Free Access to Credit Scores Act — Consumers already have the ability to request their free credit report once a year, but a credit report does not include your credit score. These two items are often confused to be the same, which they are not. You generally must pay to see your credit score — it’s a three-digit grade that predicts how risky you are to a lender.

Most people can get confused when it comes to checking their credit scores. Consumers wonder which credit score should they check, what’s the best credit score website and are credit scores really free? These questions are asked often, but rarely do people find the right answers.

A credit bureau is an information clearinghouse that compiles information on consumers. The credit grantors, or lenders, report consumer payment history to the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus then compile that information together with information on tax liens, bankruptcies, and court judgments that is available in public records. In return, when consumers apply for credit, lenders can check credit reports to determine the creditworthiness of consumers.

Credit Sesame is a Website that helps people manage their credit — its offering users free credit monitoring, a service that the big three credit bureaus offer for a fee. However, Credit Sesame monitors information from a single credit bureau — Experian.

If you’ve ever tried to get your credit score for free, you know that there’s no such thing as a truly free credit score. You’re forced to enter your credit card information and sign up for a free trial of a service, just so you can forget to cancel and get charged for a service you don’t want. Though you can get a free credit report easily with no credit card, one popular website, Credit Karma, allows you to retrieve your credit score without providing any payment information.