General Credit Topics

[StartinOver]

Another thought to keep in mind is that if you are unemployed you can get a free report. Does anyone know if you do this, do they report it anywhere, like in the employer section? For that reason it makes me hesitant to request it.

Second question: I have CCT right now, and recently got it reduced to 18.95. It looks like USAA does the same for a lesser price. Is that correct? Is there any other advantage to having USAA, or should I just ask CCT to give me a competitive price to stay?

[RobertEG]

I think wowchad's strategy is excellent!

[indiasnowden]

Thank you very much for this concise guide.  I find it very useful as I am currently shopping for a service.  I just signed up for the free service at Quizzle and am debating about the four month score improvement program at a pricey $75.  Can you tell us anything about the SmartCredit service that advertises as being an interactive option with their SmartApps?  I googled and found a few complaints of uauthorized credit card charges but that was it.  I cannot find any customer feedback posts on the actual service.  Thanks for any info anyone can offer.

[smallfry]

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indiasnowden wrote:

Thank you very much for this concise guide.  I find it very useful as I am currently shopping for a service.  I just signed up for the free service at Quizzle and am debating about the four month score improvement program at a pricey $75.  Can you tell us anything about the SmartCredit service that advertises as being an interactive option with their SmartApps?  I googled and found a few complaints of uauthorized credit card charges but that was it.  I cannot find any customer feedback posts on the actual service.  Thanks for any info anyone can offer.

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No no no. Do not sign on for that.

[Jazzzy]

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indiasnowden wrote:

Thank you very much for this concise guide.  I find it very useful as I am currently shopping for a service.  I just signed up for the free service at Quizzle and am debating about the four month score improvement program at a pricey $75.  Can you tell us anything about the SmartCredit service that advertises as being an interactive option with their SmartApps?  I googled and found a few complaints of uauthorized credit card charges but that was it.  I cannot find any customer feedback posts on the actual service.  Thanks for any info anyone can offer.

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I agree with smallfry. I use Quizzle only for the 2 free pulls each year for Experian. I don't look at their advice or their products.

You can learn everything you want to know about improving your scores for free...here at myFICO. Just read, and ask lots and lots of questions.

[StartinOver]

bump

[llecs]

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StartinOver wrote:

Another thought to keep in mind is that if you are unemployed you can get a free report. Does anyone know if you do this, do they report it anywhere, like in the employer section? For that reason it makes me hesitant to request it.

Second question: I have CCT right now, and recently got it reduced to 18.95. It looks like USAA does the same for a lesser price. Is that correct? Is there any other advantage to having USAA, or should I just ask CCT to give me a competitive price to stay?

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Bumping this?

Right...if you are unemployed you can get an additional copy of your report for free. There are other ways as well, including experiencing adverse action (e.g. closed account, CLD, etc.), placing a FA, being denied for credit, etc. Also some states allow for free copies. Finally, some CMSs will allow you to get some of your CRs for free directly from the CRA. I don't think they report that. Now if you applied for credit and included that you were unemployed, then they'll see that.

USAA is cheaper and hear it's the same. I'd consider switching.

[leah5570]

Could you possibly add next to each service if the score is a FICO or a FAKO? I signed up for the free creditkarma and saw the TU score, and my report card. It showed the number of accounts, and how they advise on it, but not the actual report or any of the account names or info. Is that how it works on their site? Just wondering if the score is FICO. Also, their credit simulator said 6 months of on time payments would cause my score to drop 22 points. Weird. Thanks!

[tbque]

Ilecs, I am currently using the FreeCreditScore.com CMS which is very similar to the freecreditreport.com CMS. I have never checked my FICO scores yet. I am very immersed in credit repairing efforts right now and feel the need to be able to monitor my efforts on all 3 CRs and to be able to see progress through elevated scores as often as possible. What CMS would you recommend for me? Should I try the Credit Check Total CMS or is it best to use one with FICO scores? Thanks in advace for the help! I love myFico!!!

[MarineVietVet]

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leah5570 wrote:

Could you possibly add next to each service if the score is a FICO or a FAKO? I signed up for the free creditkarma and saw the TU score, and my report card. It showed the number of accounts, and how they advise on it, but not the actual report or any of the account names or info. Is that how it works on their site? Just wondering if the score is FICO. Also, their credit simulator said 6 months of on time payments would cause my score to drop 22 points. Weird. Thanks!

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I use Credit Karma but not for the scores. They are not the real deal. But it's not bad for tracking accounts, balances, etc. It pulls information from your TU report but doesn't supply much detail. As far as the simulator I don't use it or any other simulator. It seems like a waste of time but that's just me.

From a BK years ago to:
9/09 EX pulled by lender 802
3/10 EQ- 800
4/10 TU -772

You can do the same thing with hard work

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