Chase Credit Journey Review: Free Weekly VantageScore From TransUnion

Online services offering free access to your credit score have proliferated in recent years. This growth shouldn’t be surprising to anyone, considering how important one’s credit score has become in determining access to all manner of life opportunities.

Seeing this trend, several banks and credit card issuers have decided to get in on the action, offering free credit score access to customers and non-customers alike. Chase is one such bank. Via Chase Credit Journey, Chase is now offering you free access to your VantageScore from TransUnion, updated weekly. Although accessing this feature is quick and easy for Chase members, you do not need to have any accounts with Chase to use Chase Credit Journey.

Let’s explore exactly what Chase Credit Journey has to offer you and whether or not the service is genuinely free and safe.

What Is Chase Credit Journey?

Chase Credit Journey was launched in 2017 by Chase as a way for anybody — not just Chase account-holders — to check their credit score for free. Your score will refresh weekly, though you can check it whenever you want with no restrictions. Checking your credit score through Chase Credit Journey will not affect your credit score.

Now, you won’t be seeing your FICO score — the score relied on by most creditors when evaluating potential customers. Instead, you’ll be seeing your VantageScore credit score. I’ll go into what that means for you later.

Along with access to your VantageScore, Chase Credit Journey offers the following additional services:

• See the following information from your TransUnion credit report (and get Credit Alert notifications whenever any of the following changes):
  • New credit inquiries
  • New accounts opened
  • Address changes
  • Account status changes
  • Fraud alerts
  • Delinquent account notices
  • New public records reported on your credit report
• Track your credit score changes (you’ll see how your score has changed with each weekly update)
• Credit Score Simulator — shows how actions you might take can affect your credit score
• See which Chase credit cards you prequalify for

Is Chase Credit Journey Free?

Yes, Chase Credit Journey is entirely free. Chase is a large, thriving banking institution with plenty of other ways to generate revenue!

Can Anybody Sign Up For Chase Credit Journey?

Yes. Signing up for Chase Credit Journey is easier if you’re already a Chase account holder — in fact, all you need to do is click on Chase Credit Journey after you sign in to your account as you usually do. You can also sign up for the service without being a Chase member. You’ll have to verify information from your credit report and enter your Social Security number, however.

Credit Scores & Reports Offered By Chase Credit Journey

The credit score you’ll see from Chase Credit Journey is your VantageScore credit score from TransUnion, one of the three major consumer credit bureaus.

As I said earlier, your VantageScore is not the same thing as your FICO score, which is the score used by most financial institutions — including Chase itself! — when evaluating potential debtors. VantageScore is a newer credit-scoring formula that weighs certain factors differently than FICO when calculating your score. Your VantageScore shouldn’t diverge too much from your FICO score, so it’s still a useful measurement.

I should note, however, that Discover’s free credit score service — called Discover Credit Scorecard — does show your actual FICO score (from Experian, which is a separate credit bureau from TransUnion but is still one of the three big bureaus). On the other hand, with Chase Credit Journey, you’ll get credit score updates weekly, whereas Discover’s service updates your credit score monthly.

Along with your score, you’ll see the main factors affecting your credit — details pulled from your credit report.

You’ll also have access to other important information from your TransUnion credit report — information I detailed in the “What Is Chase Credit Journey?” section of this article. However, you won’t be able to see your full TransUnion credit report. To access your full credit report from any of the three big credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian), you’ll need to go to AnnualCreditReport.com — this site will provide you a free copy of your credit report from each bureau every 12 months.

Other Services Offered By Chase Credit Journey

Chase Credit Journey doesn’t offer as many extra services as, say, Credit Karma or Credit Sesame, but you will have access to a few additional features.

Credit Alerts

As I mentioned earlier, Chase will send you alerts when any of the following pops up on your TransUnion credit report:

• New credit inquiries
• New accounts opened
• Address changes
• Account status changes
• Fraud alerts
• Delinquent account notices
• New public records reported on your credit report

Credit Score Simulator

This tool allows you to simulate what will happen to your credit score should any of the following factors change:

• Your credit usage
• Your number of balances
• The age of your credit
• Your payment history
• The number of hard inquiries on your credit report (remember, when you check your credit score on a site like this, that’s a soft inquiry)

Prequalified Offers

Chase will show you which Chase credit cards you prequalify for based on your credit information. You can also see if you prequalify for a home loan or refinance your auto loan.

I should note that Chase Credit Journey doesn’t offer the same level of free perks as some non-bank-affiliated free credit score sites. For example, Credit Karma offers a service that lets you search for any unclaimed money you might be owed, while Credit Sesame gives you $50,000 of free identity theft insurance coverage.

Final Verdict

Chase Credit Journey is a handy way to keep track of your VantageScore credit score and stay alert to any changes that might adversely affect your credit health. While Discover’s free credit score service lets you see your actual FICO score, Chase’s service updates your score weekly as opposed to Discover’s monthly updates.

Regardless of how well Chase Credit Journey compares to other similar services, there is no risk or downside involved in signing up with Chase Credit Journey, even if you use other free credit score sites as well.

Should you use Chase Credit Journey’s credit score services?

This service might be a good option if:

• You want access to your VantageScore credit score, updated weekly
• You want access to Chase’s credit alerts

You might want to use a different service if:

• You want access to your credit information from more than just one credit bureau
• You want extra features, such as identity theft insurance, in addition to free credit reports and credit monitoring
• You want access to paid subscription plans for a higher level of credit management services