To obtain your credit score, you can follow these steps:
Check with your bank or credit card issuer: Some financial institutions provide their customers free access to credit scores. Contact your bank, log into your online account, or contact your credit card issuer and inquire about any free credit monitoring or score-checking services they offer.
Use a free credit score service: Several online platforms provide free credit score services. Some popular options include Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, and Mint. These platforms offer access to your credit score and credit reports from major credit bureaus. Do not pay for your credit score.
Check with your employer or credit union: Some employers and credit unions provide access to credit scores as part of their benefits or membership perks. Inquire with your employer's HR department or credit union to see if they offer this service.
Consider credit monitoring services: Credit monitoring services often provide access to credit scores as part of their offerings. These services monitor your credit report, alert you to any changes, and provide regular updates on your credit score. Examples include Identity Guard, PrivacyGuard, and MyFICO. Beware. However, they may want to charge you for this service. Your goal should be to obtain this for free.
Check with a credit bureau: Keep reading below because credit bureaus and other services allow you to purchase your credit score directly. Paying for your score should be your last resort. Your goal is to obtain this for free. The three major credit bureaus in the U.S. are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can visit their websites to see their offerings. Do not get sucked into paying for their services at this point.
From our research, Experian.com will give you a credit score and your credit report for free, but it takes a conscientious effort to make this work. When you log in, Experian will try to get you to enroll in their paid service called "Experian CreditWorks Plus" for seven days for free. If you want more robust features and data, such as the FICO 8 Score, before you make a large purchase requiring credit, you can enroll in their paid service, which gives you seven days free. Beware, you must enter your credit card information, but you will get your score from them from this trial. Once you've obtained your score, you must cancel before the seven days and pay nothing.
You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once every 12 months. You can request your free reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, the official website authorized by the Federal Trade Commission. If you log in every four months, you can order your report from Equifax, then return in 4 months to request it from Experian, then return in 4 months to request it from TranUnion. Keep rotating through each bureau.
It's essential to regularly review your credit score and credit reports to monitor your financial health, detect any errors, and take necessary steps to improve your creditworthiness if needed.
Want to know what is considered an excellent or poor credit score? Take a look here.