How To Track Your Credit Score
Written By: Nick Nguyen | Read full profile
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Ten years ago, if you wanted to know your credit score, youâd have to do a hard pull from some random, potentially sketchy, website. Today, there are so many ways for you to quickly access your FICO and VantageScore. Here, weâre going to focus on 3 very accessible ones:
Probably the easiest way to check your credit score. When you first sign up for a credit card from Chase, Bank of America, Discover, Citi, American Express, etc. theyâll typically have a dashboard that provides you with a FREE credit score. This can be either a VantageScore 3.0 or 4.0 or a FICO 8 or 9. You might also see it listed through âCredit Journeyâ if you bank with Chase. This is a legit thing (at least from what I can tell so far) where your bank has partnered with some other credit company to quickly give you a snapshot of your credit score.
Completely free and they have an app! I love Credit Karma because they give me a snapshot of my credit score from both Equifax and TransUnion, give me hints on how I can improve my score, and even get me a full detailed breakdown of my credit report without having to do a hard pull on my credit.
Mint has a small section that lets you check out your credit score if you want a quick snapshot. You get some information about your payment history and overall credit utilization, so youâll know exactly what's hurting and helping your score. I like using Mint because it also puts all my credit cards and bank accounts in one place, so I can quickly plan my budget.
FAQs
Q: Does it matter which version of FICO or VantageScore Iâm looking at?
⏠Nope. Itâs just an estimate to let you know in general how youâre doing, with the general health of your account.
Q: Do using any of these services impact your credit score since it's an inquiry on your credit history?
⏠Nope. Most of the time these are soft pulls, which donât have any impact on your scores.
â« Fun Fact: if you request your credit report from any of the big three companies: Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax, you wonât get an actual score. Just a report of all your payments and credit lines.
*Nguyening Lifestyles is not a registered financial service provider and does not give financial advice. All information in these posts are for entertainment purposes only. Nguyening Lifestyles is not liable for any actions or outcomes that transpired after your reading of the following post.
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