Right now you have to pay to get the “score”. Sure you can get a free credit “report” but it will not include your score.
Here is some good news seen on CNNmoney.com reporting that reform may be coming that allows for free credit “Scores” …
Washington pushes for free credit scores
By Chavon Sutton, staff reporter CNN
May 17, 2010: 6:47 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — People who are denied credit or a job because of their credit history may soon be able to get their credit score free of charge, thanks to an amendment passed by the Senate Monday evening.
The measure, part of the massive Wall Street reform bill being debated in the Senate, would expand an existing law that, in December 2003, gave consumers the right to one free credit report every year from each of the top three consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
The credit score is a numerical representation of the information in a consumer’s credit report, which covers a consumer’s entire credit history — all debts, payment habits, and jobs held. The credit score is widely used as a shortcut by lenders, so monitoring it is crucial.
But options for getting a credit score have been limited to many “for-fee” sites. Some have lured consumers in by offering a “free” score in return for signing up to a credit monitoring service that could cost $14.95 a month or more, if consumers don’t opt out before the end of the trial period.
The amendment “dramatically increases the number of people getting this critical piece of information,” said Jennifer Talhelm, a spokeswoman for Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who is sponsoring the effort.
A recent survey from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling found that some 65% of adults have not checked their reports in the past year. And nearly one-third of adults don’t know their credit score.
Your credit score is used to determine far more than the cost of borrowing money.
read more here… http://money.cnn.com
