You already know you can get a free credit report, or all of your credit reports for free, once per year. But what about your credit scores?
Lately, credit scores have become fairly easy to acquire at no charge. Here are 15 different places you can go right now to get a free credit score.
Image Credit: cnythzi .
Where you can go to get a free credit score
______________________
SPONSORED: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
1. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes.
2. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals get started now.
______________________
Before you dive into this list, remember that we all have more than one credit score. That means the credit score you’re viewing isn’t necessarily the same credit score your prospective lenders see. This is just one reason why it’s often more important to look at your credit score range rather than fixate on the score itself.
But you still need to know at least one of your credit scores to find out what credit score range you might be falling into — and here are a few places you can do so for free.
(Note that some companies offer you the ability to see your credit score for free only for a limited amount of time as part of a trial period. That is not the case with the companies below, whose products listed are always free. Likewise, none of the banks or credit card companies listed below require you to be one of their customers to have access to a free credit score.)
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
1. American Express
You can sign up for the American Express MyCredit Guide to view one of your credit scores for free. Here’s what you get if you do:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- Your TransUnion credit report
- Alerts when there are changes to your TransUnion credit report
- The option to use a credit score simulator to see how different financial actions can change your scores
Image Credit: Depositphotos.
2. Bankrate
Bankrate also enables you to see one of your credit reports, including one of your credit scores, if you sign up. This is what’s included:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- Alerts anytime there’s a change to your TransUnion credit report
- The ability to see what factors are impacting your score, and to track your progress as your score changes
- Personalized rates on credit that you can qualify for based on your TransUnion credit score
Image Credit: Depositphotos.
3. Capital One
Capital One has a free credit tool called CreditWise. Below are the features included with this tool:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion, and the factors that determine your score
- Email alerts when there are changes to your TransUnion credit report
- A dark web scan of your social security number with alerts when signs of fraud have been detected
- A credit score simulator to help you determine the impact of financial actions you’re considering
Image Credit: AntonioGuillem / iStock.
4. Chase
Chase’s credit score product is called CreditJourney. Here’s what signing up will get for you:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- Email alerts anytime there’s an important change to your TransUnion credit report
- Weekly updates on that score, which you can see when you log into your account
- A credit score simulator to help you understand how different financial actions can impact your score
Image Credit: Anchiy.
5. Credit.com
Long a name in credit scores, Credit.com offers its own free credit score product, which includes:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 from Experian and Experian NES
- A way to see the products you might be eligible for based on these scores
- A financial snapshot that includes updates from one of your credit reports every two weeks, an overview of the factors that affect your credit, and a chart highlighting changes to your score as time goes on
- The financial snapshot also shows a chart comparing your credit to averages in your state and averages in the U.S. as a whole, so you can see where you stand
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
6. Credit Karma
Another long-standing name in credit scores, Credit Karma gives you access to the following:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion and a separate VantageScore 3.0 from Equifax
- A breakdown of the factors affecting your scores, and steps you can take to improve them
- Recommendations made just for you to help you improve your credit
Image Credit: depositphotos.com.
7. Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame is another company offering free credit scores, which you can sign up for. This is what you’ll get if you do:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- Recommendations on credit you might be able to be approved for
- The ability to track your progress on your score, updated monthly
- An analysis of your debt
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
8. Discover
Discover is offering a way to see one of your credit scores for free along with a Credit Scorecard. You can sign up to find out more about what this offer comes with:
- Your FICO Score 8 from Experian
- Data on what’s helping and hurting your credit scores
- A monthly refresh of all the data being presented in your Credit Scorecard
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
9. Lending Tree
Lending Tree has expanded its services to free credit scores, which you can sign up for:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- The ability to see the factors that determine your credit scores
- Recommendations to help you raise your credit score
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
10. Mint
Mint offers a wide variety of services to help you manage your money, so it should come as no surprise that credit scores are a part of them. Here’s what you’ll have access to if you sign up to view one of your credit scores for free via Mint:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- A summary of your TransUnion credit report
- Alerts anytime TransUnion receives new data from creditors
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
11. NerdWallet
Joining the ranks of companies offering a free credit score is NerdWallet. Check out what’s included below:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion, updated every week
- Free credit monitoring
- Personalized advice to help you improve your credit
Image Credit: Depositphotos.
12. SavvyMoney
SavvyMoney is another website that enables you to view one of your credit scores for free, which entails the following:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- An analysis of the credit score you’re being shown, including the factors that determine the score
- Credit card and loan recommendations based on your credit profile
Image Credit: depositphotos.com.
13. Upturn Credit
Upturn Credit is another tool is one that enables you to view one of your credit scores for free. This is what you’ll get access to if you do:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- The ability to review, item by item, data from your TransUnion credit report
- Personalized recommendations to help you improve your credit
Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia.
14. WalletHub
Last but not least, you can view one of your free credit scores via WalletHub. Features of this product include:
- Your VantageScore 3.0 by TransUnion
- The ability to view information from your TransUnion credit report
- Alerts to let you know anytime something changes on your TransUnion credit file
- Personalized tips to help you improve your credit
Image Credit: Depositphotos.
15. Your bank or credit card
None of the banks or credit card companies listed above require you to be a customer in order to get a credit score for free. That said, the bank or credit card issuer you’re already a customer with might offer the same service, making it that much easier to view one of your credit scores for free.
To find out if your bank or credit card offers this service, simply log into your account and see if a service like this is linked in the menu. You can also go to the company’s homepage to browse for a free credit score service, or even call the customer service line to find out. Typically, if this service is offered, you can see the score anytime you log into your account.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Don’t forget: Checking does not hurt your scores
If you want to get a free credit score, but are afraid to hurt your credit scores, don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt your credit to check your credit scores or your credit reports. These types of checks result in what’s called a soft credit inquiry, which is different from a hard credit inquiry.
Soft inquiries don’t affect your credit at all, whereas hard inquiries (which result from credit applications) do. In other words, check your reports and scores to your heart’s content. Doing so can actually help you maintain and build positive financial health.
This article originally appeared on UpturnCredit.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
