Where You Can Get Your Credit Score for Free: The Definitive List
We’ve listed the best places to get your free credit score in alphabetical order so you can quickly scan to see if your financial institution or website of choice is listed here. We are not paid to include any of these companies on our list; we just wanted to create a definitive reference list and handy tool to help you in checking your credit scores.In some cases, it can be difficult to determine details of these offers, including which credit report was used to supply the data, and which credit score(s) these sources show. Where available, we’ve shared that information here.
(Editor’s Note: Many of the major credit issuers are partners of Nav, but this does not result in any preferential editorial treatment.)
Amazon Store Card
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / VantageScore
American Express
Available to anyone, not just credit cardholders
TransUnion / VantageScore 3
Bank of America
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / FICO
BarclayCard
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / FICO
Capital One
Available to anyone
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Chase Journey
Available to anyone
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Chase Slate
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Citi
Available to select credit cardholders
Equifax / FICO Bankcard Score 8
Citizen’s Bank
Available to credit cardholders
Equifax / FICO
Commerce Bank
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / FICO Bankcard Score 9
Core Credit™ by Equifax
Available to anyone
Equifax and VantageScore 3.0
CreditKarma
Available to anyone
Equifax and TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Credit.com
Available to anyone
Experian / VantageScore 3.0
Credit Sesame
Available to anyone
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Discover
Available to anyone
Experian / FICO 8
Experian Freecreditscore.com
Available to anyone
Experian / FICO
First Bankcard*
Available to credit cardholders
Experian / FICO Bankcard Score 9
Grow Credit
Available to customers
Experian and Equifax / FICO
HSBC
Available to credit cardholders
Equifax / FICO
LendingTree
Available to anyone
Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Mercury Card
Available to credit cardholders
Unknown bureau / FICO
Merrick Bank
Available to credit cardholders
Experian or TransUnion / FICO
Mint
Available to anyone
Experian / VantageScore 3.0
Nav
Available to anyone
Personal: Experian and Transunion / VantageScore 3.0
Business: Equifax, Experian, Dun & Bradstreet / Delinquency score, Intelliscore, and Paydex
NerdWallet
Available to anyone
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Ollo
Available to credit cardholders
Bureau unknown / FICO
Payoff
Available to customers
TransUnion / FICO 8
PNC Bank
Available to credit cardholders
Experian / FICO
Rakuten Visa
Available to credit cardholders
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion / VantageScore 4.0
Rocket HQ
Available to anyone
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
SallieMae
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / FICO 8
Self
Available to customers
Experian / VantageScore 3.0
SunTrust
Available to credit cardholders
Equifax / FICO Bankcard Score 8
Union Bank
Available to credit cardholders
Experian / FICO Bankcard Score 9
US Bank
Available to online banking customers
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
WalletHub
Available to anyone
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
Walmart
Available to credit cardholders
TransUnion / FICO Score 8
Wells Fargo
Available to online banking customers
Experian / FICO 9
WisePiggy
Available to anyone; partnered with Credit Sesame for credit score
TransUnion / VantageScore 3.0
*First Bankcard works with some 250 banking and co-brand partners that may extend this program to their customers. Examples include New York Life Insurance Company, Scheels All Sports, Overstock.com, and Sheetz, among others.
Many Credit Unions Offer Free Credit Scores
In partnership with FICO’s Open Access program, a number of credit unions (along with several of the banks listed above) offer free FICO scores. In addition, other credit unions have partnered with Credit Sense by SavvyMoney to provide credit scores. These show VantageScore scores based on TransUnion credit data.Note that these free scores may be available only to certain customers such as online banking customers, or to credit cardholders.
