Discover Credit Monitoring

[TeeandDee]

Can someone please help me in understanding this.

I have Credit Montoring with Equifax (FAKO), Score Watch with MY FICO, and just signed up for Discover's Credit Monitoring (Experian).  The scores are so all over the place:

With EQ (FAKO) 625 , EQ FICO 663

TU FICO 670

Experian FAKO was 698 in Jan.

Well,  the Discover FAKO scores for all three are 704 today.  YET, I updated my EQ FAKO right after that and it still sits at 625?!  Is there a difference with FAKO's too?! So confused!  I know that the only score that truly matters if FICO, and I'm not ready to pull that for all three until next month when hopefully by then all my new credit cards start reporting.  But I guess I didn't know there was a difference with FAKO scores..lol!

[MarineVietVet]

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@TeeandDee wrote:

Can someone please help me in understanding this.

I have Credit Montoring with Equifax (FAKO), Score Watch with MY FICO, and just signed up for Discover's Credit Monitoring (Experian).  The scores are so all over the place:

With EQ (FAKO) 625 , EQ FICO 663

TU FICO 670

Experian FAKO was 698 in Jan.

Well,  the Discover FAKO scores for all three are 704 today.  YET, I updated my EQ FAKO right after that and it still sits at 625?!  Is there a difference with FAKO's too?! So confused!  I know that the only score that truly matters if FICO, and I'm not ready to pull that for all three until next month when hopefully by then all my new credit cards start reporting.  But I guess I didn't know there was a difference with FAKO scores..lol!

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My advice concerning FAKO scores is always the same: Ignore all FAKO and all aspects of FAKO's all the time. There is nothing about them that is reliable. If you compare FAKO's to themselves you are comparing worthless to useless.

[llecs]

Ditto. Ignore them. If wanting to know about them, the FAKO from Discover is a PLUS score and the FAKO from EQ is an "Equifax Credit Score". Different formulas. Different score ranges.

[AndySoCal]

Most likely two different score models being used would acvcount for the difference.

[TeeandDee]

Thanks everyone! I guess I should just cancel the Discover Credit monitoring, but it does give me access to my Credit report so I'll keep it just for that..lol!

[llecs]

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@TeeandDee wrote:

Thanks everyone! I guess I should just cancel the Discover Credit monitoring, but it does give me access to my Credit report so I'll keep it just for that..lol!

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If looking at the same report format, then consider switching to USAA's product. Anyone can subscribe. It's a similar service with a similar report format, with the same FAKO (ignore the advice too). Instead of pulling once or twice a month, this product allows you to pull all 3 daily. ETA...it's cheaper too.

[vanillabean]

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@llecs wrote:

... USAA's product. Anyone can subscribe. ...

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llecs, are you sure? I value the first-hand knowledge and proven experience of these forums, but a recent thread did not inspire much confidence that everyone can subscribe to the service.

[llecs]

Others posted success. Tell you what, I'll give it a shot right now. I've been meaning to switch from DW's EQ Complete product into something else.

Standby.

ETA...before I forget, I'll post a play-by-play

1) Went to usaa.com

2) Clicked on the link to join

3) I went to register as DW (with her permission of course) and it asked me if she served, if I served, if her parents served, etc., and answered No on each one.

4) Then it took me to the registration page and filled out demographic info

5) Created a username and login

6) Then it said "Welcome to USAA" and gave a member number.

ETA2:

7) It then took me to click a link to take me to USAA's products and services.

8) One of the highlighted links was to the credit monitoring service. I clicked that.

9) Then it said it'll take me away from USAA and a form appeared with DW's info populated into it.

10) It had me retype info like SSN.

11) When it got to the payment page, USAA CCs were first on the list, but I clicked a different CC.

12) Submitted the info.

13) Now takes me to a verification page similar to what you see when you pull your reports. Multiple choice.

14) Done.

ETA 3:

Maybe the CSR was thinking that a membership is required as opposed to a CC. You do have to be a member, but if you never served, then membership is limited and access to the CMS is still available.

[vanillabean]

Thanks llecs, good to hear it works.