topic Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know? in Credit Cards

HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:18:26 GMT

Not wanting to thread jack another topic... I see posts stating "xyz lender has been softing me for a month". I am a member of myfico Score Watch and Credit Check Total. How do I tell the difference between a "soft" and a "hard" inquiry? Seems all of mine are hard. Someone else mentioned they subscribed to EQ "Gold" monitoring and were advised of soft inquiries. Does Credit Check Total also alert on soft inquiries? If so, how do I distinguish the difference? My apologies if this is in the wrong section or duplicitous.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:28:30 GMT

The reports that you get from various credit monitoring services (myFICO, CreditCheckTotal, TrueCredit, CreditSecure, Chase, etc) only show hard inquiries.

To see the softs, you have to have a full report from the credit bureau. It might be one of my posts where you read about EQ Credit Watch Gold. It allows daily pulls of the full EQ report, including softs.

For TU and EX, you have to buy a full report. If there is something that you're disputing on it, you can update your reports to check on the dispute, and that will also let you see any softs.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

JRomulus — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:51:48 GMT

Opening up this old one as a result of my search on the topic of "Where do I see my Softs on Score Watch?"

I spend money annually for the myFico Score Watch and Experian's Credit Expert. I view it as investments in building and maintaining good credit and a tool for financial discipline.

But as Hauling mentioned, all these products show are your Hard inquiries.

But I want to see my Soft inquiries and know who's looking at what and when.

So on both sites above I learned that by going to the "Online Dispute" link for the relevant CRA (in Score Watch you find it on tab 8 "Next Steps"), you then get sent to the CRA's site where you get an updated copy of your (real) report AND the list of all your softs.

Yes, again to her point, you do need to have pulled a report within 30 days, but I assume people who are interested in more than a weekly FICO score might be doing this anyway.

Maybe others knew this, but I never did, and am posting this just in case other myFico members didn't either.

Edit: Yes, I did see this info posted really deep in another thread on the same subject from a while ago, after posting this. Sorry!

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

larinoriani — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:58:29 GMT

If you get your free report from freecreditreport dot com, you can actually see the softs. Go to start a dispute and you'll see a copy of the actual report.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

JRomulus — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:01:22 GMT

Yes, true enough.

But those are once a year per CRA.

I like to check Softs at least quarterly.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

larinoriani — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:13:02 GMT

@JRomulus wrote:
Yes, true enough.

But those are once a year per CRA.

I like to check Softs at least quarterly.

Nope, I think you are talking about annualcreditreport.com, the one I referenced is through Experian and you can request it more than once a year.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

JRomulus — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:17:33 GMT

OK, sorry, got ya. Haven't tried them.

I have Credit Expert and that is also an Experian product, and yes, the same method works there, i.e., through the dispute process.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

DI — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:18:03 GMT

@larinoriani wrote:
If you get your free report from freecreditreport dot com, you can actually see the softs. Go to start a dispute and you'll see a copy of the actual report.

Please don't direct people to that website. The correct website is annualcreditreport.com. That's the site where you truly get a free report. Thanks!

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

larinoriani — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:23:22 GMT

@DI wrote:

@larinoriani wrote:
If you get your free report from freecreditreport dot com, you can actually see the softs. Go to start a dispute and you'll see a copy of the actual report.
Please don't direct people to that website. The correct website is annualcreditreport.com. That's the site where you truly get a free report. Thanks!

Those are two different webseites, and you DO get free EX credit report there. I got mine. It is a legitimate site and don't see the reason why not to mention. Thanks!

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

DI — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:28:31 GMT

@larinoriani wrote:

@DI wrote:

@larinoriani wrote:
If you get your free report from freecreditreport dot com, you can actually see the softs. Go to start a dispute and you'll see a copy of the actual report.
Please don't direct people to that website. The correct website is annualcreditreport.com. That's the site where you truly get a free report. Thanks!

Those are two different webseites, and you DO get free EX credit report there. I got mine. It is a legitimate site and don't see the reason why not to mention. Thanks!

They have defrauded the ill informed in the past. Mainly the people who are just starting the process of rebuilding their credit. Since so many people come to this site that just starting to rebuild their credit and seek advice, it's best to not mention sites like those with hidden fees if the free trail isn't cancelled.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

larinoriani — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:35:39 GMT

Sorry but all the products out there offer free trials, even myfico. And the one offered free there, there is no free trial involved. I find my advice totally adequate to the OP's question. It's just another choice.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

JRomulus — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:52:36 GMT

Anyway, I found the Softs very interesting.

On Jan 18th I applied for an Amex Premier Rewards Gold charge card. It was approved and I had a Hard pull on Experian on the 18th.

