But how accurate is Credit Karma? In some cases, as seen in an example below, Credit Karma may be off by 20 to 25 points.
If your Credit Karma score isn't accurate, the problem is probably elsewhere. That is, one of the bureaus made an error or omitted information. Or, the information might have been reported to one bureau but not others. Using Credit Karma won't hurt your credit score.
Credit Karma isn't a credit bureau, which means we don't determine your credit scores. Instead, we work with Equifax and TransUnion to provide you with your free credit reports and free credit scores, which are based on the VantageScore 3.0 credit score model.
Some lenders report to all three major credit bureaus, but others report to only one or two. Because of this difference in reporting, each of the three credit bureaus may have slightly different credit report information for you and you may see different scores as a result.
The most accurate credit scores are the latest versions of the FICO Score and VantageScore credit-scoring models: FICO Score 8 and VantageScore 3.0.
Best Overall AnnualCreditReport.com
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau confirms that AnnualCreditReport.com is the official website that allows you to access each of your credit reports from all three of the major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — at no cost.
It usually takes about four to six weeks for lenders to report new information (like new balances or payment activity) to TransUnion, and the frequency of updates can vary by lender. So it can take up to seven weeks for any changes or new information to show on Credit Karma.
Is CreditWise accurate? Yes, Capital One CreditWise is accurate. Because many people are more familiar with the FICO model of credit scoring than the VantageScore 3.0 model, they might be confused at first. But all information on CreditWise is accurate from a VantageScore perspective.
The most widely used credit scoring model is the FICO 8, which is used by the three largest credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, & TransUnion (The Big Three). Scores range from 300 (very poor) to 850 (exceptional). When your score is high you have better opportunity for lower lending rates.
For a score with a range between 300 and 850, a credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good. A score of 800 or above on the same range is considered to be excellent. Most consumers have credit scores that fall between 600 and 750.
Why your Credit Karma credit score differs
Your score can then differ based on what bureau your credit report is pulled from since they don't all receive the same information about your credit accounts. Secondly, different credit score models (and versions) exist across the board.
You can get a free FICO® Score from hundreds of financial services companies, including banks, credit unions, credit card issuers and credit counselors that participate in the FICO® Score Open Access program and offer free scores to customers.
For FICO, the lowest credit score range is 300 to 579; the lowest credit score range for VantageScore is 300 to 499.
A FICO® Score of 680 falls within a span of scores, from 670 to 739, that are categorized as Good. ... 21% of U.S. consumers' FICO® Scores are in the Good range. Approximately 9% of consumers with Good FICO® Scores are likely to become seriously delinquent in the future.
A 713 FICO® Score is Good, but by raising your score into the Very Good range, you could qualify for lower interest rates and better borrowing terms. A great way to get started is to get your free credit report from Experian and check your credit score to find out the specific factors that impact your score the most.
The credit report that Chase is most likely to pull for your credit card application is your Experian credit report. We reviewed 293 consumer-reported credit inquiries from the past 24 months and found that Chase pulls credit reports from all three major U.S. credit bureaus, but it seems to favor Experian.
FICO Scores are used by 90% of top lenders to make decisions about credit approvals, terms, and interest rates. ... FICO Scores are trusted to be a fair and reliable measure of whether a person will pay back their loan on time.
If you've recently made a change, like opening or closing a line of credit, or paying down a credit card balance, your lender(s) may not have reported this information to the credit bureaus yet. You can check when the individual accounts were last reported with the bureau through Credit Karma.
Why Does Your Credit Score Stay the Same or Go Down? A lot of factors can cause negative impacts to your credit score, including the age of your accounts, your credit utilization, your payment history and whether there are errors on your report.
If you have the same credit cards and routinely pay them off each month, then your score will simply stay the same because nothing has changed.
How to access your report. You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of three major credit reporting agencies – Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion® – once each year at AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll-free 1-877-322-8228.
The highest credit score you can have on the most widely used scales is an 850. For common versions of FICO and VantageScore, the scale ranges from 300 to 850 and lenders typically consider anything above 720 excellent credit.
WalletHub is more like Credit Karma in terms of content and features, though Credit Karma offers a much better, more cohesive interface. WalletHub hasn't changed much since we reviewed it last year; the biggest new features are the excellent Android and iOS apps.