I thought I get my free credit report with this card at no charge. Is that so? And if so, how do I go about looking at my report?

It is hard to say which one of the credit bureaus is used most by the banks and credit card issuers to view credit scores. Every bank has its own preferences and one bank may pull different reports in different states. Some banks pull credit reports from all credit bureaus. Therefore, we recommend you to choose a credit card or a bank to apply with – you can use our card finder tool for it - and then find out which credit reports are usually pulled by this bank in your state.

A FICO score is a type of credit score that is used to assess credit risk and determine whether to extend credit. FICO scores take into account various factors in five areas to determine credit worthiness: payment history, current level of indebtedness, types of credit used, length of credit history and new credit accounts. Here are FICO scores for each credit rating: - Excellent: 750-850± - Good: 700-749± - Fair: 640-699± - Bad: 350-639± The scoring model of different credit bureaus may slightly differ because each credit bureaus uses its own formula but the average numbers are as...

As a rule, banks are able to approve within two weeks. Sometimes the process can take up to a month, but only if a bank needs to verify some information. In some cases (usually for applicants with good credit), banks are able to provide approval within a couple of business days. When approved, your card should arrive in the mail within a week or two. Some banks offer expedited delivery, but usually it is not a free service. Note, that you can always contact the bank you applied with to find out the status of your application. Some banks even allow to do this online on their websites.