Yes. At 620, there are several moves that can make a meaningful difference—especially if you're planning to apply for a mortgage in the next few months. The key is to focus on things that affect the mortgage FICO scores, not just the score shown by a free credit app. Mortgage lenders generally pull scores from all three bureaus and use the middle score.
The highest-impact moves
1. Get credit-card utilization down first.
This is usually the fastest lever. FICO considers how much of your available revolving credit you're using, and high utilization can drag your score down. Paying balances down can show up relatively quickly once the card issuer reports the lower balance.
As a practical target:
- Under 30% utilization: good
- Under 10%: much better for score optimization
- Near 0%: potentially ideal, but don't necessarily close cards or stop using them
Look at each card individually as well as your overall utilization. For example, having $2,000 on a $10,000 total limit is 20%, but having $2,000 on one card with a $2,000 limit can still hurt.
2. Don't miss a single payment.
Payment history is the biggest FICO category—35% of the score. Set every account to autopay at least the minimum, then make additional payments manually if needed.
If you have accounts that are currently past due, getting them current is more important than trying to optimize anything else.
3. Pull all three credit reports and hunt for errors.
Don't just look at your 620 score. Check Equifax, Experian and TransUnion for:
- Incorrect late payments
- Collections that aren't yours
- Duplicate accounts
- Incorrect balances
- Accounts reported as open that you closed
- Incorrect dates/statuses
You can check your reports without hurting your score, and errors can be disputed with both the bureau and the company that furnished the information.
Get your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com
4. Don't open new credit unless you absolutely need it.
I'd avoid a new credit card, auto loan, personal loan, or store card while you're preparing for the mortgage. New applications and accounts can temporarily hurt your scores.
5. Don't close old credit cards just because you aren't using them.
Closing a card can reduce your available credit and cause utilization to rise. It can also affect the age/makeup of your credit profile.
What I'd aim for
At 620, I'd make 680 the first milestone and 700+ the next one.
The CFPB currently describes borrowers in the 620–680 range as generally facing higher rates and fewer choices, while borrowers in the mid-to-high 700s generally get the best rates.
You don't necessarily need to wait until 700+ to buy, though. The right target depends on your loan type, down payment, debt-to-income ratio, and how quickly you need to buy.
One important mortgage-specific point
Don't obsess over the score you see in Credit Karma or your bank app. The score a mortgage lender uses can be different. Mortgage lenders typically use specific FICO versions and look at all three bureaus.
If you tell me (1) your credit-card balances and limits, (2) any late payments/collections, (3) your other monthly debts, and (4) roughly when you want to apply for the mortgage, I can tell you which moves are likely to give you the biggest improvement first.
