Step 1 – Check 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.
Credit Karma's credit scores are VantageScores, a competitor to the more widely used FICO scores. Those scores are based on the information in your credit reports from Equifax and TransUnion, two of the three major credit bureaus. Your Credit Karma score should be relatively close to your FICO score.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the three credit bureaus to provide consumers with one free credit report per year. Federal law also entitles consumers to receive free credit reports if any company has taken adverse action against them.
Highlights: Checking your credit reports or credit scores will not impact credit scores. Regularly checking your credit reports and credit scores is a good way to ensure information is accurate. Hard inquiries in response to a credit application do impact credit scores.
Obtain a FICO Score from credit bureaus
The three major credit bureaus offer free credit reports, which include FICO Scores, allowing you to monitor your credit health at no cost. You can get a free FICO Score once a year directly from one of the three major bureaus: Equifax® Experian®
A FICO® Score of 650 places you within a population of consumers whose credit may be seen as Fair. Your 650 FICO® Score is lower than the average U.S. credit score. Statistically speaking, 28% of consumers with credit scores in the Fair range are likely to become seriously delinquent in the future.
You can verify this is the official site by visiting the CFPB's website. Don't be fooled by look-alike sites. You can be sure that you are on the right site if you type www.AnnualCreditReport.com in your browser address line. Don't come to this site by clicking on a link in another site or in an email.
There are many different credit scores, but the main difference is that not all credit scores are FICO scores. A FICO score is simply a brand that was introduced by a company called Fair Isaac Corporation. Whether it's a FICO score or not, all credit scores measure your credit risk.
Still, you typically need a good credit score of 661 or higher to qualify for an auto loan. About 69% of retail vehicle financing is for borrowers with credit scores of 661 or higher, according to Experian. Meanwhile, low-credit borrowers with scores of 600 or lower accounted for only 14% of auto loans.
Fortunately, you can also access the FICO® Score☉ based on your Experian credit report for free anytime, making it easier to stay on top of your credit health. You can also access your FICO® Score based on all three of your credit reports for a one-time fee or by subscribing to a premium Experian account.
If you're close to maxing out your credit cards, your credit score could jump 10 points or more when you pay off credit card balances completely. If you haven't used most of your available credit, you might only gain a few points when you pay off credit card debt.
The FICO® Score Online Banking provides is a FICO® Score 8 based on TransUnion Data. The score is from your TransUnion credit report and calculated on the "as of" date included with your score. Your FICO® Score may differ from scores provided elsewhere, if the other score: Was a different FICO® Score version.
Even better, just over 1 in 5 people (21.2%) have an exceptional FICO credit score of 800 or above, all but guaranteeing access to the best products and interest rates.
While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.
The average FICO credit score in the US is 717, according to the latest FICO data. The average VantageScore is 701 as of January 2024.
Under federal law, you have the right to check your credit reports from all three national credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
If your bank, credit card issuer, auto lender or mortgage servicer is one of them, you can see your FICO® Scores, along with the top factors affecting your scores, for free.
You can get your free VantageScore 3.0® credit scores from Equifax and TransUnion on Credit Karma. But if you want to get your FICO® scores from Experian, you have options for a fee, or even free.
Many credit card companies, banks and loan companies have started providing credit scores for their customers. It may be on your statement, or you can access it online by logging into your account. Purchase credit scores directly from one of the three major credit bureaus or other provider, such as FICO.
Late or missed payments can cause your credit score to decline. The impact can vary depending on your credit score — the higher your score, the more likely you are to see a steep drop.
Using more of your credit card balance than usual — even if you pay on time — can reduce your score until a new, lower balance is reported the following month. Closed accounts and lower credit limits can also result in lower scores even if your payment behavior has not changed.