What makes a good credit score?

[MSCoder610]

I got the email, and the www.citi.com/creditscore link works fine. (I have the Citi Dividend World MasterCard)

 

[RossMAN]

If the above link still doesn't work, it resolves to the following:

https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Free-FICO-Score.aspx

FAQ:

I don’t see my FICO® Score when I log onto my account.

Your score won’t be available if:

• You’re an authorized user on someone else’s account
• You have a joint account
• The billing statement is not in your name
• You recently opened a new account
  [*]Your card currently does not offer this benefit
• Your credit card account is no longer active

I bolded the most likely reason, FWIW I have the Citi Dividend Platinum Select ... crappy rewards but I've had it for over 20 years.

 

[CZroe]

10char

Definitely didn't get the email but I was also able to navigate to it without the link after logging in like normal and clicking "Card Benefits" from my "Accounts" page. Got my FICO score quick and easy. Mine is a Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card, a bit more than a year old.

 

[RossMAN]

Definitely didn't get the email but I was also able to navigate to it without the link after logging in like normal and clicking "Card Benefits" from my "Accounts" page. Got my FICO score quick and easy. Mine is a Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card, a bit more than a year old.

Does your imaginary brother also have a Citi cc, does the link work for him?

 

[CZroe]

Does your imaginary brother also have a Citi cc, does the link work for him?

I don't think he has one. I'll ask when I see him in the morning, if it pleases your Ferengi sensibilities.

 

[RossMAN]

I don't think he has one. I'll ask when I see him in the morning, if it pleases your Ferengi sensibilities.

My lobes were tingling this morning.

 

[CZroe]

My lobes were tingling this morning.

He said he doesn't know. :/

Also, I eventually got the email on Jan 23.

 

[RossMAN]

He said he doesn't know. :/

Also, I eventually got the email on Jan 23.

"He" yet you're replying. Hmmn

 

[CZroe]

"He" yet you're replying. Hmmn

Well, sure. I told you I would ask him and he didn't come here to report himself.

 

[kranky]

RossMAN, I have the same Citi Dividend card, and I have a FICO score on citicards.com. Went to the Card Benefits link, and on the right side of the page was a link to FICO Credit Score.

Now that there are so many scoring models, just about any credit score discussion is meaningless without knowing where the score came from. I get free scores from Citi, Discover, PenFed, CreditKarma and CreditSesame. Some use a 850 max, some use a 950 max, some use a 900 max. Comparisons are impossible.

My score is about as high as it's ever going to be, since the explanations all of those places give as to why it's not higher is the lack of various loan types in my credit history. I'm not borrowing money just to boost a credit score.

 

[IronWing]

So what happens to a score when one's credit history starts thinning out as old loans slide into the past? My student loans are long gone and I paid off the mortgage six years ago. Will my score start dropping (assuming all current accounts and bills are in good standing)? I still have very old CC accounts.

 

[highland145]

So what happens to a score when one's credit history starts thinning out as old loans slide into the past? My student loans are long gone and I paid off the mortgage six years ago. Will my score start dropping (assuming all current accounts and bills are in good standing)? I still have very old CC accounts.

Those old ones won't necessarily go away but they might count less towards your score. I think it would tend towards the same as if you never had the accounts so if you only have CC it may drop.

Get a heloc if you can get the bank to pay the closing costs.

 

[96Firebird]

I actually did get that e-mail from Citi and I have the same card (Dividend Platinum Select), and my score on Citi's website is 798. 50 points more than what my mortgage guy said it was... Looks like Citi only uses Equifax, for what its worth.

 

[kranky]

I actually did get that e-mail from Citi and I have the same card (Dividend Platinum Select), and my score on Citi's website is 798. 50 points more than what my mortgage guy said it was... Looks like Citi only uses Equifax, for what its worth.

That's the issue I mentioned above - your mortgage guy was probably using the FICO mortgage model (scale of 300-850) and Citi uses some other FICO model (scale 250-950). No way to compare scores across those models.

 

[Merad]

Another avenue for free FICO scores is your bank. Typically they pull it quarterly and some banks will share it with you or outright list it on your statement or online account.

Mine hovers around 780, but I suspect it might take a hit this year because my student loan debt is getting fairly significant and I won't start working full time to be able to pay anything on it until late this year.

 

[96Firebird]

That's the issue I mentioned above - your mortgage guy was probably using the FICO mortgage model (scale of 300-850) and Citi uses some other FICO model (scale 250-950). No way to compare scores across those models.

Everywhere I've been reading says Equifax uses a 280-850 range. Looks like Vantage scores are the ones that go past 900.

Article is a little old, but... http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/24/pf/credit-score/

Maybe my mortgage guy got a combined score using the three major ones, and my Equifax is just the highest?

 

[kranky]

Typically mortgage guys pull scores from all of the big three CRAs, and use the middle one.