You can check your credit score free through your bank, credit card issuer, or the three major credit bureaus themselves
The fastest free option is often your own bank or credit card company. Most major banks and card issuers now show your score directly in their app or online account — usually updated monthly. You do not need to sign up for anything extra or enter a credit card. Log into the account you already have, look for a section called "Credit Score," "Credit Health," or "Account Insights," and it will be there.
If your bank does not offer this, you can get your score free from the three credit bureaus that calculate it: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each one lets you see your score at their own website without paying. You will need to verify your identity by answering questions about your credit history or providing personal details like your Social Security number.
A third option is a free credit monitoring service like Credit Karma, NerdWallet, or Discover's free credit monitoring tool. These show your score and update it regularly, though they make money by showing you credit card or loan offers. The score itself is free to view.
Key Takeaways
- Your bank or credit card company likely shows your score free in their app or website — check there first before going anywhere else.
- Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion each offer free score checks on their own websites, though you must verify your identity.
- Free credit monitoring sites like Credit Karma show your score and update it monthly at no cost, though they display credit offers to you.
- The score you see from your bank may differ slightly from the score a lender sees, because lenders use different scoring models.
- Checking your own score does not hurt it — only hard inquiries from lenders when you explore for credit lower your score.
What you will see when you check your score
Your credit score is a three-digit number, usually between 300 and 850. The higher the number, the lower the risk you pose to a lender. Most lenders consider scores above 670 "good," though the exact cutoff varies by lender and loan type.
When you pull your score, you will also see a breakdown of what goes into it. The five factors are: payment history (whether you pay on time), amounts owed (how much of your available credit you are using), length of credit history (how long you have had accounts open), credit mix (having different types of credit like cards and loans), and recent inquiries (how many times you have recently applied for credit). Your score will show which of these is helping or hurting you most.
The score you see may not be the exact score a lender sees. Banks and credit card companies often use their own scoring models, and lenders may use a different version depending on what they are lending for. A mortgage lender might use a different score than an auto lender. This is normal and does not mean something is wrong with your report.
Checking your score through your bank or card issuer
Start by logging into your bank's app or website. Look for a tab or section labeled "Credit Score," "Credit Health," "Financial Health," or "Account Insights." Some banks put it under "Tools" or "Settings." If you cannot find it, call the customer service number on the back of your card or your bank statement.
The banks that most commonly show scores free include Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Discover, Capital One, American Express, and Citi. If you have an account with any of these, you likely have access. Smaller regional banks may not offer this feature, but it costs nothing to check.
When you find your score, note the date it was last updated. Most banks update monthly, usually around the same day each month. If you checked it last week and it has not changed, it may not update again until next month.
Getting your score directly from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion
Go to the official website for any of the three bureaus. For Equifax, visit equifax.com. For Experian, go to experian.com. For TransUnion, go to transunion.com. On each site, look for a link that says "Free Credit Score" or "Check Your Score." Do not click on ads or links that look like they are from the bureau but are actually from other companies.
You will be asked to verify your identity. The bureau will ask you personal questions about your credit history — for example, "Which of these addresses have you lived at?" or "Which of these is your car loan with?" Answer truthfully based on your actual accounts. If you cannot answer a question, you can usually skip it, but answering more questions correctly speeds up the process.
After verification, your score will appear on screen. You can view it free once per year from each bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the official government site for free credit reports. However, the bureaus' own websites often let you check your score more frequently at no cost.
Using free credit monitoring services
Credit Karma, NerdWallet, and Discover all offer free credit score checks. You create an account, verify your identity the same way you would with the bureaus, and your score appears. These services update your score regularly — usually monthly — and send you alerts if something changes.
The trade-off is that these services show you credit card and loan offers based on your score and credit profile. You are not required to click on any offers or explore for anything. The score itself is completely free to view.
These services can be useful if you want to track your score over time without logging into multiple websites. However, they are not necessary. Your bank's free score or the bureaus' own websites will give you the same information.
Why your score might differ across sources
You may notice your score is slightly different depending on where you check it. This happens for several reasons. First, the three bureaus may have different information about you. One bureau might have an old account that another bureau has already removed from your report. Second, different scoring models exist. Your bank might use VantageScore, while a lender uses FICO. Both are legitimate scores, but they calculate differently.
Third, the bureaus update at different times. Your Equifax score might update on the 15th of each month, while Experian updates on the 20th. If you check all three on the same day, they may show different numbers straightforward because they are current as of different dates.
None of these differences means something is wrong. If you see a large drop in your score — more than 50 points — across multiple sources, that usually signals a real change in your credit, like a missed payment or a new collection account. A small difference of 5 to 10 points is normal and not worth worrying about.
Checking your score does not lower it
Pulling your own credit score is called a soft inquiry and does not affect your score at all. You can check it as often as you want — daily, weekly, monthly — and it will not change your number.
What does lower your score is a hard inquiry, which happens when you explore for credit. When you explore for a credit card, car loan, mortgage, or personal loan, the lender pulls your credit report. That hard inquiry can lower your score by a few points. Multiple hard inquiries in a short time can have a bigger impact, though inquiries for the same type of credit (like multiple mortgage applications within 45 days) usually count as one inquiry.
This is why you should check your own score before explore for credit. Knowing your score helps you understand which lenders are likely to approve you and what interest rate you might get. You can then explore strategically instead of explore everywhere and taking multiple hard inquiries.
What to do if you find an error on your report
When you check your score, also look at the summary of your accounts and payment history that comes with it. If you see an account you do not recognize, a payment marked late that you made on time, or a balance that seems wrong, you can dispute it.
Contact the bureau that reported the error. You can dispute online, by mail, or by phone. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion all have dispute processes on their websites. You will need to explain what is wrong and provide any proof you have — like a bank statement showing you paid on time, or a letter from the creditor confirming the account is not yours.
The bureau has 30 days to investigate. If they find the information is wrong, they will remove it or correct it, and your score may go up. If the error is not fixed, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at consumerfinance.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my credit score hurt it?
No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and does not lower your score. Only hard inquiries from lenders when you explore for credit affect your score. You can check your score as often as you want.
Why is my score different on different websites?
Different sources use different scoring models, and the three bureaus may have slightly different information about you. Small differences of 5 to 10 points are normal. A large drop across multiple sources usually means something real changed in your credit.
Can I get my credit score free if I have bad credit?
Yes. All the methods described here — your bank, the bureaus, and free monitoring services — show your score regardless of whether it is high or low. Your score is free to check no matter what number it is.
What is the difference between a credit score and a credit report?
Your credit score is a three-digit number based on your credit history. Your credit report is the detailed record of your accounts, payments, and inquiries that the score is calculated from. You can get your free credit report once per year at AnnualCreditReport.com.
How often should I check my credit score?
There is no set rule. Some people check monthly to track progress, others check once or twice a year. If you are working to improve your score or about to explore for a loan, checking monthly makes sense. If your credit is stable, checking once or twice a year is enough.