By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com
There is no reason for you to EVER pay to see your credit score. First off, there are plenty of ways to see your estimated score for free. Second, every lender uses a slightly different scoring system, so a paid score is no more valid than a score you got for free.
Remember, every credit score you see is only an estimate! All scores free or paid are going to put you in a similar range, so don’t stress out about where you got your score and whether you paid for it!
That said, here are some options to get a free credit score with no credit card required and without any hidden charges:
- Discover Credit Scorecard – Offers a free FICO credit score from the credit bureau Experian. You do not need to be a Discover credit card holder to use this, and there is no hidden charge or other string attached.
- Capital One CreditWise – You do not have to be a Capital One customer to get a free credit score using this service. This is a VantageScore credit score provided in partnership with the credit bureau TransUnion.
- Chase Credit Journey – Similar to the two offerings above, you can get a free credit score even if you’re not a Chase customer. Like Capital One’s CreditWise above, Chase is offering the VantageScore from credit bureau TransUnion.
- Credit Karma – Get free credit scores from credit bureaus TransUnion and Equifax, using the VantageScore scoring system. No credit card required, though they will be sure to pitch you credit products after you’ve created an account.
In addition, you can get a free credit score if you have any of these credit cards. You do not have to pay for them in any way; it is simply a free benefit given to cardholders:
- Bank of America Credit Cards – All Bank of America credit cards give you the option to see your credit score for free each month. This is a FICO score from the credit bureau TransUnion.
- Citi Credit Cards – Most Citibank credit cards offer you a free FICO credit score using data from credit agency Equifax.
- Barclays Credit Cards – All credit cards from this issuer offer free FICO scores. Includes cards such as the NFL credit card, Priceline credit card, cards from Uber, Wyndham, Carnival Cruises, more.
- First National Bank of Omaha – You may not know this bank very well, but they are a major card issuer and they offer free online FICO scores from Fair Isaac, the creator of the FICO score.
- Credit One Bank – Promises you can “track your online Experian credit score and view a summary of your credit report each month.” Experian uses a ScoreX model which is its own scoring simulator.
- U.S Bank Visa Platinum – Offers a free VantageScore credit score from TransUnion if you use online banking.