Hi Mods, not certain if this is the correct forum for this, so I will apologize in advance if not, and please move it to where it is best.
This is more of an observation and not really a question, however, frequently , usually new posters mention their Vantage scores rather than their FICO scores. I can’t help but think, if a poster is asking a general question re credit card offers and post their VS because they don’t know their FICO scores, wouldn’t it make sense that IF they have a high VS, they would have a good FICO score and vice versa? I hope I am not opening a can of worms, but I can’t help but think that those who don’t (or can’t afford to) pay for their FICO scores can still keep track of their financial health (imho) by using the free apps using VS. I certainly understand the need for FICO for more detailed questions, I am just not understanding the general questions (btw, I do have the quarterly MyFico and monthly Experian).
Starting Score: 784
They are completely different models and while many consumers will see similar VS3 scores compared to FICO 08, for example, this is many times not the case AT ALL. I’ve posted comparisons before where my VantageScore 3.0 scores were as much as 120 points lower than my FICO 08 scores, and almost all lenders use FICO scores. That was back when I was in the mid-700s and my VantageScore 3.0 scores were in the low 600s!!! Even at this very moment my FICO 08 scores are in the 790s and 800s and CreditKarma is showing a 747 EQ and 764 TU score.
It’s a running joke around here that I never have good approval odds on CK for the CreditOne NASCAR card, but obviously my credit is fine for anything.
The flip side of the coin is that many people will have substantially inflated VS3 scores compared to FICO. It’s not unusual for people to come here wondering why they are declined for credit cards when their scores are in the 700s, only to discover that their actual FICO 08 scores are just scratching 600.
Much of this is because of the way things are weighted between models. VS3 can be much more forgiving for derogatory information. On the other hand, VS3 can be much less forgiving for new accounts and utilization for those with squeaky clean profiles. It always amuses me to see people with higher VS3 scores than me who had BKs or lates, while I have decades of flawless payment history.
Great question... Yes, there does seem to be a correlation with the VantageScore and FICO scores to some degree. From what I have observed, the constant request for FICO scores from others, seems to be because that is what lenders typically use. The VantageScore may be used by a very small group of lenders, but seems to be primarily accessible to consumers for educational purposes only. It is also cheaper to give it out for free and not have to pay the FICO fees to present the FICO scores. Hope this helps somewhat, I am sure others will soon follow to educate us all... 
I completely understand the logic if someone is planning on applying for a cc or a loan. Knowing ones FICO score would be beneficial, as it can be more of an accurate indicator of whether or not an applicant will get approved (as opposed to Vantage). However, VS can be a useful tracking tool if they can’t afford a paid subscription. If their VS is low, then the person needs to work on their credit to elevate it. They would definitely be smart in obtaining their FICO score before applying for any credit product. This being said, I sometimes think there can be a bit of snobbery by some, especially if a newbie comes in with only their VS. The MyFICO forum is the best for education, I’ve yet to find any better. Anyway, I have learned a ton, but am forgiving of those who use VS 😉, as it is better than nothing.
Also, perhaps I should explain my rationale. My FICO scores typically are about 50 points higher than my VS, so, I understand there can be quite a spread in scores. I’m meaning that if I were someone who is tracking my financial “health” using VS, I would know when I’m doing poorly and/or doing better. I hope this makes sense, and not trying to be difficult. 🙂
I don't think there's any snobbery; it's just that it's very rare for any lending decisions to be made using non-FICO scores and for the most part VantageScore scores are completely worthless in almost all cases. No one here can even fathom a guess as to whether someone would be approved for any type of lending product given FAKO scores.
Even as a tracking of general credit health, it's quite flawed. Open a new credit card account with a hard pull while also crossing over a utilization threshold like going from 11% to 8%. FICO might ding you a point or a few points for the new account and HP, but reward you greatly with a huge number of points for lowering utilization, one of the biggest scoring factors. VS might give you minor gains for the utilization, but then might drastically lower your score for the new account and inquiry. It hasn't been unusual for me to do something causing my FICO scores to go up 20-30 points but also cause my VS scores to go down 20-50 points with the exact same data.
Again, for some profiles changes might track very much the same between the different models. In most cases that we see here, they do not. In fairness, a good majority of active posters here do not represent the average consumer who rarely opens new accounts and has had no major delinquencies.
Even without having an account with a lender that provides a free credit score, in the case of Experian FICO 08, that is available free to everyone at https://creditscorecard.com
My vantage scores run a little lower than my FICO scores, but it's not a huge difference. They score mortgage loans by percentage paid, which keeps them lower, because I still owe 93% of my home loan after a refinance. You don't need a paid subscription for FICO scores, because some credit card companies provide them for free. See my signature for more information.
@CAS2019, I get what you're saying. I think the direction or education regarding FICO scores for the most part is due to OPs inquiring about their score or score movement when looking at VS. If the questions revolved around good credit habits I think the FICO score suggestion would still come up but might come up less. As soon as someone makes an inquiry regarding the current status or movement of their VS it seems important to educate or remind them that the same movement and consequences may not be going on with their FICO scores, let alone the varying models.
Before I completely understood the difference I used CK religiously to rebuild my credit. The VS drove me but luckily I wasn't looking to apply for anything so I just focused on better habits and saw my score increase which was encouraging. I wasn't adding accounts and only decreasing UTL so for me CK was an excellent tool and still is for reports and it's frequency.
There's still quite a few posters who don't realize the difference until they join the forum.
