What is a credit score?
Your credit score tells lenders how reliable you are when it comes to borrowing and repaying money. The higher the number, the less risk you pose — and the more likely you are to get approved, access better rates, and have more lender options.
What's a good credit score in Australia?
Equifax scores run from 0 to 1,200. Here's the breakdown:
| Score | Rating |
| 0–459 | Below Average |
| 460–660 | Average |
| 661–734 | Good |
| 735–852 | Very Good |
| 853–1,200 | Excellent |
What impacts your score?
- •Repayment history — even one missed payment leaves a mark
- •Number of credit applications — too many in a short period raises flags
- •Credit card limits — lenders look at total available credit, not just what you've spent
- •Defaults and missed payments
- •Type of credit providers used
How to improve it
Pay everything on time — Set up automatic payments so you never miss a due date.
Close unused credit cards — Having cards you don't use still counts against your total available credit.
Be strategic with applications — Don't apply for multiple credit cards at once just to see what happens.
Build an emergency fund — If you've got savings for unexpected expenses, you're less likely to reach for credit when something goes wrong.
When Kick Finance pulls your credit file at the initial stage, it's a soft check — no enquiry on your file. The hard enquiry only happens when you formally apply for pre-approval.
Book a free chat with Kick Finance to find out where you stand.
