topic Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card? in Understanding FICO® Scoring

Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:03:32 GMT

A friend of mine wants to know if you can purchase credit scores from myfico using visa debit card, or if they only accept credit cards?

Same question in regards to purchasing a credit score directly from Equifax, do they accept debit cards? Equifax labels it a Equifax Credit Score but does not specify if it is the offical FICO score or not.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

fused — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:09:44 GMT

Yes, you can use Visa/MC debit cards to buy reports here at myfico. As for the CRAs, I'm pretty certain you can still use the same debit cards. The EQ score at their website IS a FICO score, and it should be the same score that you get from here.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:35:38 GMT

thanks for the reply. I thought that myfico was the only place to get real FICO scores....did that change?

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

MarineVietVet — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:41:27 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
thanks for the reply. I thought that myfico was the only place to get real FICO scores....did that change?

You can only buy true FICO scores at a few places. One place is here at myfico. I suggest you do an internet search for "myfico discount codes" to save a little money. You can also purchase your Equifax score at www.equifax.com (If you look hard enough) and your Transunion score at www.transunioncs.com.

From a BK years ago to:
9/09 EX pulled by lender 802
3/10 EQ- 800
6/10 TU -772

You can do the same thing with hard work

Credit Scoring 101
Common Abbreviations
Frequently Requested Threads
Whats In Your FICO Score

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:52:47 GMT

thanks for info...yea I'm confused on what the item called Equifax Credit Score is on the EQ site, it doesn't specify whether it's a FICO. So EX scores are totally unavailable to consumers(any update on that?) but EX credit reports continue to be available, correct?

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

llecs — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:03:14 GMT

The scores from Equifax.com are FICO scores. You should see the FICO mention plastered around. I use one of their services now and have the option to upgrade each pull with a new FICO.

Nope, still no consumer access to EX FICO scores other from your lender or from a CU in PA called PSECU. Anyone can pull their EX credit report at anytime and is available in many, many places. Now scores are often sold with that. Ignore any scores or advice that goes with it.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:41:09 GMT

I'll have to go back on EQ site and check for FICO logo. Did you pay 7.95 for the score from EQ? And it was genuine FICO? I was skeptical it was a genuine FICO since the price seemed low.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

MarineVietVet — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:08:44 GMT

I want to edit my earlier post to say this:

I keep reading you can buy your Equifax score at www.equifax.com but I have yet to find the option of buying just a score without credit monitoring. If someone can direct me there please do.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:23:55 GMT

@MarineVietVet wrote:
I want to edit my earlier post to say this:

I keep reading you can buy your Equifax score at www.equifax.com but I have yet to find the option of buying just a score without credit monitoring. If someone can direct me there please do.

From a BK years ago to:
9/09 EX pulled by lender 802
3/10 EQ- 800
6/10 TU -772

You can do the same thing with hard work

Credit Scoring 101
Common Abbreviations
Frequently Requested Threads
Whats In Your FICO Score

After I requested my free yearly credit report it had a link to purchase a Equifax credit score for 7.95. But I didn't see any FICO logo so I don't know, I think I have 30 days to buy it for 7.95. It's confusing, I don't know if it's just a score or includes trying the credit monitoring.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

MarineVietVet — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:03:39 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

After I requested my free yearly credit report it had a link to purchase a Equifax credit score for 7.95. But I didn't see any FICO logo so I don't know, I think I have 30 days to buy it for 7.95. It's confusing, I don't know if it's just a score or includes trying the credit monitoring.

It is confusing and it shouldn't be that way. I've never followed that link for an EQ score after pulling my free report so I can't say whether it's a EQ FICO or not.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:20:25 GMT

can someone post a link to where they sell the genuine FICO on the EQ site? I can't find it.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Lel — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:37:16 GMT

They've made it harder to find. Here's the link:

http://www.equifax.com/credit-score-watch/

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Duke-of-Earl — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:02:44 GMT

Responding here only to OP question about debit card purchase:

@Anonymous wrote:
A friend of mine wants to know if you can purchase credit scores from myfico using visa debit card, or if they only accept credit cards?