The next day, on the 19th on Exp I had Soft pulls from: Amex, Citibank, Wells Fargo and (3 different) Chase (entities). Yes, I have card products with those other banks, which means the Hard Amex pull on the 18th triggered their Softs on the 19th.

Man, they are watching us, aren't they??!!

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

clocktick — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 01:22:26 GMT

How does a hard pull trigger soft pulls? They wouldn't know there's a hard pull until they do the soft pulls, right? Maybe I don't understand how it works.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

JRomulus — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 01:41:33 GMT

Well, maybe an expert can jump in if my assumption is wrong, but the proximity of the pulls (one day apart) cannot be a conincidence.

My first thought is that my current banks must be getting some kind of notification from Experian when a new Hard Inquiry hits a customer's credit record.

Or maybe certain customers.

Some kind of subscription service Experian is selling them for current customers.

Which triggers an automatic soft on their part to check debt levels, lates or # of accounts, etc.

(Before you laugh, I'm in sales and I occasionally buy a D&B report on a prospect company before I try to sell them (why waste time calling on a company who can't pay their bills?) And then, if that company's D&B score should change months later, I get an unsolicited email from D&B saying "Hey, something changed at Company XYZ, come check it out! For a price of course.)

My next thought was possibly if my browsing through Chase and Citi's credit card pages triggered a soft pull from them, for example when I clicked a "what else does citi have for me" link, etc. I did not app anything on either Citi or Chase, was "just looking" and I was signed in to my banking pages, I have checking and card ccounts at both.

For me what was weird was I didn't visit Wells Fargo at all.

And haven't been Softed by any of the 3 since.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:09:35 GMT

@larinoriani wrote:
Sorry but all the products out there offer free trials, even myfico. And the one offered free there, there is no free trial involved. I find my advice totally adequate to the OP's question. It's just another choice.

Hate to continue the thread-jacking, but you participated in getting a "free" credit report from that website, and still somehow didn't know that it automatically enrolled you in a free trial? First, why did you think they asked for your credit card #? Second, what part of "offer applies with enrollment in TripleAdvantage" don't you understand?

If you did indeed get your free report there, check your credit card statement.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

larinoriani — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:55:27 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Hate to continue the thread-jacking, but you participated in getting a "free" credit report from that website, and still somehow didn't know that it automatically enrolled you in a free trial? First, why did you think they asked for your credit card #? Second, what part of "offer applies with enrollment in TripleAdvantage" don't you understand?

If you did indeed get your free report there, check your credit card statement.

OMG NO! THEY DIDN'T OR HAVEN'T CHARGED MY ACCOUNT. THEY WILL TRY TO SELL SOME OF THEIR PRODUCTS (LIKE ANY OTHER SITE) BUT YOU CAN DECLINE THEM AN GET THE FREE REPORT ONLY.

If you'd actually READ; the free trial begins IF you check the box ordering your "free score" as well. I recommend you getting your facts straight before questioning my ability to understand the terms of an offer, or telling me to check my statement. (I check them everyday, thank you) PLEASE see below and notice the wording, what part don't YOU understand??

Add Your Credit Score

Get your FREE Credit Score with your Report when you start your
trial membership in Triple Advantage®!

Membership helps you understand and take care of your credit. Try it FREE!

See how your Credit Score looks and know when it changes
Find out if errors on your Report are impacting your Score
Learn the reasons your Score changes to develop better habits
Upgrading gives you a Free Score AND instant access to your
Report, but is NOT required to get your Free Report.

.IMPORTANT INFORMATION When you order your free score here, you will begin your 7-day trial membership in Triple Advantage® Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 7-day trial period*, you will be billed $14.95 for each month that you continue your membership. You may cancel your trial membership anytime within the trial period without charge

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

MarineVietVet — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:47:27 GMT

I thought Valentine's Day was supposed to bring out good will but this is the second thread today that I've had to remind everyone to be

Friendly, supportive, and respectful.

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

larinoriani — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:16:40 GMT

@MarineVietVet wrote:
I thought Valentine's Day was supposed to bring out good will but this is the second thread today that I've had to remind everyone to be

Friendly, supportive, and respectful.

Sorry Marine, and I always am. But in some cases you need to defend your points if you know you are right....

Re: HARD / SOFT Inquiries: How do you know?

MarineVietVet — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:40:24 GMT

@larinoriani wrote:
@MarineVietVet wrote:
I thought Valentine's Day was supposed to bring out good will but this is the second thread today that I've had to remind everyone to be

Friendly, supportive, and respectful.

Sorry Marine, and I always am. But in some cases you need to defend your points if you know you are right....

Absolutely. And we all should be willing and able to explain our positions and opinions but not at the cost of civility.

I'm afraid most, if not all of us, (yes including myself) write things here that we would be reluctant to say to someone's face or in public.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 9/09 pulled by lender 802, EQ - 10/10-813, TU - 10/10-774

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".