Intuit Credit Karma
Credit Karma originally launched as another free credit report company, albeit one that made money from advertising rather than upsells. Now the San Francisco-based company has launched a free credit monitoring platform – a service that Experian currently values at $15 per month.
You can get credit scores for free from sites such as Credit Karma or Quizzle, or by signing up for credit monitoring.
Nationwide, the average drop is 10 percent, according to CreditKarma.com, a consumer education company.
Look at CardRatings.com or CreditKarma.com or Bankrate.com. All of those are great websites to get good information about credit cards.
Issuers will up their credit card rewards to pull users away from less profitable debit cards, says Ken Lin of CreditKarma, a credit scoring and comparison site. As consumers move out of full-recession mentality and shop more, they'll find themselves reaching for credit cards more, he says.
U.S. consumers’ average credit score was 661 in November, down from 667 in January and 676 in February 2009, according to scores in the user base of Credit Karma Inc., which also offers free scores through its website. Credit scores generally range from 300 to 850, though that may vary depending on the provider.
Trying to improve your credit can seem impossible when lenders are fearful and you're strapped for excess cash. But don't give up hope. "Focus on where you are right now and do what you can with what you have," said Justine Rivero, a credit advisor with Creditkarma.com.
New Yorkers are losing their appetite for credit card debt faster than the rest of the country. That’s according to the latest report from CreditKarma.com, which says declining card debt is part of a nationwide trend.
Based on data compiled by Credit Karma, there is a correlation between age and average credit scores, with scores rising along with age.
Consumers who are struggling to manage debt and have impaired credit histories likely won't be able to tap these offers. In fact, applying for one without the right credit profile could even hurt your credit score -- you get dinged when you're declined for a new card. (One tool for finding a good match between your credit score and available card offers is with the card statistics search engine at CreditKarma.com.)