Key Takeaways
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See your FICO® Score on the Discover mobile app, online and statements. It won't hurt your credit.1
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The FICO® Score you get from Discover is based on key categories like payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, new credit, types of credit, and other information in your TransUnion® credit report.
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Checking your FICO® Credit Score for free will alert you to issues you need to correct to help your credit score.
How to check your FICO® Score for free
Discover cardmembers can get your free Credit Scorecard with your FICO® Credit Score and more. Viewing your Credit Scorecard will never impact your FICO® Score. 1
Did you know?
Not a Discover cardmember? Easily see if you’re pre-approved for a Discover card with no impact to your credit score.2
Why should I check my FICO® Score?
90% of top lenders use FICO® Credit Scores, including Discover.1 That’s why Discover provides a FICO® Score instead of any other type of credit score. Lenders will use your credit score to determine your credit risk and creditworthiness. You can use your score to help you prepare for the future, stay on top of your credit, or avoid surprises—so it’s a good idea to review your score regularly.
How is my FICO® Score calculated?
Your FICO® Score is calculated using the information in your credit report from a specific point in time and summarizes your risk to lenders.1 FICO® Scores consider the following five categories when determining your credit rating. The breakdown below shows the impact of these score factors, but your individual score may give some factors more importance based on the information in your credit report.
Why did my FICO® Score change?
The FICO® Score Discover provides is based on the information in your TransUnion® credit report at a specific point in your credit history. TransUnion® is one of the three national credit bureaus. As the information on your credit file changes, your score may also change. FICO® Scores change by 20 points or less, or don't change, for 88% of people each month.3
What if I don’t agree with my credit score or the factors affecting my score?
The FICO® Credit Score that Discover Card provides uses the information in your TransUnion® credit report from a specific time in your credit history. Your score can change month to month if your creditors share new information with the credit bureau. If you believe there's an error, you can dispute any inaccurate information on the TransUnion website. You can also do the following:
- Request your free annual TransUnion credit report at annualcreditreport.com
- Call 1-877-322-8228
- Mail your request to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5281
Request free credit reports once per year
You can also pull your free credit reports from the other two major credit bureaus, Experian® and Equifax®.
Federal law allows you to receive one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. The Federal Trade Commission reports that the three credit bureaus have permanently extended the program to include one free report per week.
You can request your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com (the only website authorized by the federal government). Additionally, you can ask for a free credit report within 60 days of being denied credit.
How can I get a good credit score?
Good financial habits (like consistently paying bills on time, keeping balances low, and only opening new cards when necessary) can all have a positive effect on your FICO® Score. Similarly, hard inquiries, delinquent payments, and past due accounts may impact your score.
Many credit card companies report your activity to one or all three major credit bureaus, so it's important to practice responsible credit habits.
Why is my FICO® Credit Score with Discover different from my other credit scores?
The score Discover provides may be different than other scores you see for several reasons:
- Discover provides your FICO® Score 8, which is one of the company’s most widely used scoring models, according to myFICO. Lenders use several different kinds of FICO® Scores, depending on the type of loan they provide.
- Discover provides your score from data on your TransUnion® credit report. Scores may vary when using data from a different credit reporting agency, like Experian® or Equifax®, because each credit bureau uses a different scoring model, and not all lenders share the same financial information with all the credit bureaus.
- The score Discover provides is a calculation based on your information at a moment in time and will often vary from month to month. Be sure to note your “as of” date when you view your score.
- 90% of top lenders use FICO® Credit Scores,1 but lenders may also use other credit scoring models. Credit scores that aren't FICO® Scores may show other results.
Will checking my FICO® Score hurt my credit?
Discover provides you a FICO® Score for free without affecting your credit.
See if you're pre-approved
With no harm to your credit score2
Will my FICO® Credit Score ever be unavailable?
You may not see your FICO® Score if:
- You have mismatched or missing information, like an address change that hasn’t been sent to either Discover or TransUnion®.
- Your account status is abandoned, bankrupt, fraud, lost or stolen, closed, revoked, or charged off.
- You have a foreign address.
- Your credit history is too new.
- You put a security freeze on your credit report.
- You have opted not to receive your FICO® Credit Score.1
- You’ve had no account activity for 180 days; in which case the score will also be unavailable online or on our mobile app.
Do joint account holders receive FICO® Scores from Discover?
Joint account holders and authorized buyers do not receive FICO® Scores from Discover.
