What is a good AECB credit score?

The Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) scores people with an established credit history from 300 to 850, and people new to credit, including recent arrivals, from 300 to 650. The bureau says a better score can mean more favourable loan terms, but it publishes no single “good” cut-off: each lender applies its own policy to each card or loan application.

Key takeaways

• Individual AECB scores run from 300 to 850, or from 300 to 650 for people with limited credit history.
• There is no official "good score" line: the bureau does not approve applications, and each lender applies its own policy.
• Lenders must also check your income, your debt burden ratio and the history on your report, not only the number.
• The 300 to 900 range in older articles belongs to the bureau's earlier individual score; on its current pages, 300 to 900 is the range for company scores.
• Buy now, pay later contracts appear on your report but do not affect the score under the current model.

Within each range, a higher number is the better result. The bureau describes the credit score as “like a grade that indicates your overall creditworthiness”. This guide explains what the ranges mean, why other numbers still circulate and what lenders weigh besides the score. To buy your score or full report, see how to check your AECB score.

AECB score ranges at a glance

The bureau’s current model for individuals, Credit Score 3i, gives you one of two scores depending on how much credit history you have. Companies get a separate score on a different scale.

Mature Score range

300 to 850

Under Credit Score 3i, customers with an established credit history get a Mature Score ranging from 300 to 850.

New-to-Credit Score range

300 to 650

Under Credit Score 3i, customers with limited credit history may receive a New-to-Credit Score, which ranges from 300 to 650; the bureau labels this segment New-to-Credit Score/New-to-Country.

The two individual scores come from different models built for different groups of people. The bureau says each should be read within its own score type, not compared on the number alone, so a New-to-Credit Score of 650 is not the same as a Mature Score of 650. As your history builds, you can move to the Mature Score. The company scale is explained in our guide to company credit scores.

Is there an official “good” score?

No. The bureau’s website gives the ranges but no named bands or cut-offs, such as “good” or “excellent”, for individual scores. It also says it plays no role in reviewing or approving applications for credit.

Why a single cut-off does not exist

Each lender makes its own credit decision under its own policy, and the bureau says lenders may consider the score together with other information. The same score can therefore meet one lender’s policy and fall short of another’s. What the bureau does describe is the direction: a better score can help you get more favourable loan terms and better interest rates.

Is 673 a good credit score?

It depends on which score it is and who is looking at it. A 673 cannot be a New-to-Credit Score, which stops at 650, so under the current individual model it is a Mature Score. On the 300 to 850 scale it sits about two-thirds of the way up:

1. Distance above the bottom of the range: 673 - 300 = 373.
2. Width of the range: 850 - 300 = 550.
3. Position: 373 ÷ 550 = 0.68, so about 68% of the way up.

That is a position on the scale, not a percentile. It does not tell you how many people score lower, and it does not tell you whether a bank will say yes. A score in the upper part of the range is a better result than one near the bottom, but whether 673 is enough for a given card or loan is the lender’s call, made together with your income and your debt burden ratio. If a 673 appears on a company report, it sits on the 300 to 900 company scale instead.

Why you still see 300 to 900

Before Credit Score 3i, the bureau’s individual score ran from 300 to 900: its own score page still gave that range in May 2025, with a higher score meaning a lower level of risk. Many articles describe that earlier score, and company scores still use the 300 to 900 scale. The bureau presents Credit Score 3i as its new model. It says 3i gives a score to some people who could not get one under the earlier criteria, and that whether a person’s score goes up or down under 3i depends on their own credit profile. Its current individual pages give only the 300 to 850 and 300 to 650 ranges; 300 to 900 appears on its page for company scores.

Earlier individual score range

300 to 900 (earlier model)

Before Credit Score 3i, the bureau described its credit score for individuals and companies as a three-digit number from 300 to 900 that predicts the likelihood of missing payments in the next 12 months, with a higher score meaning a lower level of risk.

Company credit score range

300 to 900

The company credit score ranges from 300 to 900 and predicts the likelihood of a company missing payments in the next 12 months; it costs AED 10.50.

A quick check: a personal score above 850 did not come from the current individual model. Look at the report date and at which score the number belongs to before you compare it with anything.

What lenders look at besides your score

Your score matters, but it is one input. The Central Bank’s Consumer Protection Standards require banks and finance companies to examine your credit record, including your past credit behaviour, and to assess affordability using information from you and from the credit bureau before they lend.

