It’s a new year and time to check your credit score! The year 2020 is a great time to start making sure your credit score is the best it can be. Perhaps you are about to make a purchase and you are a little scared to know what your score is. Rest assured that the only way to have a great score is by checking your score and taking action to build your best score. We’ve scoured to find the top websites to check your credit score and are happy to share the list with you. You’ll be well on your way to a bright financial future.
Why It’s Good To Know Your Credit Rating
It’s very important to find out your credit score. But why? Simply put, your score decides if you are able to qualify for loans and credit cards with low-interest rates. A little research into what your credit score is will allow you to make improvements to put you in the best borrowing position. We’ll show you how through our top websites to check your credit score.
However, don’t think that you should only know what your credit score is when you are about to apply for a loan. You should be regularly checking your score. Not only does it provide you the fact on where you stand but it will also:
- Show you if there are large errors in your credit report.
By monitoring your score, you can recognize drops in your score and you can quickly look at your credit reports to fix errors.
- Provide you an opportunity to take action and move up your score.
You will be empowered and motivated to move up your score. You can read more about ways you can build your credit.
- Give you a way to leverage loans and credit card applications.
If you are loan shopping, knowing your score will put you at an advantage.
- Demonstrate the cause and effect on your score. You’ll more practically learn what helps and what hurts your credit score.
How Often Is Regularly Checking Your Score?
While we are advising that you check your credit score regularly, you may be asking, “what does that mean?”. It is good to check your credit score at least twice each and every year. If your financial data is changing more than that, you may opt to check it monthly.
There are many options for checking your score. And realize there are actually different versions of your score dependent on the score algorithm or formula used. If you are checking regularly, a free version of your score is great. But you may want to consider a premium option especially if you are about to make a purchase such as a home so that you can leverage the information to get your best score.
But First…
Now before you get your credit score, make sure you review your credit report. Remember that your score is calculated based upon the information your financial history. This information is usually found in the 3 major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. That way, you can correct any errors first. You can get one free report each year by going to annualcreditreport.com.
You will not get your credit score from your credit reports. Each agency offers a premium product to check your score which may be something you want to do. Consider these and more options, some at no cost, listed below.
2020 List
Mint
Mint is an online budgeting app that will sync up your bank accounts, credit cards, investments and more. But additionally, Mint provides you your free credit score. Mint helps your credit by displaying your credit dashboard including your total accounts, number of inquiries, derogatory items, and on-time payment history. The information is sourced by credit bureau Equifax and is updated each quarter.
Credit Karma
Credit Karma is well known and is a great source to get your free credit score each week based on VantageScore. VantageScore is a competitor of FICO and more and more lenders are using it. Credit Karma offers your score via Transunion and Experian. has a cool credit score simulator that is helpful if you are working to improve your score. Be aware, Credit Karma will provide offers for credit cards and loans.
BankRate
Bankrate is a great resource that provides your credit report information from TransUnion. It also allows you to get your credit score free of charge once per week. It allows you to understand what is affecting your credit score and learn how your financial actions are influencing your credit score.
Credit.com
Credit.com allows you monthly access to two free credit scores, one through Experian and the other is your VantageScore 3.0. Once you’ve signed up for your free account, you can get your credit report and learn about what is affecting your score.
Nerd Wallet
Access your free weekly TransUnion credit report and your VantageScore 3.0 (based on your TransUnion credit report) with Nerd Wallet. Like others, Nerd Wallet will provide information on how to build your score.
Wallet Hub
WalletHub makes updates each day and can be helpful as you try to build your score. Its service is free and provides you a good idea of your credit score. It provides you your Vantage 3.0 number (based on your TransUnion information). WalletHub also will help you with building your credit score and other financial goals.
Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame uses the VantageScore model to provide your score each month. It uses TransUnion’s information for your score. But it does provide a more robust score analysis with a breakdown of what makes up your score and how you can improve it. They also provide credit alert options, like ID protection, as well as additional financial products you can purchase.
Identity Guard
While you will need to purchase this credit monitoring product, Identity Guard includes scores based on data from Equifax‚ Experian and TransUnion. It also offers a detailed analysis of your credit health.
Experian Credit Works
CreditWorks provides you a free credit score based on Experian each month. This is a FICO credit score that many lenders use. Consider upgrading if you would like to get a daily credit score.
My FICO
If you are trying to get an official score, you should consider My FICO. Maybe you are about to shop for a home. There are a few options and there is a fee for getting your score but it might be worth it.
Credit Card Companies
You may not realize that several credit card companies offer free credit scores. These include:
American Express – gives a free weekly Vantage 3.0 credit score (Transunion), updated weekly to anyone who enrolls in its free MyCreditGuide.
Capital One – known as CreditWise, you can get access to your VantageScore 3.0 every month and be alerted to any changes in it, even if you are not a cardholder.
Chase – offers their “Credit Journey” to anyone to get a free VantageScore 3.0 credit score from TransUnion.
Discover – FICO credit score on their cardholders’ monthly statements
First BankCard – offers cardholders free FICO Bankcard Score 9 each month, which is a specific score for credit card lending.
Walmart Card – provides cardholders a monthly free FICO score via electronic monthly statements.
Conclusion
The best thing you can do for your financial future is to make sure your credit reports are accurate and to know your credit score. By having an excellent credit score, you will have access to credit cards and loans all at great rates. Over a lifetime, a great score provides a great opportunity and will save you thousands. We hope our list of top websites to check your credit score will help you learn your score and get you started on building your credit health.