For the longest time, I was afraid to check my credit score. I wasn’t sure what I would find, and I felt that my massive debt load meant I surely had a score below 600.
I stayed in the dark about our credit scores for longer than I would like to admit. I knew there were ways to check your credit score for free, but they were labour intensive and involved sending in physical forms to the two largest credit reporting agencies in Canada, Equifax, and Transunion. So I did what 51% of Canadians do: I never checked my credit score.
That is, until a few years ago, when I finally bit the bullet, spent the $15 and pulled credit score and credit history. And guess what? It was okay. I had a good – actually a great – credit score, even though I was still paying off my massive debt.
Now, I’m among the 15% of Canadians who check their credit score every year. It’s almost like clockwork. January rolls around, and I pay to get a detailed report. It’s quick and painless and part of good financial management.
It’s Never Been Easier to Check Your Credit Score
I put off checking our credit scores for a long time because:
1. I worried about the unknown
2. It was just difficult enough to be a barrier
Now, there is a super easy way to check your credit score for free – through Borrowell. No need to spend the money anymore.
Borrowell has changed the credit score game. Instead of your credit score remaining a relative myth, you can now check it instantly, anytime, without affecting your credit score. It only takes three minutes to receive your Equifax credit score, once you sign up, you’ll receive an updated score every three months, along with tips and tricks on how to improve your credit score.
So if you’ve ever wondered what your credit score was, but you were too nervous/unmotivated/scared/lazy to check it, all of those excuses are gone! Just do it, and then you’ll know.
This is hilarious timing because I just posted about getting my credit report (the old fashioned way) yesterday! Good to know about this option!
It’s not a complete credit report, it’s just your credit score, but it’s a good start!
I’ve been meaning to check my credit score for years but had never gotten around to it – thanks for the tip!!
It’s a good idea to check it at least once a year, to guard against identity theft. Get checking!
I tried to check through Borrowell but wasn’t able to… I was one of the 500k student loan borrowers whose data was on the misplaced hard drive, and have a flag on my account as a result. This meant no go with the free credit score check. So disappointing! Borrowell didn’t offer an alternatives for me (e.g. not possible to call and confirm that I am who I say I am). Wamp wamp!
Aww that is a downer. There are still low-cost/free ways to check your credit score though the two main credit reporting agencies in Canada: Equifax and Transunion. You should check our their websites for more information.
I do the free credit report check twice a year, one time per agency. Gotta pay for the actual credit score number through Equifax and TU!