Many people think they have only 1 to 3 scores. The truth is much more complex. Depending on the type of credit you are applying for and who is requesting it, your credit score could vary widely. The lender chooses a scoring model—and there are many different kinds, specifically for things like mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and more—including which bureau your credit is pulled from. While most products show you only one or two of your many credit scores, ExtraCredit’s Track It feature shows you a wide range of possibilities: 28 of your FICO® Scores. It’s a great way for you to keep track of where you currently stand and see changes and factors that may need your attention.
You’ll see 10 FICO® Scores, 9 FICO® Bankcard Scores, and 9 FICO® Auto Scores. You will also be able to find out more information on each of those scores and why it might be used by a lender. For example, three of your FICO® Scores are used predominantly for mortgage lending. FICO® Score 9 is the newest scoring model and is the main score we display for each bureau, though some lenders are still evaluating this version before they start using it.
Because you upgraded from our free Credit Report Card, your Credit.com information is still available to you—but we have added even more features. Under “My Grades,” you can still see your report card from each bureau, but you can also view each individual credit report that is available to you from TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. By selecting “See Details” under each score factor, you can view your available credit reports and see what companies are reporting to the bureaus.
Different Scores
When you log in to ExtraCredit, you are able to see 9 FICO® Scores, 9 FICO® Bankcard Scores, and 9 FICO® Auto Scores. Each score is used for a different purpose. Your Equifax FICO® 5, Experian FICO® 2, and TransUnion FICO® 4, for example are the scores that are most likely to be looked at by mortgage lenders. Simply click “See details” under each score to see more about what that score is used for.
Note: when you are researching mortgage lenders, you should ask them what score they are looking at as not all lenders look at the same score to determine credit risk.
How often is my score updated?
Your FICO® scores from TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax on ExtraCredit is updated as often as once every 30 days.
As a third-party site, we rely on the three major credit bureaus to provide an updated credit score every 30 days. Please note that your score is not updated in real time. So if you’ve recently made a change, like paying off a credit card balance, it might not be reflected in your score right away.
Also keep in mind that different lenders and creditors may update your information with them at different times. If your creditor has reported new information to the bureaus, it could take over 60 days for your report to be updated. If you don’t see the expected changes after 60 days, you can also contact your creditor to see if they’ve reported the updated information to the bureaus.
If you don’t see your score in TrackIt, it’s possible that there’s a freeze or lock on your credit file. If you choose to unfreeze your credit file to view your credit scores and reporting information in ExtraCredit, you may need to wait until your next 30-day update or contact support to have your information re-pulled. You can submit a request via email to support@credit.com or submit a request through our online form here.
To see when your next update is scheduled, visit https://secure.credit.com/track-it or go to the TrackIt dashboard.
Why are there so many scores?
All our answers are based on the same fact: You don’t have one credit score. There are many different credit scores used for different purposes, which are calculated based on your credit information.
Modeling or mathematical calculation differences: Vantage scores provide an alternate version of your FICO score. This will give you a reasonable picture of your FICO score, but is based on different mathematical calculations. VantageScore is typically not used by lenders. It’s used to help educate a consumer on their own credit behaviors. FICO scores are used by lenders to determine the credit risk of a consumer. Each of these are modeled differently because they’re used for different things.
According to some estimates, the average American can have over 35 credit scores, and they are used for a variety of reasons. Most are designed to predict risk, and they’re generally calculated based on data from one or more of the three major credit bureaus, but the purposes of the different scores may vary. There are many different types of scores, including:
Generic scores designed to predict how consumers may repay a variety of different loans.
Industry scores created to predict performance on certain types of loans such as auto loans.
Custom scores that are customized for the lender’s own specific customer base and purposes.
Educational scores created to show consumers how different types of information in their credit reports impact their scores.
A credit score is typically created using information from one of the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. Each of these companies maintains its own information and they do not share data with one another. While many lenders report to all three major credit reporting agencies, not all do. In addition, mistakes on one or more of your credit reports can create differences.
Your credit scores are dynamic, and change as more information is added to the calculation. Both credit scores and credit reports are compiled when they are requested. That means that if a lender requests your credit score one week and another lender requests it a few weeks later, the resulting number could be different because different information was available to create the score.
Download Full Credit Reports
ExtraCredit provides our users with their full credit reports from all three major credit bureaus—TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. In order to download your report, please click on the Track It icon at the top of the home page. Scroll down to ”My Grades” and select the “See Details” option under any of the credit score factors on your Credit Report Card. Make sure to select the appropriate bureau at the top of the page for each report you want to download. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select "Download Full Credit Report."
You can also download your full credit reports past and present by clicking the profile icon at the top right of the webpage, and then selecting “My Account.” From there, select the “ExtraCredit” dropdown menu, then click “Credit Reports.” You will be able to adjust the bureau, month, and year for the report you want to download. Keep in mind that past reports can only be downloaded for the timeframe that you have been a customer of ExtraCredit.