Why Do I Have Different Credit Scores?

Your credit score can give you quick but valuable insight into the state of your credit health. There are many places where you can check your scores. You can get your score on any number of apps, websites and even from your own bank or credit union. You can also get your score from TransUnion. You can learn about your options to buy a one-time score or a subscription service, which includes access to your score from our Credit Report page.

When checking your score, it may be confusing to see that your score with a bank, lender, credit monitoring service and even TransUnion can all be different. If that’s the case, you probably don’t need to be concerned. There are reasons for score differences, and you can better understand why when you know what credit scores are and how they’re calculated.

What are credit scores?

A credit score is a three-digit number calculated using some of the information in your credit reports. Credit scoring models use many factors to provide a score that represents your history with credit. Examples of these factors include your payment history, account balances and the age of your accounts, among others. A credit score is one thing many lenders look at to gauge how likely you are to pay back credit they may offer you. Knowing and keeping track of your score over the long-term is a smart first step to building healthy credit.

What is the credit score range?

Typically, credit scores are in a range of 300–850. Though, there are some product specific credit scores, like insurance credit scores, that may have a different range. Generally speaking, the higher your score, the better your history of managing debt and repaying credit or loans. What’s considered a good credit score may vary by lender and type of product. A good credit score can help you get approved for loans, but there may be other factors lenders look at before determining if you’ll be approved for credit. For example, mortgage lenders may look at your finances, like your debit-to-income ratio and income, to help with their lending decision.

Why are my credit scores different on different sites?

You may have a different score with each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax and Experian). Don’t be worried if that’s the case. We all collect similar information, and a lot of it overlaps, but scores can vary for a number of reasons. For example, lenders can choose to report to one, two or all three agencies. Because of this, the information in your reports can vary, which is partly why your scores can differ too.

There are also many scoring models. VantageScore® and FICO® are two of the most popular. Credit scoring models can weigh certain information in your reports more heavily than other credit score factors. For example, one scoring model may put more emphasis on total credit usage than others. Because there are varied scoring models, you’ll likely have different scores from different providers. Lenders use many different types of credit scores to make lending decisions. The score you see when you check it may not be the same as the one used by your lender.

Finally, your credit score can change depending on the day it’s calculated, even if the same scoring model is used. This is because scores can change as information in your credit reports is updated. Here’s an example: Say your credit report gets updated on June 10 with an account change reported by Lender XYZ. On June 11, you might log into TransUnion Credit Monitoring and see your credit report and VantageScore® 3.0 score, which has daily refreshes available. This score may be different than the score you see on a partner site, even if it’s also calculated with VantageScore 3.0. The partner score may have been calculated on a different day, like June 9, before your credit report was updated with the information from Lender XYZ.

Lenders tend to provide account updates to your credit reports once a month. But not all lenders provide updates on the same day, so your credit report, and subsequently your credit score, can update frequently.

Should I be worried if my scores are different?

Slight variations between the scores you see usually isn’t cause for concern. But if you find a significant difference, it’s worth investigating. If your credit score dropped unexpectedly, there is a reason why and your credit reports will reveal the reason. It could be because of a high reported balance on a credit card account, a new application for credit, or a sign of identity theft.

Check your credit reports to make sure you recognize all the accounts and the information is accurate. If you find something you believe to be inaccurate, you can dispute that item for free with each of the three credit reporting agencies. If that inaccuracy is on all three of your credit reports, you’ll need to dispute with each agency individually.

Reviewing your reports consistently is a good habit to start if you don’t already. The more you read them, the easier it is to protect against fraud and catch any inaccuracies. You can access your credit reports free each week from the three credit reporting agencies.

If you’re checking your scores and, more importantly, reviewing your credit reports regularly, it means you’re ahead of the game. Obsessing over small day-to-day changes probably isn’t necessary. Continue to stay on top of your credit health and practice good habits to reach your credit score goals.