Same question in regards to purchasing a credit score directly from Equifax, do they accept debit cards? Equifax labels it a Equifax Credit Score but does not specify if it is the offical FICO score or not.

"It depends", as usual. I pay Equifax a monthly subscription for Credit Watch Gold on a debit card, never any problem except my bank e-mails an alert about it every time. I know, this isn't strictly purchasing a score, but I expect that wouldn't make any difference. BUT, when I tried the same thing with TU's True Credit, they sent back an email, "We have experienced some difficulties processing the payment for your Credit Monitoring subscription. If you are attempting to pay with a debit card or bank card, please try again using a regular credit card." YMMV

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:16:14 GMT

@Lel wrote:
They've made it harder to find. Here's the link:

http://www.equifax.com/credit-score-watch/

Thanks. What is the smartest and/or most economical way to use ScoreWatch? So every time it tells you your score has changed it doesn't tell you the actual score? It only offers 2 actual score pulls. When is the best time to use up those 2 pulls?

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

haulingthescoreup — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:56:29 GMT

The e-mail or text that you get doesn't tell you your new score --privacy reasons, I guess --but when you log on to myFICO and click on Scorewatch, you can click on the alert and see your new score. But if you want to see what changed on your report, you have to pull a report.

You get the first one immediately, and you pull the second pre-paid (aka "free") report later. After that, subsequent reports are 30% off.

If you can resist the urge to pull a report, the alerts alone are enough to track your score. Also, the graph with your EQ score history will tell you where you are.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:58:42 GMT

@haulingthescoreup wrote:
The e-mail or text that you get doesn't tell you your new score --privacy reasons, I guess --but when you log on to myFICO and click on Scorewatch, you can click on the alert and see your new score. But if you want to see what changed on your report, you have to pull a report.

You get the first one immediately, and you pull the second pre-paid (aka "free") report later. After that, subsequent reports are 30% off.

If you can resist the urge to pull a report, the alerts alone are enough to track your score. Also, the graph with your EQ score history will tell you where you are.

Thank you for the information. You mention logging into myFICO. I'm referring to the link from EQ; I thought it would be done through the EQ website. But I guess both myFICO and EQ offer the same exact product? I'm also surprised that you said you get an actual FICO score with each alert; I thought you only get 2 FICO scores with the purchase of ScoreWatch.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:54:43 GMT

You get two score reports with Scorewatch.

I haven't seen the version directly from Equifax, so I don't know if they're different, but I know we have members here who have used it. I hope they can answer your question about that.

Here's what my most recent alert from Scorewatch (via myFICO) looks like (sorry, I had to make it big so that you can read where it gives the new score):

edited again: I found the alert from the 52-point loss for a new 30-day late posting! This marked the day that I snapped out of my credit coma. As with so many alerts, the suggested reason wasn't the problem. It's that the Sears account posted for the first time with a late. Why it took so long to show up, I have no idea:

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

vanillabean — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:43:52 GMT

Haha, are you getting all sentimental today, Hauling? But surely fine, your 781 looks rock solid.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:56:00 GMT

lol, it was rock solid for 5 minutes, until the last card updated to $0 and I dropped 12 points to 769.

I wanted to post the other to show that we all start somewhere, and with time, effort, and understanding of how credit works, anyone can improve their scores. It doesn't happen overnight though, that's for sure.

eta: Aha, I found and posted the alert with the shiny new score of 590. This marked the last late payment that I ever plan to have.

Re: Purchase Credit Score with Debit Card?

vanillabean — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:24:23 GMT

@haulingthescoreup wrote:
lol, it was rock solid for 5 minutes, until the last card updated to $0 and I dropped 12 points to 769.

It just occured to me that if a 0% util would ding you while 1% is better than 10% which is better than 50%, which percentage between 10 and 50 would correspond to 0? Is say 20% as bad as 0? Is 25% worse? Of course EQ and TU are different animals, but sometimes one can get the feeling from the advice of some that 0% is the lethal equivalent of 90%.