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368 Credit score: What You Need to Know in 2025
July 1, 2025

TL;DR
A 368 credit score is a starting point that offers a clear opportunity to build a stronger financial foundation. This score falls into the 'Poor' FICO credit score range, signaling a clear path forward for significant improvement.
What Does a 368 Credit Score Mean?
A credit score of 368 falls into the "poor" category on the FICO Score range, which spans from 300 to 850. Lenders view a score this low as a significant indicator of risk, suggesting a history of serious credit management issues like late payments or defaults. As a result, your financial profile is seen as highly unfavorable by potential creditors.
This score will profoundly impact your financial life, making it extremely difficult to get approved for new credit cards, auto loans, or mortgages. Any credit you might secure will likely come with very high interest rates and fees. While this presents a major obstacle, understanding your position is the crucial first step toward rebuilding your financial future and improving your credit standing.
Who Has a 368 Credit Score?
While age isn't a direct factor in calculating your credit score, data shows a clear correlation: scores tend to improve as people get older. This is primarily because older consumers have had more time to build a longer credit history and establish a positive payment record. According to a 2023 Experian analysis, the average FICO score increases with each generation.
- Generation Z (ages 18-26): 680
- Millennials (ages 27-42): 690
- Generation X (ages 43-58): 709
- Baby Boomers (ages 59-77): 745
- Silent Generation (ages 78+): 760
Credit Cards With a 368 Credit Score
A credit score of 368 is considered very poor, making it extremely challenging to qualify for most traditional credit cards. Lenders view this score as a significant risk, often indicating a history of financial difficulties or a very limited credit history. Consequently, your options will likely be restricted to secured credit cards that require a cash deposit or certain high-fee unsecured cards designed for rebuilding credit.
Kudos offers AI-powered tools that can help you find a suitable card by analyzing your unique spending habits and financial goals. The platform also provides insights on how different credit cards may impact your credit score, ensuring you can make a choice that supports your journey to building better credit.
Auto Loans and a 368 Credit Score
A 368 credit score places you in the deep subprime category, which can make securing an auto loan difficult and expensive. Lenders view this score as high-risk, meaning you'll likely face some of the highest interest rates on the market if you are approved.
According to Experian's Q2 2025 data, here are the average auto loan interest rates by credit score:
- Super-prime (781-850): 5.25% for new cars and 7.13% for used cars.
- Prime (661-780): 6.87% for new cars and 9.36% for used cars.
- Non-prime (601-660): 9.83% for new cars and 13.92% for used cars.
- Subprime (501-600): 13.18% for new cars and 18.86% for used cars.
- Deep subprime (300-500): 15.77% for new cars and 21.55% for used cars.
Mortgages at a 368 Credit Score
With a 368 credit score, qualifying for a traditional mortgage is not an option. Lenders for conventional, VA, and USDA loans typically require scores of at least 580-620. Even government-backed FHA loans, which are more flexible, have a minimum score requirement of 500. A 368 score falls well below the threshold for nearly all mainstream and even most subprime lenders, making loan approval highly unlikely.
In the rare event you found a specialty lender, the terms would be severe. A low credit score results in significantly higher interest rates, potentially costing tens of thousands more over the loan's life. You would also face a larger down payment requirement, additional fees, and a much stricter review of your financial history before any consideration for a loan.
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 payment history, which tracks whether you pay your bills on time, is the most significant factor.
- Credit utilization, or the amount of credit you're using compared to your total available credit, also plays a major role.
- The length of your credit history demonstrates your experience with managing credit over time.
- Having a healthy mix of different types of credit, such as credit cards and installment loans, can positively impact your score.
- Finally, recent credit inquiries, which occur when you apply for new credit, are also taken into account.
How to Improve Your 368 Credit Score
While a 368 credit score indicates significant financial challenges, it is entirely possible to improve it. With consistent positive behavior, you can see meaningful changes to your score, often within three to six months.
- Apply for a secured credit card. Since these cards require a security deposit, they are more accessible for those with damaged credit and allow you to build a positive payment history by reporting your activity to the credit bureaus.
- Become an authorized user. You can be added to a trusted person's credit card account to benefit from their positive payment history and low credit utilization, which can quickly add positive data to a damaged credit file.
- Address collection accounts. A very low score likely involves accounts in collections; negotiating settlements or requesting their removal can reduce the significant negative impact these items have on your report.
- Monitor your credit reports. Regularly reviewing your reports helps you find and dispute inaccuracies or signs of identity theft that could be unfairly suppressing your score.
Let Kudos help you manage your credit and maximize rewards on your journey to a better score.
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