Short answer: A 600 credit score in Canada is fair, not bad. On the 300–900 scale it sits 60 points below the good band Equifax Canada starts at 660, which means you are approvable but priced badly. A 600 clears CMHC's published minimum of 600 for an insured mortgage, qualifies for secured and subprime cards, and generally misses prime car financing and the best rate on everything.
Is 600 a bad credit score in Canada?
No — 600 is a fair credit score in Canada, not a bad one, and the distinction changes what you should do next. A credit score is a three-digit number between 300 and 900 that estimates how likely you are to repay borrowed money on time. At 600 the answer most lenders give is a qualified yes rather than a no.
According to Equifax Canada, credit scores from 660 to 724 are considered good, and borrowers below 660 may be less likely to qualify for better loan terms. Equifax Canada puts its poor range generally below 560, which places a 600 credit score in the fair band between the two — 40 points above poor, 60 points below good. That is the position worth understanding: a 600 is not a damaged file in the eyes of most Canadian lenders, it is an expensive one.
So at 600 your problem is pricing rather than access. The interest rate, the deposit and the security a lender asks for are what the score costs you, and all three improve sharply over the next 60 points.
Where does 600 sit on the Canadian credit score range?
600 sits in the fair band, 40 points above poor and 60 points below good, on a scale that runs from 300 to 900. The bands below are the ones Equifax Canada publishes, and they are the ones to check a 600 against, because most Canadian lenders pull Equifax Canada.
The table shows each band on the Equifax Canada credit score scale and what a file at that level is typically offered as of 2026.
| Band | Equifax Canada range | What it usually means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Poor | 300–559 | Declines are common; approvals need deposits, co-signers or subprime pricing |
| Fair | 560–659 | Approvable, but on the worst terms on the board — 600 is here |
| Good | 660–724 | Mainstream cards, prime car financing and most mortgages open up |
| Very good | 725–759 | Best-tier pricing at most lenders |
| Excellent | 760–900 | No meaningful pricing advantage over very good in most products |
A 600 arrives from two completely different directions, and they need different fixes: a thin file that has never carried enough reported history to score higher, or a damaged file that fell from a better number after missed payments or a collection. Settle which one you have before spending money on either, because a thin credit file needs volume while a damaged one needs time. Remember too that your 600 is one bureau's number: Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada hold separate files and score them with different models, so a 600 at one can be 580 or 625 at the other.
What does a 600 credit score get you in Canada?
A 600 credit score gets you a secured or subprime credit card, an insured mortgage at the insurer's minimum, subprime car financing, a phone plan with a deposit, and a rental with most private landlords but not all property managers. It does not get you a prime unsecured card or a competitive interest rate on anything.
The table lists what Canadians most often apply for, the score at which the answer is usually yes on normal terms, and where a 600 lands. These are general lender practices as of 2026, not hard cutoffs: every lender sets its own policy, and income, employment and existing debt load are weighed alongside the score.
| What you are applying for | Usual bar | Where 600 lands | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secured credit card | No minimum | Approved | A refundable deposit, which sets the limit |
| Unsecured card for fair credit | ~600 | Borderline — often approved | A low limit, an annual fee and a high purchase rate |
| Prime unsecured card with rewards | 660–700 | Usually declined | The rewards, the low rate and the perks |
| Insured mortgage (CMHC-backed) | 600 | Exactly at the insurer's minimum | Fewer lenders will fund it, and at a higher rate tier |
| Uninsured mortgage from an A lender | 680 | Below the bar | A B lender, a higher rate and a lender fee |
| Car loan at prime rates | 660–700 | Below the bar | Subprime pricing, often several points higher |
| Apartment with a property manager | ~650 is common | Sometimes declined | A guarantor, extra months up front or a smaller landlord |
| Phone plan with no deposit | ~650 | Often needs a deposit | A refundable security deposit held by the carrier |
A 600 credit score rarely closes a door outright; it adds a cost to walking through it — a deposit, a guarantor, a higher rate or a worse lender. Over a five-year car loan or a 25-year mortgage, that premium is far larger than anything you would spend fixing the score, which is the real argument for fixing it. For the goal-by-goal thresholds, the score a car loan actually needs and the score lenders want for a mortgage set them out in detail.
