The next time you apply for credit — whether that’s a credit card, auto loan or mortgage — you should check your FICO Score first. Lenders use FICO Scores in the majority (90%) of U.S. lending decisions.
Knowing and understanding your three-digit FICO credit score is key to gauging what financial products you may qualify for and the terms you’ll receive. The higher your FICO Score, the better chances you have of receiving low interest rates and competitive terms.
There are dozens of resources available for you to check your FICO Score, but many charge a fee. If you want to see where your score stands without paying anything, check out these resources we rounded up that have free FICO Score access.
Where to get your free FICO Score
The first place you should check for your free FICO Score is with your credit card issuer. Many card issuers provide their cardholders with free access to their credit score. While there’s a good chance you’ll have access to your credit score, the key is whether it’s your FICO Score or VantageScore.
Both scoring models are helpful for understanding what factors are affecting your credit score, but ultimately FICO Scores are more beneficial since lenders favor them when determining your creditworthiness.
Here are some issuers that provide free FICO Score access to their cardholders:
- American Express
- Bank of America
- Capital One
- Citi
- Discover
- Wells Fargo
In order to have access to your free FICO Score, you’ll typically need to be the primary account holder on a consumer card. Once you meet the eligibility requirements, you can view your free FICO credit score from within your online account. Many mobile apps also have credit score dashboards.
If you don’t have an eligible credit card from one of the issuers above, you can still access your free FICO Score with these two resources:
Anyone can view their free FICO Score with either service and there’s no credit card required to register. Free FICO Score resources offered by card issuers and credit reporting companies typically provide you with updates to your credit score every 30 days.
If you want to stay on top of changes to your credit file, consider a credit monitoring service that alerts you when there are changes to your credit report, such as new inquiries and accounts opened in your name. Experian offers a free and paid version. Both Experian free credit monitoring and Experian IdentityWorks℠ provide you with an early notice of potential fraud, so you can take steps to protect your personal information.
Read more about Experian credit monitoring services.
Experian Dark Web Scan + Credit Monitoring
On Experian's secure site
Cost
Free
Credit bureaus monitored
Experian
Credit scoring model used
FICO®
Dark web scan
Yes, one-time only
Identity insurance
No
Terms apply.
Experian IdentityWorks℠
On Experian's secure site.
Cost
Basic: Free; Premium: 7-day trial, after $24.99 per month; Family: 7-day trial, after $34.99 per month
Credit bureaus monitored
1-bureau credit monitoring, alerts and reports: Experian, with Basic plan only and 3-bureau credit monitoring, alerts and reports: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion®, with Premium and Family plans only
Credit scoring model used
FICO® Score 8, with all plans
Dark web scan
Yes, with all plans
Identity theft insurance
Yes, up to $1 million with all plans
Terms apply.
*Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
