The average U.S. FICO Score is 714, unchanged from October 2025 through April 2026. A score of 670 or higher counts as good, and about 70% of consumers had one in 2025.
If your own number sits below that, the gap can come from your payment history. It can also come from an item on your report that is wrong, and that second cause is one you can act on.
Americans average a 714 FICO Score, unchanged since October 2025
The average U.S. FICO Score is 714, and it held at that figure from October 2025 through April 2026. FICO’s August 25, 2026 report states that the national average remained unchanged across those months.
FICO scores run on a 300 to 850 range.
What share of Americans have a score of 670 or higher?
Experian reported that approximately 70% of consumers had a FICO Score of 670 or higher in 2025.
Why does the average VantageScore differ from FICO’s 714?
The average VantageScore 4.0 credit score held steady at 701 in September 2026, according to VantageScore (2026). That is 13 points under the FICO average, and the two numbers come from different scoring models.
Experian (2026) explains the difference this way: “Most FICO and VantageScore credit scoring models only consider the information that’s in one of your credit reports when calculating a score. Each model might use unique factors or weighting, which is why you generally get different scores when different models score the same credit report.”
VantageScore, Lender FAQs and Consumer FAQs, lists three reasons scores differ: the source bureau, the scoring model and the timing. VantageScore Solutions is an independent joint venture of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, launched in 2006. Its consumer FAQ also states that VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0 exclude medical debt.
Can errors on your credit report keep your score below the average?
Yes. An inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable item can pull a score down, and the FCRA gives every consumer the right to dispute it with the bureau reporting it.
In the congressionally mandated national study of credit report accuracy, one in five consumers had an error on at least one of their three credit reports (Federal Trade Commission, 2015). In that same study, 26% reported at least one potentially material error. For 5% of consumers the error was serious enough that it could raise the price they pay for credit or insurance.
Once you dispute, the clock is set by law. A bureau that receives a dispute must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and, in general, complete it within 30 days, up to 45 in some cases, and it must delete or correct information it cannot verify (Fair Credit Reporting Act, Section 611). The FCRA has guaranteed this right since 1970, along with a free report from each bureau. The bureau investigates and the bureau decides. Accurate, current information can stay on a report for the periods the FCRA allows.
On Trustpilot, Darinette H. left a 1-star review of Kikoff on July 22, 2026: “The score kickoff will have on their app for you, won’t be the same as other major companies will have for you!”
Disputed entries already show up in our own member data. CreditRefresh’s 2026 analysis of paying-member data found that 35.1% of members have at least one negative entry already marked by the bureau as disputed by the consumer. The extract does not identify who filed the dispute, when, or its outcome.
What are your options if errors hold your credit score below 714?
A consumer can dispute an error alone, use a dispute tool or hire a firm, and the choice comes down to price, which bureaus it reaches and who does the work. The table sets out each option’s published figures.
| Tool | What you pay | What that buys | Bureaus | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRefresh | $49.99 a month via Refresh Monitoring; no setup fee; letters self-mailed free or RushMail per-letter fee | Software you control; AI drafts letters, you review and sign; bundled with Refresh Monitoring subscription | All three | 4.6 (22 reviews) |
| Dovly | Free $0 (no credit card); Premium $99.99/year (about $8.33/mo) or $39.99/month; no setup fee published; Dovly sends the disputes itself | Dovly AI writes and sends TransUnion dispute letters for you (one a month on Free; unlimited on Premium, the AI picking which items); weekly TransUnion report, alerts, $2K tradeline, credit lock, $1M ID theft insurance on Premium | TransUnion only | 4.6 (715 reviews) |
| Dispute Beast | Free tool; Beast Credit Monitoring from $49.99/m; Sprint Mail extra per letter, or free self-mail | Software the user controls (DIY AI app), bundled with paid monitoring required | All three | 4.2 (2091 reviews) |
| Lexington Law | $139.95/month, invoiced at end of each service period; 50% off first payment for veterans and active military | Attorney-handled disputes by the firm, not software you control; attorney case setup after a free assessment | All three | 3.2 (624 reviews) |
| Credit Karma | Free (monetized through lender referrals and ads) | Monitoring and lender offers; Direct Dispute reaches TransUnion only, does not draft or mail letters | TransUnion | 1.1 (915 reviews) |
Every price is that company’s own published rate, as its own site states it. Trustpilot scores and review counts as published.
Credit Karma carries a 1.1 Trustpilot score across 915 reviews. Among its most recent 1 and 2 star reviews, 44 of 194 raise a promised result that did not happen, and 37 of 194 raise that nobody answers. Conqueso S. gave it one star on Trustpilot on September 24, 2026: “You cannot get ahold of a human being at this company.”
