Notice Something Different About Your Free Credit Report Card? Allow Us to Explain

Hey, credit-builder: The team here wanted to let you know that Credit.com’s free credit report card has changed. Don’t worry, you’ll still be getting two free credit scores, along with a letter grade for how you’re doing in the five key credit scoring categories: payment history, debt usage, credit age, account mix and inquiries.

But, starting April 11, the three-digit-number located in the upper left corner of your credit report card, along with your customized action plan, will reflect your VantageScore 3.0 Advantage Score. Previously, the credit report card was based off of your Experian National Equivalency Score (NES), which is your secondary score, visible once your click the “Other Scores” hyperlink.

Why are we making the switch? Well, as you may have heard, there are lots of different credit scores out there, but the most widely known models, including the VantageScore 3.0, follow a range of 300 to 850. The NES score, on the other hand, follows a less common range of 360 to 840. Plus, as you may have gathered, it’s used solely by Experian, whereas VantageScore 3.0 is used by all three of the major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

The swap will help us provide you better credit card recommendations as you monitor and improve your credit score. It should also clear up some confusion, as the 300 to 850 range is the one most people are familiar with.

You can find more on VantageScore here. And, to give you an idea of where your credit stands generally, here’s how the ranges on both scores break down.

Vantage 3.0 Score: 300 to 850

Excellent Credit: 750+
Good Credit: 700-749
Fair Credit: 650-699
Poor Credit: 600-649
Bad Credit: below 600

NES Score: 360 to 840

Excellent Credit: 750+
Good Credit: 700-749
Fair Credit: 650-699
Poor Credit: 600-649
Bad Credit: below 600

In either case, if your scores have been fluctuating, your credit report card should provide some valuable insights as to why. Remember, while scores and their associated algorithms vary, they are all based on information in your credit reports, so focusing on your risk factors or negative line items should help you boost your standing across the board.

We get it: All this credit stuff can be confusing and it’s easy to stress about whether you’re acing every score. However, instead of trying to track down all your digits (which is pretty much impossible anyway, given lenders buy proprietary algorithms), it’s a good idea to compare apples to apples by choosing a common score, like VantageScore 3.0, and monitoring your standing over-time.

Our credit report card will provide some helpful hints for how you can improve along the way.

And, so long as you pull your full credit reports from each credit bureau regularly and/or right before you apply for a loan, you shouldn’t be in for any major surprises. (Remember: Viewing your own credit doesn’t damage your scores.) You can get your credit reports for free every 12 months by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. Checking them will help you spot any errors or line items that might be on only one of your credit files. (Some lenders just report to one credit bureau.) If you find an error, be sure to dispute it. And don’t hesitate to reach out with any credit-related questions in the comments sections below. Our Credit Experts will do their best to help!

Image: Georgijevic

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