What is a Soft Credit Check?

Most people are familiar with hard credit checks, which are often used when applying for a loan or credit card. But what is a soft credit check?

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What is a soft credit check?

A soft credit check is a type of credit check that does not impact your credit score. Soft credit checks are typically used by lenders to get an idea of your credit history without impacting your credit score. This can be beneficial if you are trying to get a loan or credit card and you don’t want your credit score to be impacted.

What is a hard credit check?

A hard credit check, also known as a hard pull, is when a lender requests your credit report from a credit bureau. This can happen when you apply for a new line of credit, such as a credit card or loan. Hard pulls can ding your credit score, so it’s best to avoid them if possible.

A soft credit check, on the other hand, doesn’t require looking at your full report. Lenders can still see some basic information about you, but they won’t be able to see your entire history. This is why soft pulls are sometimes called soft inquiries. Soft inquiries don’t affect your credit score, so they’re considered safe.

How do soft and hard credit checks differ?

A soft credit check is a type of credit check that does not impact your credit score. Soft inquiries may be generated when you check your own credit, when an employer checks your credit as part of a background check, or when you are pre-approved for a loan or line of credit. Soft inquiries will not be visible to future creditors and will not impact your credit score.

A hard credit inquiry, on the other hand, is generated when you apply for new credit. Hard inquiries will be visible to future creditors and can impact your credit score.

How does a soft credit check affect your credit score?

A soft credit check is when a lender does a preliminary check of your credit to see if you’re a good candidate for a loan. This type of check will not affect your credit score. Lenders do soft credit checks to get an idea of your credit history and to see if you’re likely to repay a loan.

How does a hard credit check affect your credit score?

A hard credit check, also known as a hard inquiry, can stay on your credit report for up to two years and can negatively impact your credit score. A hard inquiry is generally initiated by a lender when you apply for a new line of credit, such as a credit card or loan.

When a lender does a hard inquiry, they are looking at your credit history in more detail and may be more likely to deny your application if they see negative information. Hard inquiries can also make it more difficult to get approved for new lines of credit in the future.

If you are concerned about the impact of hard inquiries on your credit score, you can check your credit report to see how many have been made in the past two years. You can also take steps to improve your credit score, such as paying your bills on time and keeping a good credit history.

What is the difference between a soft credit check and a hard credit check?

The biggest difference between a soft credit check and a hard credit check is that a soft credit check won’t affect your credit score. Hard credit checks can ding your score, but soft ones won’t.

A hard credit check is when a lender asks for your permission to pull your full credit report. This is sometimes done when you apply for a loan or a new line of credit, but it can also happen if you simply inquire about rates or terms. If you give the green light, the lender will look at your report and use the information to determine whether or not you’re a good candidate for the loan or line of credit.

A soft credit check is different. This kind of check simply gives the lender some basic information about your credit history— without affecting your score. For example, if you were to ask about rates or terms from multiple lenders, each one would do a soft pull on your report. Or, if you were to check your own rate with a lender, that would also be considered a soft pull.

How to get a soft credit check

A soft credit check, also known as a soft inquiry, is a type of credit check that does not impact your credit score. Soft credit checks are typically done when you check your own credit report, when a company checks your credit to pre-qualify you for a credit card, or when a business checks your credit for employment purposes.

How to get a hard credit check

A hard credit check, also known as a hard inquiry, is when a lender checks your credit report to make a lending decision. Hard inquiries can negatively impact your credit score and stay on your report for up to two years.

If you’re shopping around for a loan or credit card, it’s important to know the difference between a hard credit check and a soft credit check so you can understand the impact on your credit score.

Hard inquiries are generated when you apply for new credit, such as a loan or credit card. Lenders will pull your credit report and score to help them determine if you’re a good candidate for their product. Hard inquiries can impact your credit score, although the effect is typically temporary and will fades over time.

You can avoid having too many hard inquiries on your report by shopping around for loans within a short period of time (14-45 days). This is often called rate shopping and allows lenders to see that you’re only looking for the best deal, not trying to open multiple lines of new credit all at once.

Soft inquiries are generated when someone checks your credit report without your permission, such as when you check your own report or when an employer checks your report as part of a background check. Soft inquiries don’t have any impact on your credit score and aren’t visible to anyone else pulling your report.

How to get a free credit report

If you are wondering how to get a free credit report, the best place to start is AnnualCreditReport.com. This website is run by the three major credit reporting agencies in the United States, and it allows you to request a free copy of your credit report from each of them once every 12 months.

You can also get a free credit report if you are denied credit, insurance, or employment within the past 60 days. In these cases, you will need to contact the credit reporting agency directly to request your report.

Another way to get a free credit report is to sign up for a credit monitoring service like Credit Karma or Experian Boost. These services give you access to your credit score and credit report from two of the three major credit bureaus (Experian and TransUnion) on an ongoing basis. They also offer other features like fraud monitoring and alerts, which can be helpful if you are trying to improve your credit score.

If you need a more comprehensive look at your credit history, you can order your complete credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus for a fee (usually around $30 per bureau). This will give you access to all of the information that creditors use to make decisions about whether or not to extend you new lines of credit.

What are the benefits of a soft credit check?

A soft credit check is a great way to get a feel for your creditworthiness without harming your credit score. You can use a soft credit check to get an estimate of your credit score, to see if you’re likely to be approved for a loan or credit card, or to check if you’re eligible for a better interest rate.

What are the benefits of a hard credit check?

A hard credit check, also known as a hard pull, is a thorough examination of your credit report. Hard inquiries can temporarily ding your credit score, but they have minimal impact in the long run — usually around five points. A single inquiry likely won’t affect your ability to qualify for a loan or open a new credit card.

A soft credit check, on the other hand, uses what’s called a “soft pull” or “soft inquiry.” This type of inquiry does not impact your credit score and is only visible to you. Soft inquiries are often used for things like employment checks and prequalifying for loans or credit cards.

What is the difference between a soft credit check and a hard credit check?

When you apply for a loan or credit card, the lender will typically run a hard credit check. This type of check will show up on your credit report and can be seen by other lenders. A hard credit check can slightly lower your credit score.

A soft credit check is different. This type of check is not visible to other lenders and does not have an effect on your credit score. When you apply for a loan or credit card, the lender may do a soft credit check to see if you’re likely to be approved.