Citigroup, the fourth-largest credit-card lender by purchase volume in the U.S., is partnering with Fair Isaac Co., the provider of the credit score most widely used by lenders, to provide its customers with their FICO Score beginning in January.

Free credit scores from your credit card now offer free credit score checks to view your free credit scores instantly. Walmart now offers free credit scores to individuals who hold the Walmart credit card and Citi will begin in January 2015 offering free credit scores to individuals who hold the Citi credit card.

So, what is a FICO Score? It’s a number that is formulated based on your credit history helping lenders evaluate your credit risk. Your FICO Score is used to determine credit offers and interest rates — and now it’s free for you to view.

There are a lot of free credit score offerings out there, and many can be useful, but there are a few things consumers need to know when looking up their credit scores. Some scores are educational — meaning creditors do not use free credit score formulas for making lending decisions — but they can still inform you whether you have good or bad credit.

Your FICO Score is a very important indicator of how well you’re doing credit wise. FICO Scores can be retrieved at a small cost but there are some ways to obtain your credit report and sometimes your score for free.