Your entire financial health package is well determined by knowing how your credit score is. Fortunately, nowadays people don’t really need to pay someone before they’re able to check their credit score. This article outlines some of the most reliable sources where you can get a free credit score check from.
If you check your credit score on a regular basis for free, then you’re aware that you can pay dividends in a couple of ways. On the other hand, if you haven’t checked your credit score for a while or you’ve never done it before, consider doing it very soon.
The Federal Trade Commission found that at least 1 in 5 people has a “potential material error” on their credit report. Such an error may:
- Lower your actual credit score incorrectly and mislead potential lenders into thinking that you’re a risk.
- Increase the chances of having higher interest rates which may cause you to have lower loan terms or less favorable credit, or cause lenders to deny your request (when you want to borrow money) in the long run.
Apart from reducing your chances of getting a favorable loan, you won’t be able to apply for particular jobs, or even rent a good apartment. It’s also good to check your credit score regularly because you can prevent identity theft.
Companies are also aware about this. This is why there are different places available that willing to help you check your credit score at a small fee. However, there are also numerous places where you can get your credit report online for free.
This article covers most of the legitimate places where people can get their credit reports for free. It also outlines all the important information about each service.
6 Best Places Where You Can Check Your Credit Score for Free
If you’ve been looking for the best places to get your credit score checked, you came to the right place. Below are the top six best site to get a free credit score check:
1. Credit Karma
Credit Karma is currently one of the best places for people to get a free credit score check from. Since the company doesn’t require you to give anything in return, it now has more than 80 million loyal members.
There are no hidden fees. You won’t be asked to provide your credit card number when signing up. They don’t charge for a trial period then afterwards offer you with a free credit score check.
Similar to other services that offer free credit score checks, Credit Karma earns its money though affiliate marketing. When you use a recommendation from Credit Karma to sign up for a credit card-based service, the company gets a commission. However, you don’t really have to sign up for their credit products to be able to use their services.
If you’re looking for somewhere to get an auto, credit card loan or any other type of loan, Credit Karma is the best option. The company will provide you with a credit score from at least 2 or 3 different credit bureaus. You’ll also be provided with approval estimates for particular credit cards and lenders, saving you from having to apply for products that you may not qualify for.
Credit Karma also offers a couple of other valuable services, such as free tax filling, credit score simulator, a dispute service for your credit report and monitoring your personal info through their data branches.
2. Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame and Credit Karma are very similar, but the former provides people with credit score from a single bureau, TransUnion, and they don’t give frequent updates. They also use the same business model. Both organizations earn their money from the affiliate commissions they receive through personalized recommendations.
Both companies will track your credit score for a long time so that you’re able to see how it changes. They’ll also give you personalized recommendations which will help to increase your credit score over a long period of time.
However, Credit Sesame has a paid feature that give updated to people frequently from all the 3 credit bureaus they use. Several of the plans keep tracking your personal info on both public records and black-market site. This service might be available in other services that provide free credit score checks as well.
3. CreditWise by Capital One
CreditWise is among the free credit score services which are offered directly by credit card companies (which is provided by Capital One). The website is not corrupted and offers people with the best experience for mobile users.
Moreover, CreditWise from Capital One is a streamlined service compared to Credit Sesame and Credit Karma. It relies on a minimalist design which enables people view their credit scores quickly (as well as the factors that affect it), sign up for credit alerts, play with their credit score simulator and be able to view a mini statement version containing their credit score report.
4. Credit Journey by Chase
Credit Journey is another credit card service provided by Chase. It can be accessed directly from the company’s website and is available to everybody even those without a Chase card. If you already have a credit card from Chase, you’ll also be able to access your online account.
Credit Journey and CreditWise operate in a similar manner and are both from Capital One. The service is easy and streamline and doesn’t have any frills. You’ll be able to get reports, view a summary of your credit report and credit score as well as use their credit score simulator when you need to track any credit changes that might affect your overall credit score.
Related: 7 Simple Methods of Improving Your Credit Score
5. Mint
Mint is another popularly used automated finance-tracking and budgeting program, but are you aware that it can also be used to get a free credit score?
The program is more limited services in terms of providing people with free credit scores. A Mint account allows people to view their TransUnion credit score, but this can only be done once every quarter – making it the slowest service for updating credit scores on this list.
If you’d like to use the program to access other features apart from the free credit score service, they charge a fee of $16.99 per month.
6. Discover
Discover is a another popularly used company that provides people with free credit score checks. It’s the only company on the list that will offer you with an actual FICO score which is often used for free by most lenders.
This is a very important feature for people who are looking to take out a line of credit or loan because it lets you know the kind of credit score lenders are actually considering before issuing out a loan. Also, most of the organizations that offer people with a FICO score at a fee, but Discover does it for free.
Discover also lets you know about the factors that will help and those that will make your credit score to decrease, so that you’re able to improve it.
Credit Score FAQs
How often is someone supposed to check their credit score?
You need to check your credit report and credit score each time you’re planning on applying for any type of credit. This enables you to rectify all errors before they affect you.
Apart from that, you can choose to be checking your credit score as often as you’d like to. Don’t forget that you also need to monitor other financial metrics such as your budget and net worth frequently, even more than how you monitor your credit score.
Why does my credit score vary on some sites?
You actually have several different credit scores. Your credit score may be different at a given time and place depending on:
- The model that was used (like VantageScore 3.0 or VantageScore 4.0)
- The brand that was used (like VantageScore or FICO)
- The credit report used (TransUnion, Experian or Equifax)
- When the credit report is pulled (for instance, after all your monthly bills have been paid, or when you charge payments on a credit card)
How can I get the credit score lenders see?
Most lenders use credit scores from FICO 8. If you want to get your credit score for free from FICO without having to sign up for other products and services is by using the free credit score service provided by Discover.
However, if you’re looking for the credit score provider that lenders use, you can get the information from them. Some lenders use the services of different credit score providers. You might be able to buy the specialty score directly from FICO.
Where can I get my FICO score?
You can only get a free FICO score by using free credit score services provided by Discover. However, there are a couple of other ways of getting your FICO score:
- From your credit card provider
- From your credit union or bank
- From the official FICO website
Before you use any of the sources mentioned above, go through the company’s fine print or inquire from customer service beforehand if the have such features. Especially if the said features are a make-or-break options.
Where can I get a free credit report from?
Most companies that provide people with free credit score services can also provide you with a summary of your credit report.
If you want the actual report, visit the official website AnnualCreditReport.com so that you can access your free credit report. You can also find a free credit report each year from at least 3 different credit bureaus, with an exception of a credit score.
Check on Your Credit Score Frequently, But Don’t Overdo It
In the past, people’s credit scores used to be a mystery. All you could do was hope that you had a good score and look at your credit report from time to time ensuring that it is accurate. Fortunately, many companies are now providing people who want to check with free credit scores.
This is a great advantage. Able to check your credit score allows you to rectify any errors as well as improve it. This is a great step which will help you move forward financially.
