Five Ways To Get a Free Credit Score (No Trials)
Yes, there’s AnnualCreditReport.com for free credit reports. But what about your credit score? I’ve mentioned a couple of these before, but here is a compilation of five different ways to grab that credit score for free without the hassle of annoying trial offers. I repeat: No free trials, no credit card number required, nothing to cancel.
Washington Mutual Credit Card
Formerly Providian, WaMu credit cards will show your your FICO score free of charge when you log into your account. It is based on your Transunion credit report, and is updated once a month. I believe is is for all of their credit cards, but I may be mistaken. The catch is that if you don’t already have a credit card with them, you’ll have to apply for one which will ding your credit score - something that’s worth $100 or more to me!
Prosper Person-to-Person Lending
Prosper Lending provides a free credit grade for prospective borrowers, based on your Experian credit data. Details here. Also of note is the $25 bonus for new members once a loan is funded as either a borrower or lender.
LendingClub Person-to-Person Lending
Similar to Prosper, if you start an application to become a borrower at LendingClub they will check your credit on your behalf to find out what rate they will charge you. Instead of a numerical score, you will get a grade like “A2″ or “B3″. Then you can use this key to determine your FICO range. For example, A2 would indicate a score range of 747-769. It is also based on your Transunion credit report.
You’ll also be able to find out what kind of interest rate you might get on a personal, unsecured loan. This is based strongly on your FICO score, but is also adjusted due other factors like employment status. If this is less than what you can currently get on your existing debt, you might consider consolidating your debt at LendingClub. Otherwise, it can just satisfy your curiosity. New lenders and borrowers can earn a $25 bonus for joining by using this referral link (not just the home page).
(Note: If you are currently a lender, you must set up a separate account (new e-mail address) to become a borrower. This is not unethical or “getting around their system”, I asked and this is simply how their system is set up right now.)
E-Loan Mortgage
Supposedly this is to help you shop for mortgage rates, but E-Loan also sells a variety of credit score products as well. See this link at E-Loan and scroll to the bottom for Free Credit Score (Credit Score Only) which doesn’t require any trials. It not a FICO-brand score, but is the CreditXpert score and is based on your Experian credit bureau information. But keep in mind this is good for one-time only, so you might want to save it for later.
CreditKarma
Currently based on your TransUnion data, CreditKarma offers a daily look at your credit score. The catch is that it’s not a FICO or any other major brand of score (at least that is known), but with this service you can track changes from month-to-month. Details here.
You will need to provide your personal information and Social Security number to these companies, naturally, so be comfortable with that. Unless otherwise noted, none of these methods by themselves will affect your credit score as you are requesting them for yourself. However, if you do take out a loan or take some other additional action, a hard inquiry which will affect your score may result.
Find more in Credit Cards | 2/5/08, 5:41am | Trackback
February 5th, 2008 at 6:17 am
I have the WaMu credit card. My FICO results have huge gaps, like months on end without a score. When I emailed customer service, they emailed me back the generic disclaimer that you don’t always have a FICO score, and it isn’t always available, which makes no sense
Even when it is available, it isn’t your full credit report. The only number that I can see is the amount of revolving debt I have, and I don’t even have that sometimes. It’s just a floating, magical FICO number.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:08 am
It’s important to note these are all for Fako scores, not Fico. Fico scores are the same scores a potential lender sees. Fako scores are that company’s own formula. I’ve had as much as an 88 point difference between the two which tell me Fako scores are meaningless.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Nice list of tips and insights. Thanks for this as most of these i didn’t even know about.
February 5th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I will agree that WAMU’s score does not accurately reflect my true FICO. It is consistently 40 to 80 points higher. My understanding is their weighting is reflective of credit card worthiness (which makes sense as that is where they do business). It’s still a useful tool as you can track ups and downs, just don’t take it is gospel.
While not hassle free, you can signup for the free trial at http://www.myfico.com and get a free report from one of the big three (I think it was Experian for me the last time around). You can then cancel w/o a fee. Fat Wallet references that you can sign up for a free trial again after a few months, but I haven’t had the need.
Having gone through a refinance last October as well as being currently involved in another large loan process, I’ve had recent copies from all three reporting agencies that have allowed for comparison to the other “FAKO” scores available to me. As a rule I just lop 50 points off the numbers presented. WAMU’s score as of right now is 48 points higher than my mid-score for January.
February 5th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Thanks for the tidbit…credit reports are easy to get…it’s usually the frequently more valuable credit score that’s more elusive to obtain for free!
February 5th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Someone sent me an email pitching brightscore.com, I checked it out, and it was a surprisingly a valuable resource.. It shows a credit score (not sure how accurate, but it was +/- 10 points of my equifax score watch), but the kicker is it shows you all your positive and all your negative factors, and the weight they used to get them.. Plus it gives you short and long term tips on how to improve each one.
February 5th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Wamu actually says the score they give is a FICO score (with the trademark symbol and all). What’s strange though is that I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a free FICO or FAKO score and then you put up the tips…thanks. I just applied for the Wamu credit card and got the approval instantly.
