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My twenties have been all about leveling up my finances. One of the simplest habits I’ve picked up recently — checking my credit score every week or two — has become an easy way to stay on top of my spending, and debunk a few credit myths along the way.
I started doing it about a year ago, and I haven’t really stopped since. Here’s what I’ve learned once I started paying more attention.
Checking your score doesn’t lower it
Contrary to popular belief, looking up your own credit score won’t hurt it, no matter how often you check.
That’s because checking your own score counts as a “soft inquiry,” and soft inquiries don’t affect your score at all. Only “hard inquiries” — when a lender checks your score after you apply for a card or loan — can cause a small, temporary dip.
So check your score weekly, daily, hourly — it won’t matter. Just don’t get too compulsive about it.
Fluctuation is normal — but your score probably won’t move much
Honestly, checking my score weekly can be pretty uneventful. My score moves by a point or two most weeks, and some weeks it doesn’t move at all. Credit scores are built on months of behavior, not days, so they’re slow by design.
On the other hand, bigger fluctuations of 10+ points can be totally normal, especially if you’re running up big balances on your card. But as long as you pay it off on time, you’ll be totally fine in the long run.
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The real payoff: Catching problems early
The reason I keep checking isn’t to watch my number climb. It’s so I notice any mistakes on my report before they become a real problem.
You might catch a mystery charge on an old account, for example, or an entirely new fraudulent account opened in your name. It hasn’t happened to me yet (knock on wood), but it’s more common than you think.
Fraud and identity theft are a lot easier to fix in week one than in month three, after the damage has had time to spread. That’s a big reason why I regularly check my score.
Weekly checks changed how I actually spend
Checking my score also improved my spending habits.
Watching my utilization number every week made it real in a way a monthly statement never did. I started paying down cards mid-cycle instead of waiting for the due date, just to see the number move before my next check.
That’s a small change, but it can add up. Credit utilization is one of the biggest factors in your score, and seeing it constantly kept me honest about my balances instead of letting them quietly creep up.
What if you’re already in debt?
Regularly checking your credit score doesn’t fix anything on its own — it just shows you what affects your score.
If you’re in serious debt, for example, you’ll want to do more than check your score. You’ll want a top balance transfer card that will let you transfer your debt and pay it down interest-free over a period of up to 21 months.
Some cards will give you an intro APR offer on purchases as well — super handy if you have a large purchase or repair bill coming due that you aren’t able to pay off all at once. Just make sure to have any transferred balances or new purchases paid off within the intro window before the card’s (much higher) regularly ongoing APR kicks in.
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