How To Check Your
Credit Score for Free
Now that you understand your credit score, how do you check your score? And can you check it for free? Thankfully, the answer to that question is yes. Let’s take a look at the various ways you can check your credit and the websites you need to know about.
Check Your Bank
One of the first options you have open to you is to check with your bank or any credit card companies you might have. Some of them offer your credit score for free as a certain benefit for being their customer. These banks include US Bank and Wells Fargo. Some credit card companies include American Express, Discover, and Capital One.
Check a Free App
Credit Karma is a free service that allows you to check your credit without paying a dime. However, be advised that while they allow you to see your score, they do not provide a detailed snapshot of your overall credit. You will not be able to see the entire history of your credit score, only the most recent information. If seeing your entire credit history isn’t important to you, then Credit Karma is a good option, and it’s free to use.
Check the Big Three Bureaus
There are three major credit bureaus where you can check your credit. They’re TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Federal law states these three bureaus allow you to check your credit score once a year for free. You can do so all at once at a website called AnnualCreditReport.com. This website allows you to see your credit score across all three bureaus. Lately, however, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, this website has allowed for free credit checks every single week. Don’t count on that weekly service, though, since it is only a temporary allowance.
Your Credit Report
What you’re actually looking at when you request your credit score is not just the number you have that ranges anywhere between 300 to 900, but your entire credit history. This is called your credit report. This report shows all the credit accounts and loans you’ve had over the years, including car payments and mortgages. It shows payments made on time as well as late payments and anything that has been paid in full. This report is what lenders look at when they consider you for a new line of credit or approval for a loan.
Why do you want to check your credit report along with your credit score? Your credit report gives you a better idea of why your score is as low or as high as it is. It allows you to see if there is any fraud on your report, such as identity theft or any credit cards that have been opened in your name that you never authorized. If there are, you’ll be able to fix any fraud or incorrect information, even if it’s as simple as an address change.
It is good to check your report annually for free and make sure everything on the report is legitimate and true. That way, when the time comes to apply for a loan or open a new line of credit, there will be no snags and you’ll enjoy all the perks of having good credit.
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