Anyone know how to get a free FICO score report?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I know you can order these through the credit bureaus, but they charge a fee for them. Similarly, you can sign up for monitoring services (for which the bureaus charge a substantial fee) but I'm wondering if there's an easy way to get a free one. Anyone know?

[widebody911]

I think the only other way to get a 'free' FICO score is to take out a large loan; even then I wonder if they'll still give it to you.

The credit industry is pretty crooked, if you ask me.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Well, I believe Providian displays your score on their web site whenever you log in (someone I know with a cc through them showed me this a while back) but the thought of paying for a made-up score, much less paying to a credit bureau (puke) is a bit distasteful.

How is it that any number of nameless entities can pull my FICO and have it in five seconds flat but I have to pay for it and go through some elaborate process to get it?

[cashflyer]

Easy-peasy.

The FACT Act established the free annual credit report program. Everyone is entitled to a free copy of their credit report once per 12 month period.
Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp and fill in the blanks.

Yes, it's legit. Check the FTC website to confirm.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.shtm

[masraum]

You can get a free credit report from the link that cashflyer provides above, but it doesn't include your credit score.

BUT, if you pay Equifax, I think $7.95, you can get your credit score.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yes, the government web site is http://www.annualcreditreport.com I just did that (as I do at the end of every year). I'm specifically wondering about the FICO scores, since you are NOT entitled to those for free as you are with the reports themselves per the provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

[Rick Lee]

If you apply for a mortgage, they charge you around $17 for a full credit report. Somehow, I have a little more faith in those than the ones you get for free online. If you know a loan officer, he might be able to snag one for you for free. My problem with doing it online is entering all that info and then being on the list for getting all their spam and junk mail afterwards.

[Christien]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

How is it that any number of nameless entities can pull my FICO and have it in five seconds flat but I have to pay for it and go through some elaborate process to get it?

I own a small car financing company. We pay $12 each time we pull a credit report, in addition to a yearly membership fee for Equifax. The process for you pulling your own is exactly the same. Enter all your vitals, credit card info and you'll have it right away. If you want it for free, they do make you jump through hoops and ladders, but don't think lenders are getting a free ride and getting it easy. In 06 we spent over $1000 in Equifax charges.

edit: BTW, that $12 doesn't include the FICO score. That's extra. We don't use FICO or beacon scores, so we don't pay for them.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I know you can order these through the credit bureaus, but they charge a fee for them. Similarly, you can sign up for monitoring services (for which the bureaus charge a substantial fee) but I'm wondering if there's an easy way to get a free one. Anyone know?

If you're preparing for a mortgage, those scores you get often aren't the same. The scores even vary from different providers, but not as much. I can pull a tri-merge (all three combined into one) for you for $18, but it'll show up as an inquiry and you'd probably lose 3 or 4 points.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

How about those monitoring services? Do those show up as an inquiry also?

They're also not cheap - I think Experian's was $80 a year or thereabouts.

[Moneyguy1]

Sometimes your banker can get one for you gratis.

[Dantilla]

I have a credit line with my bank to buy/sell fixer upper-homes.

As part of the annual renewal, they check my credit report, and will tell me if anything silly shows up.