February 5th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
WaMu gives a FICO score, not a FAKO score, they even say its a FICO score from TransUnion right on there website.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
The WaMu FICO score is a very valid score because is is credit-enhanced. That is, if you are applying for a credit card, this is the type of score they will be looking at.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Here’s a comparison of WAMU’s scores and scores reported by the big three for December 2007.
My WAMU score was 829, Experian 755, TransUnion 785, Equifax 792.
When I went through a refinance last October WAMU was 844 and my mid was 802.
I had looked into this at one point and recall a reference to WAMU being classified as a PFICO. (FAKO, as in PFIZER? - not really but cute)
Thanks Mike who posted while I was composing this, valid yes, but enhanced with regard to their market and line of business is my take.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I’m pretty sure you can’t use the “FICO” name unless you are pulling a true FICO score, unless you want a team of lawyers knocking on your door.
The problem is that there are even multiple flavors of FICO scores, even on the same credit report data. One might be more focused on mortgage-related defaults, while the other might be focused on auto-loan default rates.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
You should only compare the WaMu score with your myFICO score based specifically on your Transunion data, not necessarily your mid-score or average score.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Johnathan:
First, thanks for all the awesome info. Question on the LendingClub credit score check, though: how do you do it? Do you actually have to request a loan for it to happen? Thanks!
February 6th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Actually, I think I just answered my own question: yes, but you don’t have to complete the request to actually get the score. (I came out with an A3, a marked improvement on my score from last year, which was 680. The price for being a “ghost” in the system…)
February 6th, 2008 at 11:06 am
There’s one more way to get a free credit report and score absolutely free, and with NO trial.
Go to credit.com and click on the main banner on the homepage, or you can go to the interior page here:
https://www.credit.com/r/credit-report-card/af=p40367
This is the first no strings attached credit score that I’ve seen online. Obviously, you have to provide your personal information and social security # so they can pull your score.
They’re hoping that by providing you your credit score, you’ll take advantage of the products provided on their site.
February 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Thanks for the information. I just wanted to add that the Clear from American Express credit card offers cardholders a free credit report with your credit score once every year, and there’s no annual fee for the card, so that’s another option. Thanks again.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Thanks for the tip on LendingClub. I didn’t much care about the FICO info, but I did sign up to lend and just now received the $25 referral fee. w00t!
February 24th, 2008 at 1:53 am
The Wamu score isn’t real-time. It is updated monthly. It matches my TransUnion score, which is typically the highest. Equifax is mid, and experian is always the lowest score
February 28th, 2008 at 12:18 am
[…] case the last 5 free ways to get your credit score weren’t enough, there’s also the free Credit.com Report Card. It is actually a pretty […]
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I had come across sites like Privacyguard.com. They are not free, but I had once taken their trial and liked it. They provide one a month update from ALL three credit bureaus with details of transactions that may be mismatching among the three.
Has anyone used them? Are there any OTHER sites like them? All help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks…
March 10th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I’m thinking of opening a WAMU platinum mastercard (credit card).
How good is it?
Is the FICO score worth to get this card?
Can we do the payments online?
Please give me your feedback so that i can decide about opening this credit card.
Thanks
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:20 am
Credit Karma turned goofy - it doesn’t really give you your score anymore.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
FICO tailors scores according to the type of business … a real estate lender may get XXX from FICO, a car dealer will see YYY, a credit card app will see ZZZ, etc. WAMU FICO is off the ZZZ variety - it won’t be the same score the car dealer sees. The ZZZ is the only one consumers can get, as far as I know. I would not make a deal on a house or car, if the lender refused to share the score s/he sees.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
[…] February, Jonathan at the excellent My Money Blog posted a list of five ways to get a free credit score. None of these require trial periods. These methods don’t tell your actual FICO score, […]
June 26th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
[…] If you’ve already gotten your free, once-a-year credit report but want to see fresher numbers, CreditKarma, a free credit-tracking site, can give you month-to-month estimates without affecting your score. The score isn’t FICO-based (you can get a free estimate of that), but does offer a free glimpse at how your credit score is faring, based on data from one of the Big Three firms, TransUnion. If you don’t need monthly tracking but just a free look at your estimated score, hit the via link below for four more sites that offer free credit reports with no trial periods, credit card sign-ups, or other painful gimmicks. CreditKarma [via My Money Blog] […]
June 28th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
If you want the score because you’re in the market to buy a home, visit HUD’s website and click the link for housing counselors. While the quality of the counseling will vary, many of these agencies have access to some great systems. The agency that I run uses a Freddie Mac system that allows us to pull Transunion and Experian at no cost, with scores, and it’s a soft pull, so there’s no impact on the credit score. It also provides us with a report on steps that will improve your ability to qualify for a mortgage and even let’s us know if you are ready to go apply with a lender. We run it for everyone who comes into our office wanting to buy a home. We have access to another system that allows us to pull all three as a soft pull with scores. That system may come with a charge depending on what we are using it for (foreclosure prevention clients get it free).
June 30th, 2008 at 7:20 am
[…] Five Ways To Get a Free Credit Score (No Trials) | My Money Blog (via Lifehacker) […]