Your debt burden ratio

Your debt burden ratio (DBR) is the share of your gross monthly income that goes to loan and card repayments. The Central Bank caps it, so two people with the same score can get very different answers.

Maximum debt burden ratio

50%

Monthly deductions for all loans and facilities from banks and finance companies together, including car loans, home loans, overdrafts and credit cards, must not exceed 50% of the borrower's gross salary and any regular income from a defined and specific source, at any time.

Worked example

Same score, same AED 15,000 salary, different repayments

Both applicants have the same credit score. The salary and repayments are illustrations.

1. Cap on total monthly repayments: AED 15,000 × 50% = AED 7,500.
2. Applicant A already repays AED 6,000 a month: AED 6,000 ÷ AED 15,000 = 40%. Room left: AED 7,500 - AED 6,000 = AED 1,500.
3. Applicant B already repays AED 2,000 a month: AED 2,000 ÷ AED 15,000 = about 13%. Room left: AED 7,500 - AED 2,000 = AED 5,500.

With identical scores, A has AED 1,500 a month of room under the cap and B has AED 5,500.

The cap is a ceiling, not a target: the lender still assesses affordability and can offer less than the cap allows, or decline.

Your bureau report also shows the bureau’s own Income Utilisation Ratio (IUR). It is a bureau metric, not the Central Bank’s DBR rule, and it counts card limits in a fixed way.

Income Utilisation Ratio: card limits

5% of card limits

The bureau's Income Utilisation Ratio counts 5% of the credit limit of every active credit card as a monthly payment, alongside loan instalments and last month's telecom and utility dues, against your last reported income.

Worked example

Reported income AED 12,000, one car loan and two cards

The figures are illustrations.

1. Car loan instalment: AED 1,800.
2. Card limits of AED 10,000 and AED 20,000: 5% × AED 30,000 = AED 1,500.
3. Last month’s phone and utility dues: AED 600.
4. Total: AED 1,800 + AED 1,500 + AED 600 = AED 3,900, and AED 3,900 ÷ AED 12,000 = 0.325.

The IUR is 32.5%, and the AED 1,500 for the cards counts even if both are paid in full every month.

The bureau says a lower IUR means more room to borrow, and that some of its components are shared with the credit score, so what moves one can move the other.

Income, employer and the product

Salary, employer and product requirements are set by each bank, and they differ between banks. The Central Bank standards add rules on how income is counted: if part of your income is variable, the lender includes only a prudent portion of the average, and if you are self-employed it must check how stable your income is. For cards, see the minimum salary for a credit card.

Your record still counts after you have the product. A bank cannot raise your credit card limit automatically: an increase needs a new check with the credit bureau and your express consent.

The history on your report

The full report shows what sits behind the number. It covers the last 36 months of payment history on each facility, and each facility shows a 24-month colour grid: green for a month paid on or before the due date, yellow for up to 90 days late and red for more than 90 days late.

How long negative records stay

Up to 5 years

Defaults, missed payments and bounced cheques stay on the credit report for up to 5 years, even after the amount is settled.

Because lenders must examine your past credit behaviour, they read these entries as well as the score. A section-by-section walk-through of the report is a separate topic: see how to read your AECB credit report.

What moves your score

The bureau lists six factors that influence the individual score:

• how much of your credit limits you use;
• your recent use of loans, credit cards and other credit facilities;
• your recent applications for new credit;
• how consistently you pay on time;
• your history of late or overdue payments;
• your record of honoured and returned cheques.

Its FAQ also mentions length of credit history, credit mix and outstanding balances. The bureau says the score reflects your whole credit profile, so a change should not be pinned on a single facility or event; a purchased report lists the key score factors behind your own number. Practical steps to raise a score, and how new residents build a first record, are separate topics: see how to improve your AECB credit score and no credit history in the UAE.

Does buy now, pay later count?

Not in the score, under the current model. Buy now, pay later (BNPL) contracts still appear on your credit report, with the number of contracts, the outstanding balance, their status and the remaining instalments, and organisations that review your report may take them into account.

Buy now, pay later and your score

Not in score

Under the current credit score model, buy now, pay later (BNPL) reporting does not affect the credit score, but BNPL contracts appear on the credit report and may be considered by lenders who review it.

For what this means for later applications, see whether BNPL affects your score. For the rest of the topic, browse our credit score guides.