What credit card can you get with a 600 credit score?
With a 600 credit score you can get a secured credit card, a no-frills unsecured card aimed at fair credit, or a store card — and you should expect a low limit and no rewards on any of them. A prime rewards card is generally out of reach until the good band.
Those three differ in what they ask of you rather than in what they report. A secured card takes a refundable deposit and usually runs no credit check at all, so the score is not the deciding factor. A fair-credit unsecured card runs a hard credit check and may approve a 600 with a $500 to $1,000 limit, an annual fee and a purchase rate well above 20%. A store card is the easiest approval and the worst value: small limit, high rate. Which Canadian issuers check your credit and which do not is covered in what you can actually get with bad credit in Canada.
One of these removes the score from the decision entirely: AvenaCredit's secured card runs no credit check, only an identity check at sign-up, takes a refundable deposit of $250 to $5,000 that sets the limit, and reports to Equifax Canada every month — the card page sets out the deposit range and what gets reported.
Whichever card you take, the number that moves your score is not the limit but how much of it you carry. Credit utilization is the share of your available credit you are using at the moment the account reports, and at roughly 30% of the score it is the fastest-moving factor you control. According to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, you should aim to use less than 30% of your total credit limit, and keep that monthly usage low even if you pay the balance in full each month.
Can you get a mortgage with a 600 credit score in Canada?
Yes, a 600 credit score can qualify for an insured mortgage in Canada, because 600 is exactly the published minimum. According to CMHC, at least one borrower or guarantor must have a minimum credit score of 600 to qualify for homeowner mortgage loan insurance on a purchase.
An insured mortgage is one where the lender's loss is covered by a mortgage insurer such as CMHC, which Canadian rules require when the down payment is under 20%. CMHC's other published requirements for a purchase, as of 2026, are a minimum down payment of 5% of the first $500,000 of lending value and 10% of the remainder, a maximum amortization of 25 years, a maximum gross debt service ratio of 39% and a maximum total debt service ratio of 44%, with both ratios calculated at the higher of the contract rate plus 2% or 5.25%.
Clearing the insurer's floor is not the same as being approved, and this is where a 600 gets expensive. The insurer sets 600; lenders set their own minimums above it, and most A lenders want 680 for an uninsured mortgage. At 600 you face a smaller pool of lenders, a higher rate tier and, at a B lender, a fee of roughly 1% of the mortgage on top. If a mortgage is the goal, the stretch from 600 to 680 is the most valuable 80 points in your file — what a 680 credit score gets you shows what changes when you arrive.
How do you get from 600 to 650?
The fastest legitimate route from 600 to 650 is to pay every account on time, cut your reported credit utilization below 30%, and add one reported account if your file is thin — in that order. Those moves cover the two factors that carry roughly 65% of a Canadian credit score between them.
Canadian scoring models weigh payment history at about 35%, utilization at about 30%, length of history at about 15%, credit mix at about 10% and recent inquiries at about 10%. The first two are the only ones that can change in a single reporting cycle.
- Fix payment history first, and never miss again. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada calls payment history the most important part of your score and advises paying at least the minimum when you cannot pay in full. One missed payment reported as R2 or worse undoes months of progress.
- Get reported utilization under 30%, then under 10%. Your balance is reported once a month on the statement date, not on the day you pay it, so paying down before that date is what the bureau sees. On a $1,000 limit, that means carrying under $300.
- Add one reported account if your file is thin. A tradeline is any credit account a lender reports to a bureau month by month, with its limit, balance and payment rating. The same behaviour scores better across two or three tradelines than across one.
- Stop applying for things. Hard inquiries are about 10% of the score, and the FCAC notes they stay on file for three years with Equifax and six with TransUnion. When you must rate-shop a car loan or a mortgage, get quotes from different lenders within a two-week period, which the bureaus count as a single inquiry.
- Dispute errors, but do not expect accurate items to move. Late or unpaid credit card and loan information stays on a Canadian credit report for up to six years, and nobody can shorten that for an accurate entry. Errors are a different matter and are free to fix.
