You can get your credit history for free every single year from each of the credit bureaus (annualcreditreport.com), but there’s no way for you to get your credit score for free.
Why would you want to know your credit score all the time? It’s the very same reason why people jump on a scale to check their weight, while your credit score doesn’t define you, it’s an important metric you should always have a good picture about. Knowing your credit score gives you an advantage over lenders because you know how credit worthy you are. The price of this knowledge is small, the value is limitless.
Why Tracking It Matters
It’s been shown that people who get biofeedback, that is knowledge about their biological statistics like pulse/heart rate, blood pressure, etc; are more able to control their statistics. With feedback, we know whether the unconscious decisions we make can affect our own bodies. Want to slow your pulse? Take your pulse and “try to slow it down.” You’ll notice your pulse count will go down, though all you’re doing is “trying,” not doing anything specific.
Tracking your credit score is similar, except the actions you take will be a little more explicit. Open a credit card and see how your score is affected. Wait a month with no activity, see how your score is affected. By tracking your credit “pulse” as you go about your life, you’ll have a more accurate picture of how your score is being affected by the things you do. No more guessing based on experts giving general advice or thoughts, you have hard facts.
You Have A History
When you have a history of your score, you have more information on that score is affected by your decisions. When you bought a car, did your score go up or down? When you took out a balance transfer, did it go down a lot? When you paid off the transfer, did it go back up? Did it go back up past where it was before the transfer? By having this history you know for certain.