You can check your credit score for free in less than two minutes on WalletHub, the first site with free daily credit score updates. Just quickly confirm your identity, and you'll get access to your latest credit score, based on your TransUnion credit report. You'll then be able to check your score for free at any time, on any device – including your smart phone and tablet.

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Fortunately, it is now easier than ever to see your credit score without paying for the service. From free credit score websites to credit card companies that offer free monthly credit score updates, there are plenty of places to check your credit score these days. So, the problem is not how to check your credit score, but rather where you should check it and whether you're seeing the latest information. Some free credit scores are updated far more frequently than others, and the services you get along with free scores vary, too.

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You can check your credit score by requesting a free copy of your credit  report by going to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228. Keep in mind that you can only do this once a year.

But if you sign up with WalletHub, you can check your credit score instantly, whenever you want, as many times as you want, and it's completely free!

A good credit score is a credit score of 700 to 749, based on the standard 300-to-850 scale. More than 14% of people have a good credit score, by that definition. A score of 750 or above is considered excellent credit, while scores from 640 to 699 are fair. If you're curious about whether or not you have good credit, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub.

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Below, you can learn more about what having good credit really means, why it matters, how much money it can save you, and more. Just remember that individual lenders have the final say on whether a credit score is good, or at least good enough for approval. So there isn't one standard definition.

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The average credit score in the U.S. is 695 based on the VantageScore model and 714 based on the FICO score model. That means the average American has a good credit score.

Credit score averages vary based on geography and demographics, however. For example, while the average credit score in the North hovers around 728, it's about 30 points higher in all other parts of the country. Additionally, individuals in their 20's have an average credit score of 679, while people in their 50's have an average credit score more than 60 points higher.

Below, you can learn more about the average credit scores by year, state, age and more. Reviewing these credit score statistics will give you a better sense of how good your credit score is relative to those of your peers. Credit-score averages can also tell us a lot about the health of consumers' finances and the strength of the economy.

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You can get a free TransUnion FICO score through a Bank of America credit card account, select Barclays credit card accounts, and Discover's free Credit Scorecard program (open to all).

You cannot get a free FICO score from TransUnion directly. Instead, TransUnion allows you to view your VantageScore by paying $24.95 per month for a TransUnion account. That gives you unlimited access to your credit score, your credit report, and credit monitoring.

You don't have to pay to check your TransUnion credit score, however, and the credit score you check doesn't have to be a FICO score. You can get free daily credit score updates based on TransUnion credit report data from WalletHub. You can also monitor your credit and receive customized advice based on your credit profile.

The most accurate credit scores are the latest versions of the FICO Score and VantageScore credit-scoring models: FICO Score 8 and VantageScore 3.0. It is important to check a reputable, accurate credit score because there are more than 1,000 different types of credit scores floating around.

But if your objective is to see how accurately the credit score you're checking reflects what lenders will use to evaluate an application to borrow, that isn't possible. Lenders interpret credit data from the major bureaus in different ways, using publicly available credit data as the basis for their own proprietary credit score models. A car loan lender might weigh on-time car payments more heavily than mortgage payments, for example.

Checking the same credit score a lender uses isn't really necessary, either. Your credit score shouldn't vary too much from one credit-score model to another. Analysis from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that despite the different models used to analyze credit, the majority provided, “similar information.” If you had good credit from one model, you'd likely have good credit from another.

The best approach is to track your credit score from one reputable source over time. Choosing one model to follow makes any variations in your score from model to model a moot point, and tracking your score's overall trend – whether it's increasing or decreasing – can tell you more than your specific credit score number at a given time. If your score is increasing, good job! You're doing the right things, so keep it up. This upward trend shows your reliability as a borrower and is an indication that, with time, you will be eligible for better borrowing terms and rates. If your score is regularly decreasing, this could be a sign of poor credit habits and could clue you in to changes you need to make in your personal finances.

If you don't know what your credit score is, you can get free daily credit score updates from WalletHub. You'll also get free personalized advice about exactly how to improve your credit score and how long you can expect it to take.

You have a credit score if you've owned and used a credit card or loan in the last six to 24 months, even as an authorized user on a credit card account. Most people get their first credit score within a few months of their first credit account being opened. A credit score is a three-digit number that represents your credit history at a glance.

To see if you have a credit score, sign up for a free WalletHub account. You'll gain access to free credit scores and free credit reports, both updated daily, so you can see when your score is established and what goes into it.

If you do not have a credit score, you are not alone. Recent credit analysis has found that roughly 45 million adults in the U.S. don't have a credit score. Of this group, around 26 million Americans are considered “credit invisible,” which means they do not have any records on file with the major credit bureaus. The other 19 million are known as “credit unscorable.” These individuals may have applied for or held credit in the past, but have either too few or too recent accounts, or have no recently reported activity. They may have credit scores, but only under certain credit scoring models.

It takes time to build a credit score, as the number is really an indication of your credit history. There are several options for people with no credit history to begin building credit, though. For example, you could be added as an authorized user on a trusted family member's existing account, apply for a secured credit card, or set up a credit-builder loan.

When you open a credit card account or take out a loan, it should be added to your credit file within 30 to 60 days of the opening date. It is possible to receive a credit score at this point, but it can take at least six months of paying off a new credit card or loan to be assigned a score. Keep checking your credit report, and as more information comes in, eventually your credit score will be established.

