Free Place to Check on Your Credit

There are several websites that can provide you with your credit score absolutely FREE! So don't get scammed into paying for a credit score check when you can use all of these sites to do it for absolutely no charge at all.

Credit Karma

Credit Karma provides free credit scores and reports from TransUnion and Equifax that are updated weekly (no credit card required). The free TransUnion and Equifax credit scores you get through Credit Karma are based on the VantageScore 3.0 model. The VantageScore is a scoring model created by a collaboration among the three major credit bureaus to create a score that is more consistent from one bureau to the next and more accurate compared with traditional FICO scores. (Learn more about Credit Karma accuracy.)

You also get free credit monitoring for your Equifax and TransUnion reports, a credit factors analysis that summarizes key details from your credit reports, and a free credit score simulator that shows you how various actions, like adding a new credit card or increasing your credit line, are likely to affect your credit score. Credit Karma also offers a free auto insurance score.

Credit Karma does not sell its customers' information to advertisers, but it does recommend specific financial products based on your credit profile and it makes money if you open an account with one of its advertising partners.

Nerdwallet

Nerdwallet offers consumers a free VantageScore credit score and a free TransUnion credit report. You can get your free score weekly. Like the other sites in this article, Nerdwallet doesn't require users to provide a credit card.

When you view your credit score through your Nerdwallet account, you'll see how much factors like your payment history and age and type of credit affect your credit score. Nerdwallet also provides credit card and loan recommendations and may receive compensation from those companies.

Annual Credit Report

Under Federal law, you are entitled to a copy of your credit report (not your score) once a year from each credit reporting company. You can request these through annualcreditreport.com. A good strategy is to pull one from each of the three credit reporting companies every four months. This ensures you have eyes on your credit information consistently throughout the year.