Your credit score plays a crucial role in your financial life. Whether you're applying for a credit card, buying a car, or getting a mortgage, lenders look at your credit score to decide if you're a trustworthy borrower. However, as important as it is to monitor your score, it’s just as crucial to know that you can do it without spending any money. Yes, you can check your credit score every month without paying a dime.
In this blog, we’ll cover the best free ways to check your credit score monthly, how each one works, and how to keep your financial data safe while doing so.
Why Check Your Credit Score Monthly?
Monitoring your credit score on a regular basis comes with many benefits:
- Stay informed: Know your credit standing before applying for loans or credit cards
- Detect errors: Mistakes on your report can hurt your score
- Prevent identity theft: Spot fraud early by watching for unusual activity
- Measure your progress: See the results of your efforts to build or repair your credit
Let’s take a look at the best tools and platforms that let you track your score at no cost.
1. PFscores
PFscores is a newer, growing platform that offers users free monthly access to their credit score. It’s built with simplicity in mind and focuses on user privacy and secure data handling.
- No credit card required to sign up
- Offers soft-inquiry credit checks (no impact on your score)
- Includes tips on improving credit and financial literacy content
PFscores is designed to help individuals take control of their credit health through a clean dashboard and easy-to-understand insights. It’s a solid option if you're looking for a fresh, user-friendly tool to monitor your score monthly at no cost.
2. Credit Karma
Credit Karma is one of the most popular platforms that offers completely free credit score monitoring. You get access to your TransUnion and Equifax scores, updated weekly. It also provides useful insights and tips on how to improve your score.
There’s no credit card required to sign up, and it uses a soft inquiry, so your score won’t be affected when you check it.
Features include:
- Credit monitoring alerts
- Personalized recommendations
- Breakdown of credit score factors
It’s available both on desktop and mobile apps, making monthly tracking easy and accessible.
3. Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame offers free access to your TransUnion VantageScore, updated monthly. Like Credit Karma, it’s completely free and safe to use.
You can also sign up for free credit monitoring alerts to stay informed of changes to your credit profile.
Why choose Credit Sesame?
- No credit card needed
- Offers identity theft protection tips
- Tracks debt-to-income ratio and credit usage
Although it only shows one bureau’s data, it still provides a reliable way to track your score without paying anything.
4. Experian Free Account
Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, offers a free membership that lets you check your FICO® Score once a month. This is especially valuable because most lenders use FICO scores to make lending decisions.
With a free Experian account, you get:
- Monthly FICO Score updates
- Credit monitoring alerts
- Access to your Experian credit report
You also have the option to upgrade, but the basic service is 100% free and gives you accurate, up-to-date information.
5. Credit Card Issuers
Many credit card companies now offer free credit score tracking as a perk for customers. Some even make this feature available to non-customers. These are updated monthly and are available in your online banking dashboard or app.
Some notable examples include:
- Capital One CreditWise (open to everyone)
- Discover Credit Scorecard (free for all users, not just Discover cardholders)
- Chase Credit Journey
- American Express MyCredit Guide
These tools use soft inquiries and update your score monthly, often with helpful breakdowns of your credit factors.
6. Use Mint by Intuit
Mint is a free budgeting app by Intuit that also provides access to your credit score. When you sign up, you can view your VantageScore from TransUnion and get insights into what’s helping or hurting your credit.
Highlights include:
- Free monthly score updates
- Credit report summaries
- Financial tracking and budgeting tools
It’s a great all-in-one financial app for users who want to track their spending and credit score in one place.
7. AnnualCreditReport.com (Bonus Tip)
While AnnualCreditReport.com is best known for providing your full credit reports once a year from each bureau, it’s worth mentioning because it allows weekly access to reports through at least the end of 2025.
While it doesn’t show your credit score, reviewing your credit report each month can help you spot errors and understand the factors influencing your score.
Pair it with one of the free score tools above, and you’ve got full coverage—without paying a penny.
What to Watch Out For
When looking for free credit score tools, it's important to be cautious. Here are some things to avoid:
- Sites asking for payment info: If a platform claims to be free but asks for your credit card number, it might start charging you after a trial period.
- Hidden fees: Always read the fine print.
- Fake websites: Only use well-known services. Be wary of unfamiliar websites offering free scores—they might be phishing scams.
Always make sure the site is secure (look for “https” in the URL), and never give out personal data unless you’re sure it’s a legitimate source.
Final Thoughts
Staying on top of your credit doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, thanks to many free and trusted services, it doesn't have to cost anything at all. By checking your credit score monthly through reliable platforms, you can protect your identity, catch errors early, and build a strong financial future.
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