The best way to improve your credit score is to stay on top of your payments. Some debts are considered 'good debt' and are preferred to others. For example, student loans are generally seen as an investment for your future, whereas excessive credit card debts could raise red flags. You can make minimum payments on all the debts and dedicate any extra cash into bad debts or loans with the highest interest rate. 

There are several ways to raise your credit score in 30 days. Reducing your credit utilization is one of the fastest ways to raise your credit score, and you can do it by paying down debt, spending less, paying your bill more often or asking for a higher spending limit. Disputing negative information on your credit report can help quickly, too.

1. Dispute Credit-Report Mistakes
2. Make a Big Debt Payment
3. Reduce Your Credit Card Statement Balance
4. Become an Authorized User
5. Dispute Negative Authorized-User Records
6. Ask for a Higher Credit Limit
7. Write a Goodwill Letter

The bottom line is that your credit score can change anytime new information is added to your credit report or old information is removed from it. Creditors typically report updated information about loans and lines of credit at least once a month, so making the right moves for 30 days can definitely produce results for your credit score.

Below, you will find a collection of tips that should help anyone improve their credit score quickly. You can also get personalized advice for how to proceed by checking out your free credit analysis on WalletHub.

7 Ways to Raise Your Credit Score in 30 Days:

1. Dispute Credit-Report Mistakes. Removing negative information from your credit report is perhaps the best way to generate substantial short-term credit-score improvement. But you can remove such information only if it's wrong or the result of fraud. So go over your report with a fine-tooth comb, cross-referencing each item with your own financial records. If you find something fishy, investigate it further and, if necessary, file a dispute with the credit bureau.
2. Make a Big Debt Payment. How much you owe, especially compared to your income, has a big impact on your credit score because it tells lenders how risky it would be to let you borrow more. A credit score measures your risk to lenders, after all. So the more debt you pay off, the more your score should improve.
3. Reduce Your Credit Card Statement Balance. Credit utilization is calculated by dividing your credit cards' balances at the end of each billing period by their spending limits. So if you reduce the balance listed on your monthly statement, you also reduce your utilization, which in turn improves your credit score. You can reduce your statement balances by spending less, making larger payments, or paying your bill more frequently. For example, paying a credit card's bill twice per month – once before your statement is generated and again before the due date – allows you to lower your credit utilization and avoid interest.
4. Become an Authorized User. If a family member has excellent credit, ask him or her to add you as an authorized user on an existing credit card (preferably an old one with a high credit limit and no negative records). This might take too long to process to benefit you in a month's time. But it should provide a bump pretty quickly.
5. Dispute Negative Authorized-User Records. Not many people know this, but if you are or were an authorized user on an account that is dragging down your credit score, you can ask the credit bureau to remove it from your credit report. Authorized users are not responsible for paying the bill, which means they don't have to suffer the consequences of not doing so. You just have to file a dispute.
6. Ask for a Higher Credit Limit. More available credit will reduce your overall credit utilization ratio, a key component of your credit score. Be careful, though. Many credit-card issuers will re-check your credit history — causing a hard inquiry and short-term credit-score damage — before approving a higher limit. So make sure to ask about your creditor's policies first. You should also make sure all your credit limits are expressed accurately on your credit reports. If a listed limit is lower than it should be, ask the issuer to report an updated figure to the credit bureaus. Take note, however, that if you have an “NPSL” credit card, there might not be much you can do about an unusually reported credit limit.
7. Write a Goodwill Letter. If your credit report bears only a minor blemish — one late payment, perhaps — and the rest of your credit history is solid, you can try asking the issuer for a favor. For example, you could call and make a case for why your slip-up should be forgiven and stricken from the record, so to speak. Or you could send an official “Goodwill Adjustment Letter,” which formalizes the request. This tactic is most successful before a negative record actually makes its way to your credit report. But it's worth a shot afterward as well.

You can keep track of your credit score's latest developments by signing up for a free WalletHub account. WalletHub offers free credit scores and full credit reports that are updated on a daily basis. 

Finally, it's important to remember that true credit building is a multi-year process. You'll still need to manage your money responsibly moving forward for your 30-day credit-score gains to last.

Capital One CreditWise is good because it's a free way to check your credit score anytime. It will also send you email alerts when there's important activity on your credit report, such as a hard credit inquiry or a new credit card account. Plus, it's available to everyone who signs up on the CreditWise website, not just Capital One customers. The credit score you get is the VantageScore 3.0 model, based on your TransUnion credit report.

Many credit card issuers – including American Express and Barclaycard – have added free credit tracking services that send your credit score once a month or a week, like Capital One. But CreditWise goes beyond that and not only alerts you to new credit activity, it also provides a lot of information on what affects your score, as well as easy ways you can improve it.

For example, CreditWise offers a credit score simulator, with which you can see how decisions like paying off abalance, opening a new credit card, or making a late payment could affect your credit.

CreditWise has 6 different sections on what factors are affecting your credit score. The sections can be found on the CreditWise dashboard and include on-time payments, your available credit, how much of your available credit you're using, your oldest credit line, new accounts from the past 2 years, and recent inquiries.

You'll receive a score in each of the sections – “below average,” “average,” “good,” or “excellent.” And CreditWise tells you how much each section impacts your overall score. For instance, “On-time Payments” has the greatest impact on your score, while “Available Credit” has the least impact. There's also a “Score Improvement” section where you can find personalized suggestions for improving your credit score.

The biggest downside to Capital One CreditWise is that it only updates once a week. You can find services that send you daily updates, along with a lot of the same information CreditWise provides. Regardless of which credit score site you choose, staying aware of your credit score is a necessity.