Ever wonder why your Chase Credit Journey credit score is sometimes wildly different from your Bank of America credit score (for BoA consumer credit card holders)?
The reason is simple enough: Chase Credit Journey uses the Vantage 3.0 scoring model from Experian. While BoA provides a FICO® 8 credit score that’s calculated using your TransUnion Credit Report.
What’s confusing is that if you get your free credit score directly from your Experian membership, you’ll get the FICO® 8 version instead!
So what’s the deal with these different credit scoring models? And which one of them is more accurate?
What is Chase Credit Journey?
Chase Credit Journey’s main purpose is to provide you with a free Vantage 3.0 credit score powered by your Experian Credit Report.
This credit score is updated every month, but in some cases, it can be updated weekly. However, this isn’t the only feature of Credit Journey.
Here is a complete list of features of Chase Credit Journey:
- Free Vantage 3.0 Credit Score Powered by Experian
- Experian Credit Report
- Open Accounts
- Closed Accounts
- Credit Checks
- Derogatory Marks
- Collections
- Public Records
- Consumer Statements
- Personal Credit Dashboard
- Credit Usage
- Credit Limits
- Balances
- Identity Monitoring Services
- Dark Web Surveillance
- Data Breach Monitoring
- SSN Activity Tracking
- Identity Verification Alerts
- ID Restoration Services
- Dispute Guide
- Credit Monitoring Services
- New Activity Alert
- Positive Activity Alert
- Negative Activity Alert
- Credit Limit Change Notification
- Credit Usage Change Notification
- Credit Balance Change Notification
- VantageScore 3.0 Simulator
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Which Lenders Use VantageScore 3.0?
Mortgage lenders are required by the Federal Housing Finance Agency to use a VantageScore in conjunction with a FICO® Score for all loans sold to and guaranteed by Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.
Synchrony Bank uses VantageScore 4.0 to evaluate its credit card applications. So, your Chase Credit Journey score can be used to roughly determine your creditworthiness when applying for a Synchrony Bank card.
Which Scoring Model Do Lenders Commonly Use?
90% of top lenders use FICO® Scores to determine creditworthiness. However, there is actually a large variety of FICO® Score Versions available.
The most commonly used versions are FICO® 8 & 9. But there are also specific FICO® Score Versions for certain credit types:
- Auto Loans: FICO® Auto Score 2, 4, 5, 8, & 9
- Mortgages: FICO® Score 2, 4, & 5
- Revolving Credit: FICO® Score 3, FICO® Bankcard Score 2, 4, 5, 8, & 9
Is Chase Credit Journey Free?
Yes, Chase Credit Journey is free and available to everyone. This means that you can sign up for Chase Credit Journey even if you aren’t a Chase Cardholder.
Does Chase Credit Journey Affect My Credit Score?
No, Chase Credit Journey only makes soft credit checks like most credit monitoring services.
What are the Best Chase Credit Journey Alternatives?
For the most accurate results, you’re going to want a credit monitoring service that provides you with a FICO® Score instead of a VantageScore®. So we’ve compiled a list of financial institutions that can provide you with a FICO® Credit Score:
| Financial Institution | FICO® Score Version | Credit Bureau | Requirements |
| American Express | FICO® 8 | Experian | None |
| Bank of America | FICO® 8 | TransUnion | BoA Card |
| Barclays US | FICO® 8 | TransUnion | Barclays Card |
| Discover | FICO® 8 | TransUnion | Discover Card |
| Wells Fargo | FICO® 9 | Experian | Wells Fargo Consumer Credit Account |
