Why Is There No FICO Score-Only Purchase Option?

[Anonymous]

This will hopefully not be a redundant question but since the three credit reporting agencies are bound by law to provide one free credit report to consumers annually, why isn't there an option to allow the purchase of the three FICO scores only? 

Why should one have to purchase a credit report that one has already received free in order to gain access to their three FICO scores?

There should be a less expensive option that grants access to the three FICO scores alone without the addition of the actual credit reports themselves.

[haulingthescoreup]

It's the FICO scores that cost. The reports come along with them free. The reports are necessary to create the scores.

And since the FICO scores (even though pulled here) are generated at the credit agencies, you're also paying them.

If you're talking about the scores that you can buy directly from the credit bureaus in addition to your reports, those are FAKO's and not worth the ink in the ink-jet to print them out. (Except for Equifax which will sell you your EQ FICO score.)

[Barry]

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@Anonymous wrote:

This will hopefully not be a redundant question but since the three credit reporting agencies are bound by law to provide one free credit report to consumers annually, why isn't there an option to allow the purchase of the three FICO scores only? 

Why should one have to purchase a credit report that one has already received free in order to gain access to their three FICO scores?

There should be a less expensive option that grants access to the three FICO scores alone without the addition of the actual credit reports themselves.

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Hi chgotop....In addition to what hauling just said, to fully understand why your score isn't higher/lower, you really should have the credit report from which the score was calculated. For example, your report from annualcreditreport.com yesterday may not have the same information as today, in which case yesterday's report may not explain today's score. Great suggestion, though!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the assist to the newbie (Rule #1, drop the font size ).  I definitely overlooked the necessity of having the most current bureau reports upon which said FICO scores are calculated and the need to purchase both now makes more sense to me.

Luckily, I have learned much from the carefree days of my youth and my FICOs are north of 800 so there's no immediate pressing need to micromanage this process. I suppose it was a bit of unfair backlash related to the rash of "for fee" services, FAKOs and other "pay for this" offerings that seem to have sprung up since the implementation of the free annual reports. I suppose that revenue must be generated somehow, right?

Thanks again !