In Credit Scores 101, I went over the two main types of credit scores, FICO Score and VantageScore. In this one I provide 12 sites for you to view those scores completely free in minutes.
It’s wise to know your score and what’s affecting it because you can see what areas need improvement. Also, knowing whether your score is high enough to be approved for a new credit card or receive an ideal rate on refinancing a loan, etc., could spare you from getting a hard credit check (reducing your credit score further) only to result in a rejection or exorbitant interest rate.
As you’ll see, the vast majority of the scores provided are your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0., which comprises only about 10% of the body of scores utilized in lending decisions, while FICO Scores constitute about 90%. Given the scarcity of free FICO Scores, I’m listing the two sites offering them first.
Checking your scores will not affect your score in any way. Termed a “soft pull,” “soft credit check,” or “soft inquiry,” these don’t ever appear on your credit report, unlike the “hard” kind (replace soft with hard in the aforementioned terms). Hard inquiries are the ones potential credit lenders perform in order to process your application and require your permission beforehand. Soft inquiries are also the kind done when you’re submitting your info just to checking your probable interest rates for refinancing and when credit companies are checking whether you’re worth spending postage on before sending prequalified credit offers.
A quick word on credit reports: You can order your credit report once per year from each of the three credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) from Annual Credit Report, a government-operated service. Those reports will show your account history, but not your actual credit scores. Plus, some of the sites listed here offer your credit report along with your score; freecreditscore.com provides Experian’s, Quizzle and myBankrate provide Equifax’s, and WalletHub provides TransUnion’s.
Without further ado, here are some solid options.
Credit Scorecard
Discover’s Credit Scorecard provides your TransUnion FICO Score 8. You do not need to be a Discover customer to sign up.
freecreditscore.com
freecreditscore.com, operated by Experian, provides your Experian credit report and FICO 8 Score, updated monthly.
Credit Karma
Credit Karma’s scores are TransUnion and Equifax scores based on the VantageScore 3.0 credit scoring model and are updated weekly.
Quizzle
Quizzle provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0, as well as a free copy of your Equifax credit report every six months.
Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0, updated once per month.
Credit.com
You can get two free credit scores through Credit.com: your Experian National Equivalency Score and your Experian VantageScore 3.0, updated monthly.
CreditWise
Capital One’s CreditWise provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0, updated weekly. You do not need to be a Capital One customer to sign up.
myBankrate
myBankrate provides your TransUnion credit report and VantageScore 3.0, updated weekly.
LendingTree
LendingTree provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0, updated weekly.
My.CreditCards.com
My.CreditCards.com provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0, updated monthly.
WalletHub
WalletHub provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0 and credit report, updated daily.
Credit Journey
Chase’s Credit Journey provides your TransUnion VantageScore 3.0, updated weekly. You do not need to be a Chase customer to sign up.
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