You can see your credit score free from your bank, credit card company, or the three major credit bureaus
Your bank or credit card issuer almost certainly shows your score for free in your online account or mobile app. Log in and look for a section called "Credit Score," "Credit Insights," or "Account Health" — the name varies by institution. This score updates monthly and costs you nothing.
If your bank does not offer it, the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — each let you see your score free once per year at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can also visit each bureau's website directly: Equifax.com, Experian.com, and TransUnion.com. Each one offers a free score option, though they may also show you paid products on the same page.
A third option is free credit monitoring services like Credit Karma, NerdWallet, or Discover's Credit Scorecard. These show your score and update it regularly, and they make money from ads and referrals, not from charging you. They are legitimate tools, though the score they show may differ slightly from the one a lender sees.
Key Takeaways
- Your bank or credit card company shows your credit score free in your online account, updated monthly.
- AnnualCreditReport.com lets you see your score from all three bureaus once per year at no cost.
- Free credit monitoring sites like Credit Karma update your score regularly and do not charge you.
- The score you see may differ from the score a lender sees, because lenders use different scoring models.
- Checking your own score does not hurt your credit, no matter how many times you do it.
Why your bank's score is often the easiest option
Most major banks and credit card companies now show your score in their apps or websites as a standard feature. Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, American Express, Discover, and Capital One all do this. You do not have to ask for it or sign up for anything extra — it is already there if you have an account.
The advantage is that you see it whenever you log in, so you can track changes over time without visiting a separate website. The score updates monthly, usually on the same day each month. This makes it easy to see how your recent payments or credit changes affected your number.
The score your bank shows is usually a FICO score or a VantageScore, which are the two most common models. Most lenders use FICO, so the score your bank shows is likely close to what a mortgage lender or auto lender would see. However, lenders sometimes use industry-specific versions of these scores, so the exact number may still differ.
How to use AnnualCreditReport.com for your official bureau scores
AnnualCreditReport.com is run by the three credit bureaus and is the only site authorized by federal law to give you your free annual credit report. You can also request your score there, though the process is separate from the report itself.
Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and click "Request Your Credit Reports." You will answer security questions to verify your identity, then choose which bureau's report you want to see — or request all three. The site will show you your credit report for free. Your score is not always included in the report itself; you may need to look for a separate "Credit Score" section or link.
If the score is not shown on AnnualCreditReport.com, visit each bureau's website directly. Equifax.com, Experian.com, and TransUnion.com each have a free score option. You will need to create an account and verify your identity. The process takes about 10 minutes per bureau. You can do all three in one sitting or spread them out across the year.
Free credit monitoring services and what they show
Credit Karma, NerdWallet, and Discover's Credit Scorecard are free services that show your credit score and update it regularly — usually weekly or monthly. They do not charge you because they earn money when you click through to credit card offers or other financial products. Using them does not obligate you to apply for anything.
These services typically show a VantageScore, which is slightly different from the FICO score that most lenders use. The difference is usually small — within 20 to 30 points — but it can matter if you are close to a cutoff for a loan or credit card. If you see a score of 650 on Credit Karma but a lender tells you your FICO score is 620, that gap is normal and not a mistake.
The advantage of these services is that they update your score frequently and show you what is driving it — which accounts are helping or hurting you, how much of your available credit you are using, and whether you have any negative marks. This information is useful for understanding what to work on next.
The difference between hard and soft inquiries when checking your score
Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry, which does not affect your credit at all. You can check it as many times as you want — daily, weekly, or monthly — and your score will not go down. This is true whether you check it through your bank, a credit bureau, or a free monitoring service.
A hard inquiry happens when a lender pulls your credit to decide whether to give you a loan or credit card. Hard inquiries can lower your score by a few points and stay on your report for about a year. But checking your own score is never a hard inquiry, so you should not hesitate to look at it regularly.
This distinction matters because some people avoid checking their score out of fear it will hurt them. That fear is unfounded. Monitoring your score is a good habit and costs you nothing in terms of credit damage.
Why different scores show different numbers
You may see three different scores when you check with your bank, a credit bureau, and a free monitoring site. This is normal. The reasons are: different scoring models (FICO vs. VantageScore), different versions within each model (FICO has dozens of versions for different industries), and different timing of when each source updates your information.
A mortgage lender might use FICO Score 2, an auto lender might use FICO Auto Score 8, and a credit card company might use VantageScore 3.0. All three are looking at the same underlying credit report, but they weight the information differently. A score that is 680 on one model might be 710 on another.
The most important thing is to track your score over time using the same source. If you check your bank's score every month, you will see whether it is going up or down. That trend matters more than the exact number, because it tells you whether your recent behavior is helping or hurting your credit.
What to do if you cannot find your score through your bank
If your bank does not show your score in the app or online account, call their customer service number and ask whether they offer free credit score monitoring. Some smaller banks and credit unions do not, but most large institutions do. If yours does not, you have two other free options: AnnualCreditReport.com or a free monitoring service like Credit Karma.
You can also ask your bank whether they plan to add this feature. Many banks have added it in recent years as a competitive advantage, so it is worth asking. In the meantime, use one of the free alternatives above.
Do not pay for a credit score or credit monitoring service. Everything you need is available free from legitimate sources. If a website asks you to pay to see your score or says you need to buy a product to access it, that is a scam or a misleading sales tactic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking my credit score hurt my credit?
No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and does not affect your credit at all. You can check it as often as you want. Only hard inquiries from lenders — when you apply for credit — can lower your score slightly.
Which score should I trust if I see different numbers?
If you are applying for a specific type of loan, ask the lender which score model they use. For general tracking, use whichever source is most convenient — your bank, a credit bureau, or a free monitoring service. The trend over time matters more than the exact number.
Is Credit Karma safe to use?
Yes. Credit Karma, NerdWallet, and similar free services are legitimate and do not sell your personal information. They make money from ads and referrals. You do not have to apply for any offers they show you.
Can I get my score more than once per year?
Yes. You can check your score as many times as you want through your bank, free monitoring services, or the credit bureaus' websites. The once-per-year rule applies only to your free credit report, not your score.
What if my score is different at each bureau?
Your score can differ because each bureau may have slightly different information on your credit report. If the difference is large, request your credit report from each bureau at AnnualCreditReport.com to see whether there are errors you need to dispute.