On timing: utilization changes show up in the next reporting cycle, so a 600 held down by high balances can move within one or two months. Gains from added history are slower and compound over 6 to 12 months of on-time reporting. Anyone promising 650 in 30 days is selling you something.
How do you get from 650 to 680?
Getting from 650 to 680 is almost entirely about time and consistency rather than new tactics. By 650 the obvious damage is behind you, and what remains is the average age of your accounts and an unbroken run of on-time payments. Keep your oldest account open, hold utilization low every month rather than only before you apply, and let a second or third tradeline age — credit mix and length of history together are about a quarter of the score, and cannot be rushed.
Here is where our own product fits, stated plainly. AvenaCredit reports a fixed instalment account to Equifax Canada every month: $1,000 on Starter at $24.99 a month, $1,500 on Build at $34.99, and $4,000 on Boost at $84.99. Build is the plan that suits a 600 file, because alongside the larger reported account it reports your rent and your utility bills, including your phone bill — payments you are already making, rather than new credit you have to take on. Boost adds two years of past rent reported and 1-on-1 credit guidance if you are working to a deadline. You can compare what each plan reports before deciding.
One first-party note on how this works, rather than on anyone's results: the first AvenaCredit report reaches Equifax Canada 30 to 45 days after the first payment, not on the day you sign up. Every reported credit-building product runs on that lag, so judge any of them — ours included — after three or four reporting cycles rather than three weeks. AvenaCredit reports to Equifax Canada only, which matters if your lender pulls TransUnion, and the membership plans involve no hard credit check.
Who should skip paying to build credit at 600?
Skip paying for a credit-building product if your 600 is being held down by a high balance on a card you already have. Paying that balance below 30% of the limit costs nothing, moves utilization directly, and will do more in two reporting cycles than any new account can.
Three other cases where spending money is the wrong move. If you have an unpaid collection, that collection is what the lender is reading, so paying it matters more than adding a tradeline beside it. If you are inside a consumer proposal, its own timeline governs when your file clears. And if you already have two or three accounts reporting on time, your file is working — what you need is 12 more months of the same, not a fourth account. A paid product earns its cost only when you need more reported history than you can get on your own, and need it moving now rather than next year.
Two articles are worth reading next: how to build credit in Canada from start to finish, and the 30% rule on credit utilization, which is the lever that moves a 600 fastest. If you decide reported history is what your file is missing, you can compare the three plans side by side.
Next step: If your 600 is a thin file rather than a damaged one, and the missing piece is reported history rather than better habits, the plan that fits is Build at $34.99 a month: a $1,500 account reported to Equifax Canada, plus your rent and utility bills. Memberships are not open yet, so join the launch list on the pricing page.
Common questions
Is 600 a bad credit score in Canada?
No. A 600 credit score is fair, not bad. Equifax Canada puts its poor range generally below 560 and its good band at 660 to 724, so 600 sits between them. You will generally be approved for credit at 600, but at a higher rate, with a deposit or with a guarantor rather than on prime terms.
What credit card can I get with a 600 credit score?
A secured card, a no-frills unsecured card aimed at fair credit, or a store card. A secured card takes a refundable deposit and usually runs no credit check, so your score is not the deciding factor. A fair-credit unsecured card may approve a 600 with a limit of $500 to $1,000, an annual fee and a purchase rate above 20%.
Can I get a mortgage with a 600 credit score in Canada?
Yes, for an insured mortgage. CMHC requires at least one borrower or guarantor to have a minimum credit score of 600 for homeowner mortgage loan insurance on a purchase, as of 2026. Individual lenders set higher minimums, and most A lenders want 680 for an uninsured mortgage, so expect fewer lenders and a higher rate tier at 600.
How long does it take to go from 600 to 650 in Canada?
Utilization changes can show in one or two reporting cycles, so a 600 held down by high balances may move within a couple of months. Gains that come from added history are slower and compound over 6 to 12 months of on-time reporting. No legitimate product can promise a specific score by a specific date.
Is a 600 credit score enough to rent an apartment in Canada?
Often, but not always. Private landlords frequently rent to a 600 file, particularly with proof of income or a guarantor. Large property managers commonly screen around 650 and may ask for a guarantor or extra rent up front below that. Landlord practice varies by province and by market, as of 2026.
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