How to Determine Your Credit Score
Your credit score is an important number for you to know. It is used by banks and credit card companies to determine if they will lend you money. Your credit score is also used to determine your interest rate on loans and credit cards. You can find out your credit score by purchasing it through one of the credit bureaus or the Annual Credit Report Service. You can also get your credit score free through the Credit Karma website. Credit Karma displays your TransUnion credit score through their secure site.
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Instructions
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Go to Credit Karma's website and click on the Get Started for Free button.
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Enter your personal information and click on the Join Now button.
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Credit Karma sends an email to the email address you provided. Click on the link in the email and the Complete Registration screen is displayed in your browser. Continue entering your information and click on Get Your Score Free button.
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A Confirm Authorization screen is displayed. Click on the I Agree button. Your credit score is displayed. You can see how your credit score compares nationally and other Credit Karma users by viewing the graphs below your score.
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To monitor your credit score, log in to Credit Karma periodically. Credit Karma retrieves updated information from the credit bureaus and shows your updated credit score. Credit Karma displays a graph to illustrate the changes in your credit score.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also use the Quizzle websites and Credit.com to obtain credit scores online.
Using Credit Karma does not lower your credit score. Credit Karma inquiries are a request on your behalf and are not reported to the credit bureaus.
In addition to knowing your credit score, it is important to monitor your credit report for errors. You can obtain a free credit report each year from the government sanctioned website Annual Credit Report. Note that your credit score is not included in the report, but you can purchase your score for a small fee. If you are unable to request a credit report online, you can contact Annual Credit Report at (877) 322 8228. If you do not want to request the report online, you can download a form from the website and mail it to the Anuual Credit Report Request Service. You can find the address on their website.
If your score is lower than expected, request a credit report to determine if there are any errors. You can also work to improve your credit score by paying your bills on time and eliminating consumer debt.
