There are; however, alternatives to getting your credit score. To offer an alternative, some professional websites provide an estimate of your credit scores.
These sites use key factors that go into calculating your scores, and what you can do to improve credit. That's crucial, as banks are facing government restrictions on how they can lend credit and to whom and under what terms. It's the credit score that lenders use in gauging whether you are a low or a high risk. And now it's not just credit card companies, banks and lenders... these days even employers, apartment managers, utility companies and others rely on credit scores.
Of course the best way to get your accurate credit score is to buy it from one of the three major credit report bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), or to buy it from Fair Isaac which is the originator of the widely used FICO credit scores.
When you order your annual free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com, you can also order (but you'll have to pay for), your credit score.
Credit reports can span pages of detailed account history and can be hard to understand.
HOW TO READ A CREDIT REPORT
As if it credit reports alone weren't difficult to understand, there are also variations among credit scores, depending on which scoring model is being used and which credit bureau the data are pulled from.
Lenders may choose from FICO, from the VantageScore, or from any one of the credit bureaus' individual scores. Adding to the confusion, lenders may choose from multiple versions of the same scoring model. FICO, for example, recently rolled out its latest version, FICO 08.
Get an estimate of your credit score with relative ease at the websites below:
| Company | Pro | Con | Other Info |
|---|---|---|---|
AnnualCreditReport.com | The procedure for getting the free credit reports online was relatively quick and easy. | You have to pay separately to get your credit scores. | Detailed online reports include account-balance histories and a look at who's recently inquired about your credit. |
Credit Karma | You can get credit score updates daily. | It includes more advertising and product pitches than the other sites. | It keeps track of your past scores so you can monitor your progress. |
Quizzle | You can get free credit reports from Experian in addition to credit scores. | You can get updated scores and reports only twice a year. | You can dispute any errors on your Experian credit report directly through the Web site. |
| Free Credit Check | |||
It takes less than 2 minutes and doesn't require any sensitive data nor requires an actual credit report inquiry. | It's limited to an estimate, based on your input which won't include any forgotten entries; or errors, that may be on your credit report. | It's simple language, totally free, and you can use it as often as you desire. No registration. |
Tips to improve credit scores - CreditFederal.com offers volumes of tips to improve credit, as well as to establish credit for those with no credit history.
- Improve credit score - Get a higher credit report score for better loans, cards and interest rates.
- Credit card rebuild credit - Apply on the internet for a credit card to rebuild bad credit.
- Improve and Fix Credit Score Ratings
- Establish or Rebuild Credit Without Bad Credit Cards
- Tips To Improve Credit Report Score
- Secured Credit Card to Rebuild Bad Credit
- Improve Credit and Reduce Personal Finance Risk
- Free Tips to Improve Credit Score
- Why Rebuild Bad Credit
- Rebuild Bad Credit Securely
- Chargeoff Credit Card Debt and Rebuild Credit Score