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Consumers members can check credit scores for free – without hurting their score.

Monitoring your credit score is a smart move because it reflects financial activity happening under your name. If your goal is to improve your credit score so you can get loan, or update an existing loan with better terms, monitoring can help you manage debt.

Notice an unexpected drop in your credit score? This could signal identity theft or a possible reporting error. The advantages of credit score monitoring are clear. In recent years, many apps have appeared that promise to help monitor your score and manage debt, but are they actually worthwhile? In most cases, the answer is no.

According to Consumer Reports, buyers should be aware that many credit score apps have significant drawbacks. In addition to unreliable scores, popular monitoring apps—including Credit Karma, Experian Credit Report, Credit Sesame, TransUnion Score & Report and myFICO collect more data about you than they need so they can target you to sell other products and services.[1] Additionally, the credit scores some apps provide are not even the scores lenders use to make lending decisions.[2]

Get your credit score free
As a Consumers member, you can always check your credit score for free. Your number is updated monthly, and you can access it as often as you’d like without hurting your score.

Our service pulls your credit profile from TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting bureaus, and uses VantageScore 3.0, a credit scoring model developed collaboratively by the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This model seeks to make the credit score information more uniform between the three bureaus to provide consumers a more accurate picture of their credit health.

While we don’t use this score for lending decisions, Consumers uses its own lending criteria for making loans, it is a valuable feature that can help you manage your credit. When it comes time to borrow for a big-ticket purchase—such as buying a home or car, or paying for college—you’ll have a clear picture of your credit health. Learn more by checking out the top 10 questions about credit scores.

How to get your free credit report
In addition to monitoring your credit score, it’s also smart to check what’s in your credit report, which does not typically contain credit scores. Some apps tout credit reports as part of their service, but there’s no need to pay for a credit report. Everyone is entitled to get a free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. Check out annualcreditreport.com to get your free reports. Some people stagger their requests to get one credit report every four months so they can regularly stay informed.

If you ever find inaccuracies on your credit report, follow these steps to take to get errors fixed.

The bottom line on credit scores
Use Consumers Online Banking or 5-Star Mobile App for free credit scores at any time. No matter how often you check your score this way, it will never lower your score.

Consumers provides banking services for more than 117,000 members. If you have banking questions, call us at 800-991-2221. We make it easy to bank how you want, when you want.

[1] Gill, Lisa L. The Hidden Costs of Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, and Other Credit Score Apps. Consumer Reports September 30, 2021.

[2] Carrns, Ann. You Can Get Your Credit Score, but You May Have to Pay for It. The New York Times, October 1, 2021.

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Tools and resources

As part of the Consumers family, you have free, unlimited access to financial management services.

Learn more