It doesn’t matter if we like credit scores. It doesn’t matter if we agree with credit scores. They’re here to stay so we might as well know our score – and we shouldn’t have to pay for it.
This article will show you how to get and monitor your credit score – for free – without a credit card.
Who to trust
I work to find the best “free credit report” services so you don’t have to. I research them, try them, and compare the offers to see who has something worth using. Who do I trust? Mmm, several – but I like Credit Sesame the best.
Free credit score and more
Credit Sesame offers a 100% free personal finance credit and debt management tool with no credit card required or trial period. Their mission is to make managing credit, owing less in interest, and saving money on mortgages and other loans easy through their online interface.
Here’s how Credit Sesame’s tools help you, for free:
- Free Credit score and profile alerts – They provide your score and alert you of any changes to your score and credit profile, for free, for life, without taking your credit card to do it.
- Manage your credit and debts – Automatically track and monitor your loan and debt information and tell you how you’re doing by showing your loans, debt and credit all in one place. You’ll know where your credit score stands every month, and understand how to improve your debt situation.
- Showing you more ways to save – They monitor the lending markets and track data from major banks so you can check back daily to find out if they’ve found ways for you to save by consolidating debt.
- Goal planning for the future – Wondering how much you can save if you had a better credit score or a higher income? They have a “What If” section that lets you see how much you’ll save and what you’ll be prequalified for as your financial situation changes.
- Personalized mortgage refinancing options – Refinancing saved us more than $40,000 over the lifetime of our mortgage. Credit Sesame applies bank analytics to your credit profile showing you the best home refinancing options available to help you save on your home loan.
How Credit Sesame makes money
Credit Sesame makes money when you save money. If they find you a higher interest paying bank account and you sign up, they earn a commission. If they find you a better home refinancing option and you take their advice, they earn money. If you never take their advice it doesn’t matter, you still have access to your free credit score and all the tools for life. That’s why I’m telling you about it as the best option out there to get your free credit score without having to give your credit card number.
What is my credit score?
I used Credit Sesame to get my free score. 793 baby! After you visit Credit Sesame and find your free credit score, share your score in the comments… see if you can beat my score of 793!
Enjoy this quick video showing my score along with a brief overview of the Credit Sesame interface.
(if you don’t see the video in your email click here to watch.)
What is your score?
After you visit Credit Sesame and find your free credit score, share your score in the comments… see if you can beat my score of 793!
My friend Neal over at WealthPilgrim.com, a Certified Financial Planner, also highly suggests using Credit Sesame to get your free credit score with no credit card, but he didn’t share his score… is he afraid my 793 will beat him? Mwhahahah!
I made the big mistake of getting sucked into a website where they promised a free report. Unfortunately, they were tricky about charging me. They made me sign up and enter my credit card number in case I didn’t cancel before the trial ended. They had a pop up and I clicked enter and it ended up charging me for an extended version of what they were offering. It was a huge hassle to get it off my credit card — I wasn’t paying for something I did not ask for! I learned the hard way to be leery of websites intentionally trying to get you to agree on paying for something you have no idea you’re even purchasing! Proceeding with caution when attempting to access your score is definitely a great tip…
Oh, and my score is 740! I just scored the Chase Sapphire actually. Hoorah for two free plane tickets!
804, baby!
Drats, beaten again! Good job Thomas.
Thanks, man. I was actually pretty surprised to see that my score was above 800 because we paid our car and our student loans off in 2010 (after we had checked our score) and it was my understanding that paying off such debt can actually make your score go down.
Oh, another surprise I came across while checking my credit was that I have a Chase Visa card WITH A BALANCE!!!! I’ve never had a Chase Visa card before!!!!! After doing some research, I found out that the card belongs to my parents. The reason it is showing up on my credit is because my parents were listed as custodian on my checking account back when I was in high school, and, even though I closed that custodial account years ago, the Chase system is still showing I’m linked to my parents and all their accounts. At any rate, I reported this to Chase and they’re having the card removed from my credit and they’re completely removing me from their system. WHEW! This goes to show that it’s a great idea to check your credit regularly.
Exactly… we HAVE to be disciplined to watch our credit, and sources like this that help us do it continually – and for free – are awesome.
789… just a hair behind you!
789 is a score to smile about – but I still beat you! 😉
For a free credit score in Canada you can go to the Transunion and Equifax websites.
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