A 600 credit score puts you in the “fair” or “subprime” range, which means most financial products are still available to you, but at higher costs than someone with good or excellent credit would pay. You can buy a home, finance a car, get a credit card, and take out a personal loan. The real question is what each of those will cost you and where to focus your energy.
Buy a Home With an FHA Loan
A 600 credit score qualifies you for an FHA loan with just 3.5% down. FHA guidelines set 580 as the threshold for that minimum down payment, so at 600 you clear it comfortably. On a $250,000 home, that means $8,750 down instead of the $25,000 you’d need if your score were between 500 and 579 (where FHA requires 10% down).
Conventional mortgages are harder to get at 600. Most conventional lenders look for a minimum score of 620 to 640, and even those that technically accept lower scores often add pricing adjustments that push your rate significantly higher. FHA is the more realistic path right now, though it comes with mortgage insurance premiums that add to your monthly payment for the life of the loan (or at least 11 years, depending on your down payment).
One detail worth knowing: if you’re buying with a co-borrower, FHA uses the lowest median score between both of you. So if your partner has a 740 but you have a 600, the lender uses 600 for qualifying purposes.
Finance a Car, but Expect Higher Rates
You can get an auto loan with a 600 score. The cost difference compared to a borrower with good credit is significant, though. Based on Q4 2025 data from Experian, borrowers in the 501 to 600 range paid an average of 13.17% APR on new car loans and 19.42% on used car loans. Compare that to the prime tier (661 to 780), which averaged 6.27% on new and 9.98% on used.
On a $25,000 car financed over 60 months, the difference between 13% and 6% APR works out to roughly $5,000 more in interest over the life of the loan. That’s real money, and it’s one reason many people in this credit range benefit from either making a larger down payment to reduce the financed amount, choosing a less expensive vehicle, or waiting a few months to improve their score before buying. Even a jump from 600 to 620 or 640 can shift you into a better rate tier with some lenders.
Get a Credit Card (Including Unsecured Options)
You’re not limited to secured cards that require a cash deposit. Several major issuers offer unsecured credit cards to borrowers at the 600 level, though the terms reflect the added risk lenders see.
- Capital One Platinum Credit Card: No annual fee and no security deposit. It won’t earn rewards, but it’s a straightforward tool for building credit with on-time payments.
- Capital One QuicksilverOne: Earns cash back on every purchase. Carries a small annual fee, but the rewards can offset it.
- Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa: Works more like a personal loan, where you pay down your balance in fixed monthly installments at a set APR. No annual fee.
- Mission Lane Silver Line Visa: Offers up to 1.5% cash back depending on your creditworthiness, with no security deposit required.
The APRs on these cards will be on the higher end, often above 25%. That makes carrying a balance expensive. If you use one of these cards, paying the full statement balance each month lets you build credit history without paying interest at all.
Take Out a Personal Loan
Unsecured personal loans are available at a 600 score from both online lenders and credit unions. The rate you’ll see depends heavily on the lender, your income, and your overall debt picture. Current APR ranges for fair-credit borrowers span from around 9% at the low end (typically credit unions) to 36% at the high end (online lenders approving riskier profiles).
Some lenders also charge origination fees, which are deducted from your loan proceeds upfront. These range from zero at credit unions like Patelco and Lake Michigan Credit Union to as high as 12% at some online lenders. On a $10,000 loan with a 5% origination fee, you’d receive $9,500 but owe $10,000. Always compare the total cost of borrowing, not just the monthly payment.
Personal loans at this credit level typically work best for consolidating higher-interest debt (like credit card balances at 25%+) into a lower fixed rate, or for a specific purchase where you need predictable payments. They’re less useful if you’d be borrowing at a rate close to what you’re already paying.
What a 600 Score Doesn’t Get You
Premium rewards credit cards with sign-up bonuses, the lowest mortgage rates, and the most competitive auto loan terms are generally out of reach. You’ll also find that some landlords and utility companies may require larger security deposits. Apartment applications can be trickier, since many landlords set cutoffs around 620 to 650, though plenty of smaller landlords are more flexible.
Insurance premiums in many states are also influenced by credit-based insurance scores. A 600 score can mean higher auto or homeowners insurance rates compared to someone with a 750, sometimes by hundreds of dollars a year.
How to Move Past 600
A 600 score is often the result of a few specific problems rather than a long pattern of financial trouble. The fastest ways to push it higher depend on what’s dragging it down.
If you have high credit card balances, paying them below 30% of your credit limit (and ideally below 10%) can produce noticeable score improvements within one to two billing cycles. Credit utilization has no memory. The moment your lower balance reports, your score reflects it.
If you have late payments, getting current and staying current for six consecutive months starts to reduce their impact. Late payments hurt most in the first year or two, then gradually fade. They fall off your report entirely after seven years.
If you have collections accounts, some newer scoring models ignore paid collections. Negotiating a “pay for delete” agreement, where the collector removes the account from your report after payment, can help with older scoring models that still count them.
Moving from 600 to 650 or 670 can happen in as little as three to six months with focused effort, and it opens up meaningfully better rates on nearly every financial product. The difference between a subprime and near-prime auto loan rate alone can save thousands of dollars.