Credit Check Total or MyFico??

[djescobar973]

So is CCT just FAKO or is it FICO. I'm just trying to understand if one is paying for MyFico, I assume it's becuase they want access to their FICO scores. Outside of being cheaper, is CCT similar? I currently use CK but just a reference. I also pay Experian $9.00 bucks a month for their FICO 8. They all seem to report the same data to me. I've also pulled my annual free reports and they all have the same data. Is it worth another monthly fee to view more scores?

[Anonymous]

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@djescobar973 wrote:

So is CCT just FAKO or is it FICO. I'm just trying to understand if one is paying for MyFico, I assume it's becuase they want access to their FICO scores. Outside of being cheaper, is CCT similar? I currently use CK but just a reference. I also pay Experian $9.00 bucks a month for their FICO 8. They all seem to report the same data to me. I've also pulled my annual free reports and they all have the same data. Is it worth another monthly fee to view more scores?

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CCT is FICO8 Experian daily, and all three bureaus' FICO8 weekly.

[Appleman]

I have signed up for quite a few services in the last month:

myFICO - Been a long time user and had the ultimate 3B plan. Best thing about this plan is getting to see all of the varieties of scores. Problem is only once every 3 months getting a new report with all score types updated. Slow to update, could lag up over a week compared to other services unless you ponied up almost $50 for a refreshed 3B report with scores.

CCT: Only the FICO8 (matches myFICO) all three reports can be updated every month. The deal to try the service for a dollar for 7 days. Cancel by phone (all automated) and they will offer 1/2 off for 5 years ($14.97/month).

Credit Karma: TU and EXP Vantage scores Free, why not?

Credit Sesame: TU for free. Not much new information.

Wallethub: Free TU

Quizzle: Same info as others, not worth it to me even free.

Experian: Same as CCT but for EXP. Better options IMO. Quick alerts for inquiries/changes.

Equifax: Better options available IMO. Quick alerts for inquiries/changes

No real opinions on the three below.

CapitalOne:Free Occasional alerts

Barclays: Free infrequent alerts but score close to FICO8

AMEX: Free Don't remember many if any alerts.

Annual Free Credit Reports: I recommend that you get these (no scores, no service fee) but would recommend that you do one every 4 months (start with EXP, 4 months later get TU, 4 more months EXP) unless you are having issues or want to check all your files prior to obtaining a mortgage.

Ultimately, I have kept CCT as my only paid service. If myFICO offers a discount or return offer I would readily come back.

Forums: myFICO is my favorite and Credit Boards if you are curious about topics that might violate the TOS here. 

I readily admit that I was very curious about a topic (M$, trying not to violate TOS with this post) but after reading the material realized that it was not something I would be comfortable particiapting in.

I most enjoy Revelate and CAPTOOL on these forums. They have both been very helpful to members and help keep the discussions positive while providing real useful information. There are many others that are great on these two forums, but if I see a post from either I will read the post.

[takeshi74]

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@djescobar973 wrote:

So is CCT just FAKO or is it FICO.

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Info is on their site right there on the home page.

https://www.creditchecktotal.com/

Credit score calculated based on FICO Score 8 model.

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@djescobar973 wrote:

I'm just trying to understand if one is paying for MyFico, I assume it's becuase they want access to their FICO scores.

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People have various reasons for using myFICO.  Some assume it's the only source for "true" FICO's.  Some want access to more FICO models than just the FICO 8's that CCT provides.  Some probably have other reasons as well.  That's not intended to be an exhaustive list, just illustrative.  The way to select a service is just like any other decision process -- sort out your needs/wants and use that to find the solution that best suits you.  If you need help with that process we can certainly assist.

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@djescobar973 wrote:

Outside of being cheaper, is CCT similar?

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They're similar in that you get report data and FICO 8's.  They are also different.

CCT provides updates on a regualr basis.  Updates for Experian report data and scores are more frequent than for the other 2 CRA's.  myFICO is a trigger based service.  Updates and alerts are only provided when there is a data change in a report that is a trigger.  Not all activity is a trigger so myFICO may not alert/update.  If you're thinking of using myFICO monitoring then make sure you're aware of what is and what isn't a trigger.

http://myfico.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/463/~/understanding-what-triggers-fico%C2%AE-3-bu...

myFICO does provide quarterly reports and access to the additional FICO models as indicated on the Compare Our Products page.

http://www.myfico.com/Products/Products.aspx

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@djescobar973 wrote:

I currently use CK but just a reference. I also pay Experian $9.00 bucks a month for their FICO 8. They all seem to report the same data to me. I've also pulled my annual free reports and they all have the same data. Is it worth another monthly fee to view more scores?

