Hi Giles...and welcome to the forums.
No, checking your own credit does not affect FICO scoring. I believe when we check our own credit, it is shown as what is called a "soft pull" by whichever vendor we use on our credit reports. Our creditors don't see those inquiries.
The inquiries that creditors do see are the inquiries called "hard pulls" which we get when we apply for credit and the potential creditor pulls our credit report. Those types of inquiries can cause you a minor FICO ding, but they are necessary to get new credit. You just want to use them selectively and wisely.
