While everyone in America is entitled to a free annual copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus, it can be more difficult to obtain a free credit score. Your credit score, which can range from 300 to 850, is perhaps the most important factor in determining whether you will be given credit, and what interest rate you will be charged to borrow money. Although there may be a cost associated with obtaining your credit score, there are several methods of obtaining the score for free.
Obtaining Credit Scores from Credit Bureaus
If you want to get a credit score from one of the three official credit bureaus----Equifax, Experian or TransUnion----generally, you need to pay for that score. You can pay for this score while obtaining your free annual credit report, or you can pay for the score individually by visiting the website for the appropriate credit bureau. Each of the three credit bureaus does offer you free access to your score; however, this free access requires you to sign up for a trial of an annual credit/identity monitoring service and provide your credit card number. If you fail to cancel the service within the trial period, you will be automatically subscribed to an annual program that charges a monthly fee. These programs will provide you access to your credit score on a monthly basis, and in most cases alert you to changes to your credit score. If you need to monitor your credit score on a regular basis and don't mind paying a monthly fee to do so, these programs may be a good option for you.
Credit Karma
Credit Karma has a solution for people who want to obtain free credit scores online. Credit Karma is supported by advertisers and provides you with daily access to your credit score at no cost. You do not need to provide credit card information; the only personal information you must provide is the information required for Credit Karma to obtain your credit score from the credit bureau. This information includes your social security number, address and the answers to identifying questions (for example, they may ask you the name of the institution that holds your mortgage loan or what your monthly payments are on a student loan, just to verify your identity). Credit Karma also offers tips and tricks for improving your credit score, and allows you to compare your score to other Credit Karma users.
Quizzle
Quizzle is another free service that provides you with access to both your credit score and your credit report. Like Credit Karma, Quizzle does not require a credit card and is not a subscription service. Again, you will need to provide the personal information required----including your social security number----to obtain your credit report from the credit bureau. While Credit Karma allows you access to your score on a daily basis, Quizzle provides you with free access to your report and score every six months.
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