How to Check Your Credit Scores for Free

Monitoring your credit scores regularly is important to ensure accuracy and detect any suspicious activity. While credit reports are easy to obtain for free, accessing official credit scores could cost you. Fortunately, some options make it possible to check key credit scores 100% free. This guide explains credit scoring, ways to obtain your scores at no cost, and key tips for effective credit monitoring.

Overview of Credit Scores and Reporting

Before detailing how to access scores for free, let’s first understand key concepts:

Credit Reports vs Credit Scores

• Credit reports show your credit history and activity from lenders. Federal law entitles you to free annual reports from each bureau.
• Credit scores are calculated numbers summarizing your creditworthiness based on report data. Scores require purchase from credit bureaus in most scenarios.

FICO Scores vs VantageScores

• FICO scores are the most commonly used credit scores, created by the Fair Isaac Corporation. Most lenders check a FICO score when evaluating borrowers.
• VantageScore is a competing credit score model created by the three credit bureaus to provide a free scoring option to consumers. Less widely used by lenders.

Main Credit Bureaus

• Equifax, Experian, TransUnion are the three major credit bureaus that collect data and produce credit reports and scores. Each bureau may have different information on you.

Now that we’ve clarified key terminology, let’s go over ways to access credit scores without paying fees.

Get Free FICO Scores

While FICO doesn’t provide free credit scores directly to consumers, some workarounds unlock free FICO scores:

Credit Card Provided Scores

Many credit card issuers like Discover, Citi, and Capital One offer free FICO scores with card membership as a perk.

Bank and Credit Union Accounts

Some financial institutions provide free FICO scores to account holders. Local banks or credit unions may offer this service when you log into online banking.

Personal Loan Companies

Many online lenders like SoFi, Avant, and LendingTree offer free FICO score checks to attract loan prospects and let you evaluate your rate odds before applying.

Free Trials

myFICO has a one month free trial for all three bureau FICO scores. Just be sure to cancel before the trial ends if you do not want paid membership.

Tapping into these free sources allows you to check your true FICO regularly at no cost.

Access VantageScores for Free

The VantageScore credit model provides a way to check a credit score for free, with some caveats:

• Website CreditScore.com offers free VantageScores from Experian updated monthly.
• Many personal finance sites like Credit Karma provide free VantageScores with registration, often updated weekly.
• Some credit card issuers include free VantageScores on statements or online account dashboards.
• The official VantageScore site lets you check one bureau VantageScore for free once per month.

Just keep in mind lenders predominantly use FICO, so treat free VantageScores as educational more than a guarantee of loan approval odds.

Tips for Checking Scores for Free

Follow these tips for successfully monitoring credit scores at no cost:

• Check scores from multiple sources to compare. Variances between models and bureaus are common.

-Aim to check each bureau’s score once every four months or when considering a major application.

• When using free trials, set reminders to cancel ahead of billing if you do not plan to subscribe long-term.
• Use free score access to test the impact of credit decisions in real time before major financing applications like mortgages and auto loans.
• Whenever you check scores, also review full credit reports from annualcreditreport.com to verify all listed accounts and personal details.
• Report any suspected identity theft immediately. Fraudsters opening unauthorized accounts will tank your scores.
• Consider signing up for credit monitoring that alerts when inquiries or new accounts are initiated to detect issues early.

While not all sources reflect the exact scores lenders see, consistent credit score checks from diverse sources provide sufficient monitoring to protect your credit standing. Combining free credit scores and free annual credit reports allows you to monitor your profile completely for $0 if you follow some helpful tips.