Online services offering free use of your credit score have proliferated recently. This growth shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, considering how important one’s credit score is becoming in determining use of various life opportunities.
Seeing this trend, several banks and creditors have decided to obtain the action, offering free credit score access to customers and non-customers alike. Chase is one such bank. Via Chase Credit Journey, Chase is now offering you free access to your VantageScore from TransUnion, updated weekly. Although accessing this selection is quick and easy for Chase members, you don't need to have accounts with Chase to use Chase Credit Journey.
Let’s explore exactly what Chase Credit Journey has to offer you and set up service is genuinely free and safe.
What Is Chase Credit Journey?
Chase Credit Journey was launched in 2022 by Chase as a way for anybody — not only Chase account-holders — to check on their credit rating for free. Your score will refresh weekly, if you can check it without notice without any restrictions. Checking your credit rating through Chase Credit Journey will not affect your credit score.
Now, you won’t be seeing your FICO score — the score relied on by most creditors when looking for potential customers. Instead, you’ll be seeing your VantageScore credit rating. I’ll get into what which means for you personally later.
Along with use of your VantageScore, Chase Credit Journey provides the following additional services:
- See the following information from your TransUnion credit report (and get Credit Alert notifications whenever the following changes):
- New credit inquiries
- New accounts opened
- Address changes
- Account status changes
- Fraud alerts
- Delinquent account notices
- New public records reported in your credit report
- Track your credit rating changes (you’ll see how your score is different with every weekly update)
- Credit Score Simulator — shows how actions you might take can impact your credit score
- See which Chase credit cards you prequalify for
Is Chase Credit Journey Free?
Yes, Chase Credit Journey is free. Chase is really a large, thriving banking institution with lots of different ways to create revenue!
Can Anybody Subscribe to Chase Credit Journey?
Yes. Signing up for Chase Credit Journey is simpler if you’re already a Chase account holder — in fact, all you need to do is click on Chase Credit Journey after you sign in for your requirements as you usually do. You can also subscribe to the service without being a Chase member. You’ll have to verify information from your credit report and enter your Social Security number, however.
Credit Scores & Reports Provided by Chase Credit Journey
The credit score you’ll see from Chase Credit Journey is your VantageScore credit score from TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus.
As I said earlier, your VantageScore isn't the same thing as your FICO score, the score utilized by most financial institutions — including Chase itself! — when evaluating potential debtors. VantageScore is a newer credit-scoring formula that weighs certain things differently than FICO when calculating your score. Your VantageScore shouldn’t diverge too much from your FICO score, so it’s still a useful measurement. Find out about the differences forwards and backwards within our guide to credit scoring models.
I should note, however, that Discover’s free credit score service — called Discover Credit Scorecard — does show your actual FICO score (from Experian, that is a separate credit bureau from TransUnion but continues to be one of the three big bureaus). However, with Chase Credit Journey, you’ll get credit rating updates weekly, whereas Discover’s service updates your credit score monthly.
Along together with your score, you’ll see the main factors affecting your credit — details pulled out of your credit history.
You’ll also provide access to other important information out of your TransUnion credit report — information I detailed in the “What's Chase Credit Journey?” section of this article. However, you won’t be able to see your full TransUnion credit history. To access your full credit report from the from the three big credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian), you’ll need to go to AnnualCreditReport.com — this website will give you a free copy of the credit history from each bureau every 12 months.
Other Services Offered By Chase Credit Journey
Chase Credit Journey doesn’t offer as numerous extra services as, say, Credit Karma or Credit Sesame, however, you may have use of several additional features.
Credit Alerts
As I pointed out earlier, Chase will be sending you alerts when any of the following pops up in your TransUnion credit report:
- New credit inquiries
- New accounts opened
- Address changes
- Account status changes
- Fraud alerts
- Delinquent account notices
- New public records reported in your credit report
Credit Score Simulator
This tool allows you to simulate what's going to happen to your credit rating should any of the following factors change:
- Your credit usage
- Your number of balances
- The age of your credit
- Your payment history
- The number of hard inquiries in your credit history (remember, whenever you check your credit score on the site such as this, that’s a soft inquiry)
Prequalified Offers
Chase will show you which Chase charge cards you prequalify for according to your credit information. You may also see if you prequalify for a home loan or refinance your auto loan.
I should note that Chase Credit Journey doesn’t offer the same level of free perks as some non-bank-affiliated free credit score sites. For example, Credit Karma provides a service that allows you to look for any unclaimed money you may be owed, while Credit Sesame provides you with $50,000 of free id theft insurance coverage.
Final Verdict
Chase Credit Journey is really a handy way to keep an eye on your VantageScore credit rating and stay alert to any changes that may adversely affect your credit health. While Discover’s free credit score service enables you to see your actual FICO score, Chase’s service updates your score weekly as opposed to Discover’s monthly updates.
Regardless of how well Chase Credit Journey compares to other similar services, there isn't any risk or downside involved in joining Chase Credit Journey, even if you use other free credit score sites as well.
Should you use Chase Credit Journey’s credit score services?
This service may well be a wise decision if:
- You want use of your VantageScore credit score, updated weekly
- You want access to Chase’s credit alerts
You might opt for a different service if:
- You want use of your credit information from more than just one credit bureau
- You want extra features, such as id theft insurance, in addition to free credit reports and credit monitoring
- You want use of paid subscription plans for any higher level of credit management services