Credit Unions Offering FICO
- 1st United Credit Union
- Affinity Federal Credit Union
- America First Credit Union
- American Heritage Credit Union
- Baxter Credit Union (BCU)
- Chevron Federal Credit Union
- Community Credit Union Florida
- Digital Federal Credit Union
- DuPont Community Credit Union
- Elements Financial
- Fairfax County Federal Credit Union
- Farmer’s Insurance Federal Credit Union
- Firefighters First Credit Union
- Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union
- Fortera Credit Union
- Forum Credit Union
- Freedom Credit Union
- General Electric Credit Union
- Healthcare Systems Federal Credit Union
- Harvard University Employees Credit Union
- Interra Credit Union
- Keypoint Credit Union
- Langley Federal Credit Union
- Listerhill Credit Union
- Los Angeles Police Credit Union
- Mass Mutual Federal Credit Union
- Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
- Mill City Credit Union
- Mountain America Credit Union
- Mutual Security Credit Union
- NASA Federal Credit Union
- NatCo Credit Union
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union
- NSWC Federal Credit Union
- PenFed Credit Union
- Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union
- Premier America Credit Union
- PSECU
- USF Federal Credit Union
- Robins Financial Credit Union
- Sharonview Federal Credit Union
- Signal Financial Federal Credit Union
- SkyPoint Federal Credit Union
- Stanford Federal Credit Union
- Star One Credit Union
- State Employees’ Credit Union
- TrueCore Federal Credit Union
- TruMark Financial
- Whatcom Educational Credit Union
Credit Unions Offering VantageScore
- Advantage One Federal Credit Union
- American Airlines Credit Union
- Anoka Hennepin Credit Union
- Capstone Federal Credit Union
- Caro Federal Credit Union
- CODE Credit Union
- Community Service Credit Union
- Complex Community Federal Credit Union
- Conservation Employees Credit Union
- Credit Union 1
- Credit Union Advantage (CU Advantage)
- Dupaco Community Credit Union
- Houston Metropolitan Federal Credit Union
- Kemba Indianapolis Credit Union
- Midcoast Federal Credit Union
- One Community Federal Credit Union
- One Nevada Credit Union
- Oswego County Federal Credit Union
- PCM Credit Union
- Sea West Coast Guard Federal Credit Union
- Space City Credit Union
- Spokane Teachers Credit Union
- State Department Federal Credit Union
- Susquehanna Valley Federal Credit Union
- T&I Credit Union
- Target Corporation Credit Union
- Technology Credit Union
- Town and Country Federal Credit Union
- Tulsa Federal Credit Union
Financial Counseling Programs Offering Free Scores
Here’s a list of counseling agencies that provide free FICO scores to clients:- Ariva.org
- Capital Good Fund
- Center for Changing Lives
- Compass Working Capital
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo, Inc.
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Savannah
- Consumer Credit of Des Moines
- Economic Opportunity by Janus
- Financial Pathways of the Piedmont
- Guidewell Financial Solutions
- Housing and Credit Counseling Inc.
- Justine Petersen
- La Casa de Esperanza, Inc.
- Navicore Solutions
- Northwest Access Fund
- Oakland Planning and Development Corporation
- One Treasure Island
- Operation Hope
- Wings for Women and Families
- Women’s Employment Network
Want to Dig Deeper?
When you get your credit scores or your credit report, you may have questions like the followingMy credit scores are different; why?
You don’t have a single credit score; you have many. The actual number can vary depending on which credit bureau provided the information used to create the score, the score that was used (FICO 9 or VantageScore 3.0, for example), and even the date the credit score was calculated. Always pay attention to which credit reporting agency data is used and understand the credit score range (300 – 850, for example, or 0-100 in the case of some business credit scores). Beyond that, though, don’t get too hung up on a particular number. Instead, focus on the factors affecting your scores, and see if there are areas where you may be able to do better.Which credit score is best to check?
There is no single “best” source of credit scores or one credit score that’s the best either. Lenders may use different credit scores and may work with one or more of the major credit bureaus to purchase those scores. Generally, it’s a good idea to make sure your credit reports are correct and up-to-date by checking with all three major consumer credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). If you are a small business owner, you’ll also want to monitor your business credit with agencies such as Experian, Equifax, and Dun & Bradstreet.Learn more: Experian business credit report
How often do my credit scores change?
Information in credit reports can change any time a lender provides new data to the credit reporting agencies. (Many update information on a monthly basis but the actual date can vary.) In addition, credit reports and scores are created when someone requests them. So the credit score you see today could be different than the one you see next week or next month if the information that goes into that report has changed. That’s why regular credit monitoring is a good idea, at least monthly.Which credit score will my lender use?
Lenders can choose from a variety of credit scores, including business and/or personal credit scores, and they can choose which credit reporting agency they get them from. Lenders don’t usually reveal this information, though a few are transparent about it. However, there are a number of forums (see below) where applicants discuss their experiences applying for credit.You can also learn more on forums and sites that discuss free credit scores, including more details about individual scoring models. Individuals may also share which credit scores were used when they applied for credit: CreditBoards, MyFICO Forums, and Reddit.
What other information can I get with my credit score?
Many of these sites, in addition to providing your credit score, offer other services that help you keep an eye on your finances. Most also offer a free credit report, which will show you credit inquiries and credit utilization.Many offer free credit monitoring and will send you alerts if there is suspicious activity on any of your accounts that might be identity theft. Others offer a credit score simulator that will show you how your score will change if you, for example, buy a house or pay off some of your debt. And still others help you with a credit freeze, which ensures that no unauthorized credit inquiries can be made without your permission.
