How can I see my real FICO score?

You can check your FICO Score for free by accessing your credit report from one of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) once per year . Some credit card issuers and financial institutions also offer their customers free access to FICO Scores.

Which FICO score is most accurate?

The primary credit scoring models are FICO® and VantageScore®, and both are equally accurate. Although both are accurate, most lenders are looking at your FICO score when you apply for a loan.

Where can I check my accurate credit score?

By law, you can get a free credit report each year from the three credit reporting agencies (CRAs) . These agencies include Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Is Experian FICO score accurate?

Credit scores from the three main bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) are considered accurate . The accuracy of the scores depends on the accuracy of the information provided to them by lenders and creditors.

How do I get my true FICO Score for free?

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.

Can my bank tell me myFICO score?

If your bank or credit card issuer offers free credit scores, then you should be able to check your score by either logging into your account online or reviewing your monthly statement . There are also other resources that allow you to see your credit score or credit report for free.

Can you trust FICO credit score?

So why choose FICO Scores over other scores? Here are just a few reasons: You can be confident you're seeing a score many lenders actually use . Because FICO Scores are the most widely used scores, it is very likely the lender will check your FICO Scores when you apply for credit.

Why is my Experian score so much higher than FICO?

When the scores are significantly different across bureaus, it is likely the underlying data in the credit bureaus is different and thus driving that observed score difference.

Why is my FICO score 100 points lower than Credit Karma?

Each credit scoring model has its own formula that may take into account different factors of your credit report. And each scoring model weighs different credit factors slightly differently. When you apply for a financial product the lender may be looking at different credit factors to make a lending decision.

Is Credit Karma or experian more accurate?

Experian vs. Credit Karma: Which is more accurate for your credit score? You may be surprised to know that the simple answer is that both are accurate . Read on to find out what's different between the two companies, how they get your credit score, and why you have more than one credit score to begin with.

Is Equifax or TransUnion more accurate?

Neither your TransUnion or Equifax score is more or less accurate than the other . They're just calculated from slightly differing sources. Your Equifax credit score is likely lower due to reporting differences. Nonetheless, a “fair” score from TransUnion is typically “fair” across the board.

How to Find Your True FICO Score

There may be many reasons why you're looking to get your FICO Score—from pure curiosity to needing to know your score so you can improve it to taking out a loan or making a large purchase. Whatever the reason is, you want to be sure that you're getting your true FICO Score. Keep in mind that a FICO Score is different from the VantageScore 3.0^® model, which is used to generate your free credit score when you enroll in Chase Credit Journey^®. With this free online tool,your score is updated every 7 days (should you check it frequently) with no impact to your score.

In this article, we'll explain:

What is a true FICO Score?
3 steps to take to find you true FICO Score
How to get your FICO Score for free

What is a true FICO Score?

FICO stands for the Fair Isaac Corporation, which began in 1956 and brought analytic solutions and technologies to the U.S. and around the world. These solutions help to make predictions on consumers' behaviors, provide accurate credit scores and assist businesses with complex management and decisions.

FICO Score is calculated with software from the Fair Isaac Corporation and is used in the majority of lending decisions. Lenders consider this score to help them make quick, accurate and reliable decisions regarding credit risk.

A true FICO score ranges between 300–850 and gets calculated using only information in a consumer's credit report maintained by the three main credit bureaus— Experian™, Equifax^® and TransUnion^®. To receive a FICO Score, you must have a credit account at least 6 months old and activity during the past 6 months.

3 steps to take to find your true FICO Score

There's a few different ways you can get your FICO Score. Let's explore the process of getting your FICO Score below.

Step 1 – Check with your bank or credit union

The first step you can take towards finding your FICO Score is by checking with your bank or credit union. Hundreds of banks and credit unions partner with FICO through its Open Access Program. If your bank or credit union partners with FICO, log in to your account online. You will likely be provided with a free FICO Score.

Step 2 – Contact your credit card issuer

If your bank doesn't partner with FICO, you'll want to take this next step—check to see if your credit card issuer provides you with a FICO Score. Many issuers partner with FICO, but depending on the issuer, you might be given either a FICO Score or VantageScore 3.0^® (or perhaps both). Make sure to check with your issuer's terms and conditions to see if you're given either score for free.

Step 3 – Take out loans

If you're already considering taking out an auto loan or mortgage, it's possible that you'll be able to get your true FICO score through this process. Many dealerships or mortgage companies use the FICO Score to help determine the kind of loan you may be able to receive.

Keep in mind that you can potentially hurt your credit score when the issuer runs a credit inquiry. A credit inquiry can be either hard or soft—a hard inquiry is generally requested by a third party, such as a lending institution or credit card issuer. It pulls your credit report from one of the three credit bureaus. You should expect a hard inquiry if you apply for a home loan or credit card. This kind of inquiry could impact your score by up to 5 points.

A soft inquiry, on the other hand, happens when you request your own credit report, or if a credit card company wants to review your credit for eligibility for a new line of credit. This type of inquiry won't affect your credit score.

If you're worried that taking out a loan could hurt your credit score, use Chase Credit Journey's Credit Insider to help educate and guide you through the process.

How to get a free FICO Score

While the above steps can be helpful for finding your FICO score, it's possible that there's could be a cost associated with receiving it—whether that's a financial cost/fee or a cost to your credit score due to a credit inquiry. You may be able to get a free credit score through one of the financial bureaus or some third-party mobile apps. However, scores may differ depending on the model used to calculate your score, so don't be surprised to find different scores.

Your FICO Score is important, but it's not the only score that's used widely by banks, lenders and credit card issuers. When you enroll in Chase Credit Journey^®, you can get access to your free VantageScore 3.0 and credit report. This is an easy, fast and accurate way of checking your credit score without hurting it.

Checking your credit score is important

Whether it's your VantageScore or FICO score, monitoring your credit score is extremely important to your financial health. It can help improve your credit by seeing which factors are hurting or boosting it, and you can find and correct errors by monitoring your score.

If you want to get a free VantageScore 3.0 and be able to check this score regularly without impacting your score, enroll in Credit Journey^®. This free online tool provides you with information that helps you understand credit, what your score means and allows you to access helpful tools continue on your financial journey.

How to Find Your True FICO Score | Chase (2024)