at 720?
Near each lender's advertised best, but lenders' bests differ meaningfully — at 720 the spread between two quotes is often larger than the spread between score tiers. Always get a second number.
Should I still care about my credit score at 720?
Only around big events. Day to day, 720 maintains itself with autopay and low utilization. The exception: the six months before a mortgage or HELOC, when pushing to 740 has real dollar value.
Does 720 lower my car insurance?
In most states, yes — carriers tier by credit-based insurance scores, and 720 typically rates better than what you were quoted at a lower score. It only helps if you re-quote; renewals rarely re-tier you downward in price on their own.