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Barring data issues with a given service the information should be the same.  They're all getting report data from the big 3 CRA's.

Worth is a highly subjective matter regardless of topic.  It's your call to determine worth on any topic.  If you want our input then you need to clarify for us how your determine the worth of these things.  I don't pay for any service.  I've used CCT and it's a good service with an excellent price if you make use of the trials and/or cancel for a reduced rate however I don't really see the need to constantly subscribe to it myself.  YMM can certainly V on that though.   I do use CK to monitor report data.  I don't obsess over the numbers though I do get FICO's from several of my credit cards.  If I feel the need I may make a one time purchase from myFICO.  If you find access to more scoring models beneficial and you're willing to pay then it may be worth it to you.

My take on it would be that if you know the scoring model and CRA used by a creditor product and you're applying for credit and want to know what score will be pulled for you and the service offers the score/CRA combo used by that creditor/product then knowing the score could be benfifical.  I'd generally suggest learning tio evalaute your reports versus worrying over numbers.  I'm not saying that you'll be able to determine what your scores should be but any score is based on the data in a report and a good report will lead to good scores.  That said, some find it useful to have a simple metric like scores to determine their situation and progress.

Again, it's your call to make.  Just carefully review the data on the different sites and be specifically aware of the scoring models offered.  A FICO 8 is a FICO 8 regardless of where it came from.  If a TU FICO 8 from service A and a TU FICO 8 from service B were generated on the same day with the same data then the number generated should be the same.  Where the numbers generated can differ is when the scoring model isn't the same and/or the data isn't the same.  Different CRA's could be one cause for data differences.  Time could be another reason as reports aren't static.  A TU FICO 8 generated for you today may not produce the same number as a TU FICO generated next month, for example.

[Anonymous]

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@Appleman wrote:

I have signed up for quite a few services in the last month:

myFICO - Been a long time user and had the ultimate 3B plan. Best thing about this plan is getting to see all of the varieties of scores. Problem is only once every 3 months getting a new report with all score types updated. Slow to update, could lag up over a week compared to other services unless you ponied up almost $50 for a refreshed 3B report with scores.

CCT: Only the FICO8 (matches myFICO) all three reports can be updated every month. The deal to try the service for a dollar for 7 days. Cancel by phone (all automated) and they will offer 1/2 off for 5 years ($14.97/month).

Credit Karma: TU and EXP Vantage scores Free, why not?

Credit Sesame: TU for free. Not much new information.

Wallethub: Free TU

Quizzle: Same info as others, not worth it to me even free.

Experian: Same as CCT but for EXP. Better options IMO. Quick alerts for inquiries/changes.

Equifax: Better options available IMO. Quick alerts for inquiries/changes

No real opinions on the three below.

CapitalOne:Free Occasional alerts

Barclays: Free infrequent alerts but score close to FICO8

AMEX: Free Don't remember many if any alerts.

Annual Free Credit Reports: I recommend that you get these (no scores, no service fee) but would recommend that you do one every 4 months (start with EXP, 4 months later get TU, 4 more months EXP) unless you are having issues or want to check all your files prior to obtaining a mortgage.

Ultimately, I have kept CCT as my only paid service. If myFICO offers a discount or return offer I would readily come back.

Forums: myFICO is my favorite and Credit Boards if you are curious about topics that might violate the TOS here. 

I readily admit that I was very curious about a topic (M$, trying not to violate TOS with this post) but after reading the material realized that it was not something I would be comfortable particiapting in.

I most enjoy Revelate and CAPTOOL on these forums. They have both been very helpful to members and help keep the discussions positive while providing real useful information. There are many others that are great on these two forums, but if I see a post from either I will read the post.

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Just a correction: CK is TU and EQ, not EX. If one wants their EX VantageScore, credit.com offers it for free. The bad thing is they don't provide a full CR like CK, but rather just a snapshot of it.