Credit Karma Score vs. Your Actual Score

Hi!  Thanks for writing.  The three main credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian) are the main entities that keep track of and report credit scores and are the main places that any entity checking your credit score will go. You are right that those three are the go-to places for keeping track of credit scores.  Banks use Chexsystems, so when you apply for a bank account, they check with that entity, which shows your history with bank accounts. If you often bounced checks or had overdrafts, that history will be recorded there and can affect your ability to open a bank account.

Not only can the credit scores from each bureau differ  a recent article showed that the credit scores you see when you get a credit report may be different from the scores that a lender sees about you.  This CNBC article “Credit scores: Your 'magic number' is an illusion” points out that “In their advertising, TransUnion and Equifax falsely represented that the credit scores they marketed and provided to consumers were the same scores lenders typically use to make credit decisions," according to the announcement. "In fact, the scores sold by TransUnion and Equifax were not typically used by lenders to make those decisions."  The difference lies in where they are pulling from at any given moment, the weights that each bureau gives to credit behaviors, and the delays in reporting that may occur. If you see a big variation in a number from one of the bureaus compared to the other two, you'd want to contact them to ask why. 

So it may be difficult to know exactly what your credit score is when you get ready to borrow money, but you will have a general idea when you pull a report from one or all of the three credit bureaus. It is unlikely that the scores will be substantially different in a way that will affect the rates and credit opportunities offered to you. Best wishes to you!

The different types of credit scores are VantageScore credit scores, FICO scores, and as many as 1,000+ others. These different types of credit-scoring models are used to calculate your credit score based on the contents of your credit reports, and lenders use the resulting scores to evaluate your creditworthiness.

When creditors review an application to borrow, they want to assess your qualifications for their particular credit instrument (e.g. credit card, auto loan, or mortgage). As...

The most accurate credit scores are the latest versions of the FICO Score and VantageScore credit-scoring models: FICO Score 9/10 and VantageScore 3.0/4.0. It is important to check a reputable, accurate credit score because there are more than 1,000 different types of credit scores floating around.

The Credit Scores Lenders Check

If your objective is to see the exact credit score lenders will use to evaluate an application to borrow, that isn't possible. Lenders interpret credit data from...

No, Credit Karma doesn't ruin your credit. Checking your credit score on Credit Karma creates a soft inquiry, or credit check. A soft inquiry does not cause any credit score damage because it does not directly relate to a lender extending an offer for credit to a borrower. This type of inquiry will be noted on your full credit report for informational purposes. You can learn more from our soft credit check guide.

Like Credit Karma, WalletHub...

Much like WalletHub, Credit Karma is a website that offers free credit scores. As such, questions of its trustworthiness are bound to arise. Most of us don't have a lot of experience with credit scores, after all, and many folks' first impressions are probably still tainted by flashbacks to the days when catchy jingles promising free credit scores led only to free trials for pricey subscription services that were difficult to cancel. And while a...

Hi! How frustrating!  And such a wide swing, too.  You would expect some small differences in credit scores among different credit entities but certainly not that dramatic of a difference. A couple of things might be going on.

You say that one check was “soft” and the other “hard” check or pull. This WalletHub article discusses the difference between them. Just like a quick look at a book or magazine results in less information – both good...

The credit score that's used the most is FICO 8. Although there are over a thousand credit scoring models, lenders typically will opt for one of FICO's or VantageScore's calculations, with FICO's being the most popular. Additionally, lenders modify publicly available scores from the likes of FICO and VantageScore to make their own proprietary credit scores, which consumers are not privy to.

Despite the unique calculations, all credit scoring models consider similar factors, including...

Your FICO Auto Score is not available for free, but you can access it directly from fico.com through one of the company's subscription plans, which cost $19.95 to $39.95 per month. Paying for your FICO Auto Score may not be worth it, though, as lenders often use their own customized credit-scoring models. Besides, checking your normal credit score for free can give you a pretty good sense of how good or bad your auto score...

You can see all three credit scores for free by checking WalletHub, Experian, and Equifax separately. If you sign into your free WalletHub account, you can see your latest credit score based on your TransUnion credit report. To see your score calculated with Experian or Equifax credit report data, just create a free online account with each credit bureau. Unfortunately, you cannot get all three credit scores for free in one place.

How You Can See All...

Yes, WalletHub is as accurate as it gets. It's the first (and in our opinion, the best) free credit score provider that updates your credit report DAILY, directly from TransUnion, one of the three major consumer credit bureaus.

We also show you your VantageScore 3.0, which is the first credit score model created in partnership among all three credit bureaus — TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax.  

The only way your credit data wouldn't be...