Chase Credit Journey for Checking Credit Score: 4 Things to Know

Your credit score can make all the difference in what financial services you can access. Whether you want to get a mortgage, a personal loan, or a credit card with cashback and rewards, your credit score will be taken into consideration.

Luckily, the days of going to the bank for credit monitoring are long gone, and all the information can be accessed online using one of the available services. One of them is Chase Credit Journey. It is a convenient, specialized tool for anyone who wants to quickly review credit scores, and it also provides some additional features.

In this Chase Credit Journey review, you will learn about the peculiarities of the tool, what information it offers, and discover some alternatives to it.

What is Chase Credit Journey?

Chase Credit Journey is one of the useful and free credit monitoring services that can be accessed online to view credit report information and your credit score.

One of the great things about the service is that it can be used by people who use a Chase credit card as well as those who don’t. Before understanding how to check a credit score on a Chase app, you need to create an online account in a few simple steps. Once you log in, you can scroll down to find “Your credit score” on the left. By clicking “Free score, updated weekly” you will access your credit score, and it will now be shown by default when you log in.

Another question remains — what credit score does Chase Credit Journey use? With the tool, you can look up VantageScore 3.0 based on Experian data. While it differs from the most widely used FICO score, it still uses the same criteria, so you will get similar results.

How Does Chase Credit Journey Work?: Main Features

Before you proceed to check Chase credit score, it’s important to talk about the main features of the tool that you will get.

Tracking all aspects of your credit score

Chase's main feature is its weekly credit score updates based on Experian. The app lists six factors used for the Chase Credit Journey number calculation: credit use, total balance, late payments, old accounts, hard inquiries, and available credit. Using the tool, you can enable and disable these factors to see the impact on your score.

Receiving convenient alerts and updates

Another reason to use Chase Credit Journey is that you can get timely alerts regarding your credit score changes, inquiries, creation of new accounts, and more. It’s also possible to enable free identity monitoring to prevent potential misuse of your data. Credit card users can also set up alerts about payment due dates and certain transactions.

Using a simulator tool

Another interesting feature is the simulator tool. By using it, you can simulate in real time how different actions will affect your credit score. For example, you can choose “missing out on a credit card payment” and “getting declined for a loan” to see how much your Chase credit score drops.

Looking up credit report information

Also, Chase Credit Journey features include the ability to view Experian report information. This includes personal information, public records, consumer statements, open/closed accounts, credit checks, and more. This allows you to ensure that all the data is updated and accurate.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Chase Credit Journey?

Now let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the service.

Pros:

• Free service;
• Doesn’t require you to be a Chase customer;
• Offers credit score alerts;
• Provides credit-building tips;
• Offers a credit score simulator tool.

Cons:

• Doesn’t allow you to view your FICO credit score;
• Doesn’t provide credit reports from all major credit bureaus.

Is Chase Credit Journey Accurate?

Is Chase Credit Journey good in terms of accuracy? Yes. The tool relies on the VantageScore 3.0 model and provides results based on six main factors:

• Payment history;
• Credit type;
• Credit utilization;
• Total balances;
• Latest credit checks;
• Current available credit.

The calculation model has been developed by TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax, which ensures its accuracy. But that leads to another common question that concerns individuals is — does Chase Credit Journey affect credit score? The answer is no. The information is pulled with a soft inquiry, so there is no negative effect on your credit score. The only downside is that numerous lenders use a FICO score instead of VantageScore, so it’s something to keep in mind, as numbers can vary.

If you are interested in alternatives to Chase Credit Journey, some popular options include:

AnnualCreditReport.com

This service offers credit reports from all three major credit bureaus. You can get a free report every 12 months from each bureau. Or, you can get a report from one bureau of your choice every 4 months if it’s more convenient for you. The service doesn’t provide a credit score check.

CreditWise

Another alternative to the Chase Credit Journey check is CreditWise from Capital One. This service brings you access to VantageScore 3.0 but provides a credit report from TransUnion instead of Experian. You will also get in-depth credit information and identity monitoring. 

Credit Karma

The Credit Karma tool relies on credit files from Equifax and TransUnion and also provides tips and recommendations on improving your credit score. A major advantage is that your score is updated every day.

Conclusion

It is clear that using Chase Credit Journey to check your credit score is a great idea, as it offers a convenient way to stay on top of your financial health. A great thing about the tool is that you don’t need to be a Chase customer; you can simply create an account to access numerous useful features.

Chase provides services for free and offers an updated credit score every week. You can set up various alerts and identity monitoring and use a simulator tool to see how your score is affected. Overall, it’s a useful option for most people.