Many credit card issuers and banks provide free credit scores to their customers. Personally checking your credit score won't affect it. Nor will checking your own credit report. However, when you apply for credit, the lender will make a so-called hard inquiry, which can lower your score a bit.
Checking your own credit reports, or credit scores based on them, won't have any impact on your credit scores. Learn how you can check your credit report, the difference between a soft inquiry and a hard inquiry, and how inquiries affect your credit score.
There are a few websites out there that track your credit score, but for accuracy, I'd recommend sticking to the big three credit bureaus directly: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. They provide free weekly reports now, which is a great resource.
Check your credit card, financial institution or loan statement. 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.
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.
Don't be fooled by look-alikes.
Lots of sites promise credit reports for free. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only official site explicitly directed by Federal law to provide them.
FICO Score
Very poor: 300 to 579. Fair: 580 to 669. Good: 670 to 739. Very good: 740 to 799. Excellent: 800 to 850.
For a score with a range of 300 to 850, a credit score of 670 to 739 is considered good. Credit scores of 740 and above are very good while 800 and higher are excellent.
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.
You can either request your credit history via a basic statutory report for free, or new customers can sign up to a free trial of CreditExpert which will include your Experian Credit Score, fraud monitoring and alerts, and tailored guidance on how to improve how lenders see you.
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.
How do hard inquiries impact your credit score? A hard credit inquiry could lower your credit score by as much as 10 points, though in many cases, the damage probably won't be that significant. As FICO explains, “For most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO Scores.”
Check With Your Credit Card Issuer or Lender
Many credit card issuers and lenders give current cardholders and borrowers a free credit score, which may be a FICO® Score or VantageScore credit score. You can usually see your score by logging in to your online account or using your card issuer's mobile app.
Soft inquiries do not affect credit scores and are not visible to potential lenders that may review your credit reports. They are visible to you and will stay on your credit reports for 12 to 24 months, depending on the type. The other type of inquiry is a “hard” inquiry.
What is the highest credit score possible? To start off: No, it's not possible to have a 900 credit score in the United States. In some countries that use other models, like Canada, people could have a score of 900. The current scoring models in the U.S. have a maximum of 850.
You can start by going to the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion first by logging on to AnnualCreditReport.com to check your report for free. Each agency gives you access to your report once every 12 months. 4 You'll have to pay them if you want your credit score.
You can request annual credit reports for free from each of the 3 major reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax® and TransUnion®—online via www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
But before you pay for a report, always check to see if you can get a copy for free from AnnualCreditReport.com. To buy a copy of your report, contact the nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax: 1-800-685-1111; Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services. Experian: 1-888-397-3742; Experian.com/help.
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.
The minimum credit score for conventional loans is typically 620, making a 650 score highly viable: High likelihood of approval with favorable terms. Access to a wider range of conventional loan products. Potentially lower interest rates compared to those with scores in the 620-640 range.
The time it takes to raise your credit score from 500 to 700 can vary widely depending on your individual financial situation. On average, it may take anywhere from 12 to 24 months of responsible credit management, including timely payments and reducing debt, to see a significant improvement in your credit score.