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454 Credit score: What You Need to Know in 2025
July 1, 2025
TL;DR
While a 454 credit score is considered poor, it represents a valuable starting point for building a stronger financial future. This number falls into the 'Poor' FICO score category, giving you a clear benchmark and a direct path to improvement.
What Does a 454 Credit Score Mean?
A credit score of 454 falls squarely into the "poor" category of the FICO Score model, one of the most common systems lenders use. FICO scores range from 300 to 850, and any score below 580 is generally considered poor. This number signals to potential lenders that, based on your credit history, you are a high-risk borrower.
This score can create significant financial hurdles. You'll likely face difficulty getting approved for new loans or credit cards, and any offers you receive may have very high interest rates and strict terms. This can make financing major life purchases more challenging and expensive. While the situation is serious, understanding your score is the first step toward moving forward.
Who Has a 454 Credit Score?
Credit scores generally improve with age, as people have more time to establish a positive payment history and build a longer credit file. According to 2023 Experian data, the average FICO score increases with each successive generation:
- Ages 18-26 (Generation Z): 680
- Ages 27-42 (Millennials): 690
- Ages 43-58 (Generation X): 709
- Ages 59-77 (Baby Boomers): 745
- Ages 78 and older (Silent Generation): 760
Credit Cards With a 454 Credit Score
A 454 credit score falls into the "poor" range, which can significantly hinder your ability to qualify for most traditional credit cards. Lenders view this score as an indicator of high risk, meaning you're likely to face rejections from major card issuers for their more desirable unsecured products. Your options will probably be limited to cards specifically designed for bad credit, such as secured credit cards that require a security deposit or unsecured cards with high fees and interest rates.
Tools like Kudos can simplify the search by using AI to match you with cards based on your financial goals and preferences. The platform's preference matching feature ranks cards based on your criteria and offers insights into how applying could impact your credit, helping you make an informed decision.
Auto Loans and a 454 Credit Score
A 454 credit score places you in the deep subprime category, making it challenging but not impossible to get an auto loan. You can expect to face some of the highest interest rates offered by lenders, which will significantly increase the total cost of your vehicle.
According to 2025 analysis, here are the average rates for different credit score tiers:
- Super-prime (781-850): 5.25% for new cars, 7.13% for used cars
- Prime (661-780): 6.87% for new cars, 9.36% for used cars
- Non-prime (601-660): 9.83% for new cars, 13.92% for used cars
- Subprime (501-600): 13.18% for new cars, 18.86% for used cars
- Deep subprime (300-500): 15.77% for new cars, 21.55% for used cars
Mortgages at a 454 Credit Score
With a 454 credit score, your mortgage options are extremely limited, as traditional lenders will almost certainly deny your application. The only mainstream program that might consider a score this low is an FHA loan, but approval is rare and requires a down payment of at least 10%. While some specialty or subprime lenders service borrowers with poor credit, they impose much stricter terms and higher costs.
If you do manage to find a lender, your low credit score will lead to unfavorable loan terms. Expect to pay significantly higher interest rates, adding tens of thousands of dollars to the total cost of your home. You will also face higher fees, such as mortgage insurance premiums, and lenders will likely cap the amount you can borrow, severely limiting your home-buying budget.
What's in a Credit Score?
Figuring out what goes into your credit score can feel like trying to solve a complex puzzle, but it generally boils down to a handful of key elements. The most common factors include:
- Your history of making payments on time is the most significant factor.
- How much of your available credit you're currently using, known as your credit utilization ratio, plays a major role.
- The age of your credit accounts, including the average age and the age of your oldest account, is also considered.
- Lenders like to see that you can responsibly manage different types of credit, such as credit cards and loans.
- Opening several new credit accounts in a short period can be seen as a risk and may temporarily lower your score.
How to Improve Your 454 Credit Score
Don't be discouraged by a 454 credit score; with consistent effort and the right strategy, it's entirely possible to improve your financial standing. While it takes time, employing proven methods can lead to meaningful changes within a few months.
- Monitor your credit reports. Regularly check your reports from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax for free to catch any errors. Disputing and removing inaccuracies can provide one of the fastest boosts to a low score.
- Establish automatic bill payments. Your payment history is the single most important factor in your credit score. Setting up automatic payments ensures you never miss a due date, building a foundation of reliability that lenders want to see.
- Apply for a secured credit card. A 454 score makes it difficult to qualify for traditional credit, but a secured card, which requires a small security deposit, is an accessible tool. Using it responsibly and paying it off each month will build a positive history that gets reported to the credit bureaus.
- Become an authorized user. If you have a trusted friend or family member with a strong credit history, ask to be added as an authorized user on their account. Their long history of on-time payments and low credit utilization can be added to your report, giving your score a helpful lift.
To help manage your cards and make smarter spending decisions on your credit-building journey, consider using a financial companion like Kudos.
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