Lexington Law holds 3.2 on Trustpilot across 624 reviews. Of its most recent 1 and 2 star reviews, 77 of 131 describe paying for months with nothing changed. On May 2, 2019, the CFPB filed a lawsuit against PGX Holdings, Inc. and related entities including John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC (Lexington Law), alleging that they requested and received prohibited upfront fees for telemarketed credit repair services and engaged in deceptive bait-and-switch marketing (CFPB, 2019).
Dispute Beast scores 4.2 across 2091 reviews, and 22 of its 34 most recent 1 and 2 star reviews raise paying for months with nothing changed. Dovly scores 4.6 across 715 reviews, and 4 of its 10 most recent 1 and 2 star reviews raise the same theme. Dovly’s published dispute letters go to TransUnion only.
How CreditRefresh turns a credit report error into a mailed dispute letter
CreditRefresh reads all three reports, flags the items that look inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable or too old to report, and drafts a ready-to-send FCRA letter for each one. It drafts for Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, using reports pulled through the monitoring partner. Our founder says no other competitor goes from letter generation to mailing in 3 steps.
Nothing leaves your account until you have reviewed and signed it. After you approve the letters, you get print-ready copies for each bureau. You mail them yourself, or RushMail, the mailing partner, sends them for a small per-letter fee.
CreditRefresh is included at no additional cost with Refresh Monitoring, a $49.99-a-month credit-monitoring subscription, and the price is flat. There is no setup fee, no per-dispute charge and no contract, and you can cancel anytime. An active Refresh Monitoring subscription is required, because the dispute tool is not sold on its own. The RushMail per-letter fee is the only optional cost.
On Trustpilot in August 2026, Jean L. gave us five stars and wrote: “I especially appreciate my support advisor Austin who’s responses were always "on -point" and valuable.”
The 100% money-back guarantee is separate from the refund policy and conditional. Members who work the full program for twelve months and see none of their three bureau scores rise above the starting point can claim back every Refresh Monitoring payment. That is a refund promise and never a score promise, and the conditions are at creditrefresh.ai/guarantee. CreditRefresh is not a law firm, its letters are not legal advice, and no result is promised.
FAQ
Skip the paperwork. Start your dispute.
CreditRefresh drafts your FCRA dispute letter and tracks the 30-day investigation window. You review, approve, and send. You stay in control.
Get StartedHow often does the national average credit score change?
FICO’s August 25, 2026 report states that the national average remained unchanged from October 2025 through April 2026. The average FICO Score was 714 across that whole stretch.
What credit score do you need to qualify for a mortgage?
Conventional loans have historically required a minimum 620 credit score at Fannie Mae. As of November 2025, Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter moved from a hard minimum to a broader credit-risk assessment (Fannie Mae, 2025). FHA loans require 580 with 3.5% down, or 500 with 10% down, so a modest score improvement can change which mortgage a borrower qualifies for.
How long do negative items stay on a credit report?
A credit reporting company generally can report most negative information for seven years (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026). Information about a lawsuit or judgment can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer. Bankruptcy cases are excluded from reports after 10 years from the date of the order for relief or adjudication (15 U.S.C. § 1681c, 2026). Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss drop off after seven years, and that period begins 180 days after the delinquency that preceded the collection activity.
Can you dispute a credit report error yourself for free?
Yes. A credit reporting company must conduct a reasonable investigation and fix mistakes as needed, usually within 30 days, at no cost to you (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026). The statute requires the agency to reinvestigate free of charge before the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date it receives the notice of the dispute (15 U.S.C. § 1681i). The CFPB also states that you should dispute inaccuracies with both the credit reporting companies and the companies that furnish your information.
Can you dispute an error with all three credit bureaus at once?
CreditRefresh drafts dispute letters for all three bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. For each flagged item, the AI drafts a tailored, print-ready FCRA letter with your name, and each letter cites the specific FCRA rights it stands on. You approve every letter, then mail it yourself or send it through RushMail.
What should you check before paying for a credit-dispute tool?
Check who sends the letters, what the monthly price covers and what a refund requires. With CreditRefresh, you review your own reports, and every drafted letter waits for your review, approval and delivery choice. We do not mail letters automatically. The money-back guarantee requires working the program for a full year, and the conditions are at creditrefresh.ai/guarantee.
What is the difference between a credit report and a credit score?
A credit report contains no score; it is the raw material from which scores are computed. A credit score is a number, typically on a 300 to 850 scale, produced when a scoring model reads a credit report and compresses it. A person has more than one score, because different models (FICO 8, FICO 9, VantageScore 4.0) and different bureaus can return different numbers from the same financial behavior. A score is recalculated every time a bureau updates your file.
CreditRefresh reads your reports from all three bureaus, flags items that look inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable or too old to report, and drafts a letter for each one that you review, sign and send. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee.
