What time month to purchase a 3 scores and 3 reports plan?

[Anonymous]

One of the CRA's is offering me a 3 scores/3 reports monitoring plan for $4.99 for the first month that I can cancel at any time. I want to buy it and cancel just before the end of the first month. Yes, I am THAT broke and THAT frugal...it's all I can afford right now. I've been rebuilding for nearly a year and never actually seen my CRA FICO 8 scores...just versions through free services like credit karma, credit sesame, and my bank (Chase), and CC Cap One accounts. So I can buy 29 days worth of scores and reports for $4.99 from a CRA. 

My question is: What day of the month do I want to buy this product so that I can get the most current results? Do all of the CRA's update reports on the 1st of the month? 

[Anonymous]

The CRAs are constantly updating information from day to day, so there's no time of the month where information will be "more" current.  What you really want to do is go by the dates that your accounts report.  You can find that from your other free monitoring services.  Chances are they report at different times scattered around the month.  But, if you have say 5 accounts total and 4 out of 5 of them report in the first 2 weeks of the month, perhaps going with the 15th or so would be smart as you'd have the most recent information reported on 4 out of 5 of your accounts.  This is just an example of course.

Since you're cheap, as am I, might I suggest a $1 trial membership with Credit Check Total.  You'll get your 3 scores and 3B reports the day you sign up, then can get them again for free 7-10 days later (your choice which day).  You just need to cancel your trial within 7 days and you won't be billed again.  Then in a month you can rock another $1 trial if you'd like.  When it comes to spending as little as possible, CCT $1 trials are second to none.

[Anonymous]

Great response by BBS as usual.  Let me add that you could sign up for a free monthly report and FICO 8 score from Experian via:

https://www.creditscore.com/

[Anonymous]

Thanks to both of you for info! I had the free Experian and it was Experian offering the 3 scores for $4.99. I've been eyeing that button for a month and I just couldn't resist the temptation to know any longer. Patience is not my strong suit SO...after several months of re-building, I FINALLY know my FICO 8 as of today!

TU 653 EQ 669 EX 646

And I got to see their analysis of what is holding my score down, which was really helpful. These scores are over 50 pts. higher than the free scores at Credit Karma, et al., so a nice surpise that encourages me to keep heading in the right direction. You don't find out until after you purchase that these scores won't update for 90 days   Still, it was worth $4.99 to me to finally know. I'll try creditscore in a couple of months, so thanks for the link!

[Anonymous]

And remember, you can get your 3 scores as often as you'd like with CCT $1 trials, so no need to wait 90 days if you don't want to.

[Anonymous]

Yes BBS. I plan to do that, but may wait a couple of months to let some activity settle down. Great use of $1! I had a HP and a got a new CC yesterday, and I have 4 small TL's going to a $0 balance in about a week. I want to let the dust settle on that activity before I check again. The free scores at Credit Karma, etc., bounce all over the place daily and the stress of seeing 25 point drops, for no apparent reason, makes me crazy. Do the FICO 8's bounce around that much?

[Anonymous]

Scores can yo-yo quite a bit with utilization changes, especially when the percentage changes are significant.  This typically happens when your credit limits are relatively small.  VS 3.0 scores to me have always seemed more volatile, but I don't pay much attention to them and never "check" them... although I do happen to see them when I log into free services like CK or CS. 

[Anonymous]

Ah, that may explain it. My limits are low, but I recently started PIF every month. And I just learned today WHEN to PIF in the statement cycles to keep utilization low. I have learned so much in the few days I have been on the forum! Everyone is very helpful and a wealth of information in all of the boards. I think my rebuild would had gone faster if I had found this place sooner, but it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

That's probably true, but at least you're here now!

As you grow your credit limits, you'll see that your utilization changes become more and more diluted by those greater limits and as a result your scoring fluctuations are far less pronounced. 

Once you get your limits very high, your scores just about become bullet proof to utilization changes.  I went probably a year without any scoring changes at all related to utilization until recently when one of my cards reported off-cycle, which I wasn't expecting.  The result was a 4 point drop, so quite insignificant.  Those 4 points should come back immediately next week when that card reports on-cycle as expected.