Your credit score is a numerical representation of how well you’ve handled credit in the past. It considers factors such as credit cards, bank loans, student loans, auto financing, and other credit products. Lenders regularly report your payment history to one or more of the three major credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Using this information, each bureau creates a comprehensive credit report, from which your credit score is generated. Since lenders update your payment history every month, your credit report is frequently refreshed, causing your credit score to fluctuate.

Whenever you apply for credit, whether from banks, credit card companies, or other financial institutions, they check your credit score to assess how consistently you’ve repaid debts in the past. A good credit score is especially important if you’re planning to apply for a mortgage, as it helps lenders determine how reliable you are in managing borrowed money and whether you’re at risk of defaulting on your loans. Your credit score plays a crucial role not only in securing a mortgage but also in getting a favorable interest rate.

Credit scores range from 300 to 850—the higher, the better. With the FreeScore360 tool on this page, you can quickly check your credit score from all three major credit bureaus for free.