It’s important to keep tabs on your credit score.
And more companies are starting to offer free access to it, making it easy to keep up with.
Here are a handful of options for getting free access to your credit score.
You’re legally entitled to a free copy of your report each year.
We’vewarned readersabout Freecreditreport.com, for example, which tricks people into a monthly subscription service.
Understanding Your Score
Credit scores can be confusing.
Some companies provide scores used by one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
And the possibilities don’t end there.
There are all sorts ofdifferent scoreslenders might use.
It’s important to know exactly which score you’re working with, and how its ranges vary.
A 700 FICO score will be different from a 700 VantageScore, for example.
You should always review your credit report regularly and thoroughly.
You have to visit a branch to get a “personal access code.”
This is the third year in a row they’ve offered this service.
Barclaycard: Customers can see their FICO score online for free.
They’ll also tell you the top two factors affecting your score.
Discover:Discover cardholders get a free copy of their FICO score on their monthly statement.
It’s worth noting that the perk is only for consumer credit cardholders and not business cardholders.
According to the site:
Lenders use many scoring models to calculate your credit score.
No credit card is required, and they use your Experian score.
Quizzle: Here’s another onewe’ve covered.
To recap, Quizzle gives you a free copy of your VantageScore credit score and Equifax credit report.
Of course, no credit card is required.
You also get a free summary of your report.
For example:
They offer free weekly credit monitoring with TransUnion.
If you use their app, you get push notifications any time something changes in your credit report.
They also offer a VantageScore, auto insurance score and home insurance score.
Credit.com: They give you an Experian National Equivalency Score and a VantageScore 3.0.
The site also offers an explanation of your scores and gives you a plan of action for improving them.
On a similar note, our own Alan Henry discussed how tomonitor your credit reportthroughout the year for free.
Credit monitoring involves keeping track of changes or suspicious activity on your credit report.
For more detail on how to monitor your credit for suspicious activity, check out Alan’s post.
