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How to Check Your Credit Report and FICO Score for Free
Stay up-to-date about your creditworthiness
When it comes to your credit report and FICO Score, you can easily use a specific website to keep up-to-date with your creditworthiness easily. Why should I care about that, you ask? Regarding your finances, your creditworthiness is important, especially when it comes to applying for that credit card you want or that loan you need for that car you want. You need to know where you stand, and to keep up with it easily, you can use Experian.com.
Experian is one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States, with Equifax and Transunion being the other two. When you first navigate to Experian’s website, one of the first things you will see is a “Your credit report and FICO Score — all free.” It sounds too good to be true? I can assure you that it is true. In the process of setting up your Experian account, they will likely try to sway you into paying for one of their premium services. Unless you want one of their premium services, such as your credit report and FICO Score based on Equifax and Transunion data, it is unnecessary.
Once you have created your account, you will be taken to your account overview page. On this page, you will see your FICO Score based on Experian data. As you are likely aware, your FICO Score is used in over 90% of U.S. lending decisions. In the menu bar, you will see an option for “Reports & Scores.” Hover over that and then click on “Credit Reports.” Here, you will see your credit report and FICO Score based on Experian data. In the credit report area, you will see items such as your accounts summary, overall credit usage, and debt summary. You will also see the names of the accounts you have open, recent inquiries, and if you have any public records. As simple as that, you have a summary of your creditworthiness.
Before I consider applying for any new credit card, I will always check my credit report and FICO Score via Experian. I want to make sure that I am at the creditworthiness I need to be at for the credit card I want. When I am ready to buy a car or a house, I will check my FICO Score via Experian. I may also consider temporarily purchasing one of their premium services, such as my FICO Score, specifically for auto lending and mortgage lending. I enjoy using resources that help to make keeping up with my finances easy. I hope you do too and feel free to share any alternative that you think is better! I am always willing to learn what other people are using.
