What is this 'score' everyone fears?
Short answer
A credit score is your repayment report card, expressed on a 300β900 scale in India and maintained by RBI-licensed bureaus β CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Roughly, 750+ gets you competing offers, 650β749 gets you credit on average terms, and below 650 doors start closing.
Who keeps the score, and why
Your credit score is not kept by any one bank. It is maintained by credit information companies licensed by the RBI β TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Lenders report your repayment behaviour to them monthly, and pull a report when you apply for anything.
The number is a compression of that history into one figure between 300 and 900.
What the bands mean in practice
| Band | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| 750 and above | Lenders compete for you; better rates and limits |
| 650β749 | You get credit, mostly on average terms |
| Below 650 | Approvals get harder and pricier |
| No score at all | You are invisible β which is its own problem |
These are conventions, not rules. Every lender has its own internal cut-offs and its own appetite, which is why two people with similar scores can get different answers. That is normal, not personal.
"No score" is not a clean slate
The most misunderstood row in that table is the last one. Having never borrowed does not read as "safe" β it reads as unknown. A lender with no data has nothing to price, so many simply decline.
This is why building a modest history early, and calmly, matters. That is lesson four.
Checking your own score
Each bureau must provide one free full credit report a year on its official website, under an RBI direction to the credit information companies. Use them.
Checking your own report is a soft inquiry. It is invisible to lenders and has no effect on your score, no matter how often you do it. Only a hard inquiry β a lender pulling your report because you applied β can cost a few points, and only temporarily. The distinction is explained in hard vs soft inquiry.
What is not in your score
- Your salary. Income matters to lenders, but it is not part of the bureau score.
- Your savings or investments. Not reported, not counted.
- Your debit card usage. No credit involved, nothing to report.
What is in there: your loans and cards, their limits, balances, payment history month by month, and the inquiries made when you applied for credit.
All figures on this page are indicative and dated. Rates and fees differ by bank and change over time. Always verify with your bank's official schedule of charges.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CIBIL score in India?
As a rough guide, 750 and above is treated as strong by most lenders, 650 to 749 is workable but usually on average terms, and below 650 makes approvals harder. Every lender sets its own internal cut-offs, so there is no single official pass mark.
How can I check my credit score for free?
Each RBI-licensed bureau β CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark β is required to give you one free full credit report a year on its own official website. Checking your own report is a soft inquiry and never reduces your score.
Sources
The regulation and official pages this page is checked against. If one of them disagrees with us, it wins.
- Free Annual Credit Report to Individuals β Reserve Bank of India
- What is a CIBIL Score β TransUnion CIBIL
- Free CIBIL Score and Report β TransUnion CIBIL
- Consumer Services β Credit Report and Score β Experian India
- Free Credit Report β Equifax India
- Check Your Free Credit Score and Report β CRIF High Mark
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Written and checked by the CardSamajh editorial desk Β· Last reviewed: Β· How we check this