Black Friday has become known for terrific sales to kick off the holiday shopping season. If you visit some stores this Black Friday, a store clerk will likely ask you, “Would you like to save X% by opening a credit card account?”

If you have friends who work at banks, especially if they are in lending, you might be tempted to ask them to check your credit score for free.

Any company, organization, or individual with a “legitimate business need” can request to see your credit history, and these requests are known as credit inquiries. They are divided into two categories called hard and soft inquiries — hard inquiries will affect your credit history and credit score while soft inquiries will not.

The Reward Zone® MasterCard® is serviced by Capital One, N.A., for Best Buy® customers. Cardholder benefits may include special finance offers, points towards the Reward Zone® program, and online account management. Credit cards can be used online or in stores nationwide and for select countries worldwide.