How to Check Your Credit Score for Free

You can check your credit score for free without hurting it — here's how to use the official free sources and what the numbers mean.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Get your free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com
2.Check your free credit score through your bank or credit card
3.Understand what your credit score means
4.Review your credit report for errors

Get your free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com

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Go to annualcreditreport.com — this is the official, federally-mandated free credit report website. Do not confuse it with sites that offer a "free score" but require a credit card. Click "Request your free credit reports." You can request reports from all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) at once, or space them out throughout the year. Verify your identity with personal information. Download or print your reports.

Warning

Only annualcreditreport.com is the official free credit report site mandated by federal law. Many sites advertise "free credit reports" but require payment or a subscription. Type the web address directly rather than searching for it to avoid look-alike scam sites.

Check your free credit score through your bank or credit card

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Many banks and credit card companies now offer free credit score monitoring to their customers. Log in to your bank or credit card app and look for "Credit Score" or "FICO Score" in the app. Popular banks offering this include Chase (Credit Journey), Wells Fargo (Credit Close-Up), Capital One (CreditWise), and many credit unions. This score updates monthly and checking it does not affect your credit.

Quick Tip

CreditWise from Capital One is free to anyone — you don't need to be a Capital One customer. Download the app or go to creditwise.capitalone.com.

Understand what your credit score means

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Credit scores run from 300-850. General ranges: Exceptional (800-850) — best rates; Very Good (740-799) — above average rates; Good (670-739) — near or above average; Fair (580-669) — below average; Poor (300-579) — well below average. For most purposes (mortgages, car loans, credit cards), a score above 670 is considered good. Above 740 gets you the best interest rates.

Review your credit report for errors

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When you get your credit report, scan it for accounts you don't recognize, late payments that weren't actually late, or incorrect personal information. Errors on credit reports are more common than most people realize and can lower your score unfairly. To dispute an error, go directly to the credit bureau's website (equifax.com, transunion.com, or experian.com) and click "Dispute" to submit a correction with your documentation.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Check Your Credit Score for Free

Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

Your credit score is a number (typically 300-850) that lenders use to judge whether to give you a loan, credit card, or mortgage — and at what interest rate. Checking your own score does NOT hurt your credit. You have the right to view your full credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once per year for free.

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