How Do You Check Credit Score A Guide For Consumers

How do you check credit score? You probably know that you are entitled for a free credit report from each of the major credit reporting bureaus every year. But what you may not know is that all these companies have to do is give you the positive and negative marks on your record. They don’t have to tell you your number. Given this situation, how do you check credit score?

The options to check credit score are, unfortunately, limited. In fact, there are no options for getting a free credit score.

If you apply for a mortgage, the lender has to give you a credit score. However, and this is a neat trick, they don’t have to show you the credit score that they actually used to process your loan. For instance, they could have used the credit score from Experian to qualify you but then turn around and show you the score from Trans Union because that one justifies a higher interest rate.

Mortgage lenders are the only people who are obliged to help you check credit score. Every other method involves paying a fee.

Even when you pay a fee, there are a number of hoops you have to jump through to get this very important piece of data about your financial health.

MyFico is the website that can give you an official report as it is run by Fair Isaac, the data collection company. First you will fill out a fairly complicated form that requires a lot of personal data. Then you will have to look at several offers for products and services before you are allowed to proceed.

Once you have agreed to the terms and conditions and made a payment, you have to confirm your identity by mail.

Fair Isaac offers a monthly or quarterly monitoring service that will update you on any changes in your credit score for an additional fee.

Other companies also allow you to check credit score for a fee. For instance, many companies give a one time report of the three major bureaus for $40 to $75. Shop around for the best rate.

Other companies will give you a “free” credit report if you buy a product or service. These offers are similar to the $100 “free” gift certificates to restaurants or the “free Personal Computer” when you buy things that you probably don’t need or want.

Unfortunately, your score influences many aspects of your life, but you have no good way to check credit score. When Congress passed the law that you are entitled to a free credit report each year, they overlooked the importance of the credit score itself. As a result, consumers are at the mercy of the data collectors.

Consider that Fair Isaac, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union offer one product – your financial data. This should mean that you have some say in how it is processed. At the very least, you should know what they are doing with it.

By keeping consumers in the dark, they make it very difficult to check credit score.