We’ve all heard that keeping an eye on your credit score is essential, but what happens when you take it a step further and check your credit score every single day? That’s exactly what I decided to do for a month, and the experience was both eye-opening and educational. While I didn’t expect to see major changes daily, monitoring my credit score closely provided valuable insights into how credit scores fluctuate and what factors can influence those changes.
In this article, I’ll walk you through my month-long experiment of checking my credit score daily, what I learned, and whether it’s worth doing yourself.
- Why I Decided to Check My Credit Score Daily
Like many people, I knew that my credit score was an important number, but I typically checked it only a few times a year—usually when applying for credit or curious about a dip in my score. However, I’d heard conflicting advice about how often you should check your credit score. Some say checking too often is unnecessary, while others suggest keeping a closer eye on it to detect potential fraud or errors.
So, I decided to dive in and see what would happen if I checked my credit score daily for a month. I wanted to learn more about the factors that cause changes and whether day-to-day fluctuations were common. Plus, I was curious to see if obsessively checking would impact my financial habits in any way.
- How I Tracked My Credit Score
To conduct my experiment, I used two free credit monitoring services: Credit Karma and Credit Sesame. Both of these platforms provide free access to your TransUnion and Equifax credit scores, along with alerts for any changes in your report. I logged in every day to record my scores and keep an eye on any updates.
For this experiment, I didn’t apply for any new credit, open new accounts, or make significant changes to my financial behavior. I wanted to observe how my score naturally fluctuated under normal conditions.
- Day 1: Setting the Baseline
On day one, my TransUnion and Equifax credit scores were 740 and 742, respectively—solidly in the “Good” range. I noted that both services showed similar scores, and no major changes or alerts had been flagged on my credit report. Everything seemed normal.
- Week 1: No Changes, But Anxiety Sets In
Throughout the first week, I checked my credit score daily, and as expected, nothing changed. My scores remained stable, with no new alerts or inquiries. However, I started to notice something surprising: checking my credit score every day was making me a little anxious.
Even though I knew significant changes weren’t likely, I found myself worrying about potential drops in my score. I realized that obsessively checking my score was starting to make me stress over something that wasn’t immediately actionable.
- Week 2: Small Fluctuations Appear
By the second week, I finally saw some movement. My TransUnion score dipped by 3 points to 737, while my Equifax score remained steady. At first, I panicked a little—had I missed a payment? Was there an error on my report?
I checked my credit report for any changes, but everything looked fine. It turns out this small fluctuation was likely due to something minor, like a change in my credit card balance, even though I hadn’t made any major purchases. Credit scores are known to fluctuate slightly depending on how much of your available credit you’re using, even from month to month.
While the change wasn’t significant, it was a reminder that small dips in your credit score don’t necessarily indicate a problem.
- Week 3: Learning About Credit Utilization
In the third week, I began to see more consistent fluctuations. My TransUnion score jumped back up by 4 points to 741, while my Equifax score dropped by 2 points. What was happening?
After doing some research, I realized that credit utilization (the percentage of your available credit you’re using) plays a big role in these small changes. Each time my credit card balances shifted slightly—whether I paid off a bill or charged a purchase—my credit score adjusted accordingly.
For example, one day I made a payment on one of my credit cards, lowering my balance, which likely caused the small increase in my TransUnion score. But my Equifax score didn’t reflect the change as quickly, which explained why the scores were out of sync for a few days.
- Week 4: No Major Changes, but a Better Understanding
By the end of the month, I’d observed my credit scores fluctuate by a few points here and there, but there were no major surprises or dramatic shifts. Both my TransUnion and Equifax scores stayed within a range of 737 to 742, which reaffirmed that significant changes to credit scores usually happen over a longer period.
However, I did learn some valuable lessons from checking my credit score every day:
- What I Learned from Checking My Credit Score Daily
- 1. Small Fluctuations Are Normal
Your credit score isn’t static, and small fluctuations are entirely normal. Credit card balances, new inquiries, or even the timing of when creditors report information can cause minor shifts in your score. Don’t panic if you see your score drop by a few points—it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong.
- 2. Credit Utilization Matters
Credit utilization has a significant impact on your credit score. Even a slight increase or decrease in your balance can cause your score to fluctuate. Keeping your credit utilization below 30% (the recommended threshold) is important for maintaining a healthy score, but the closer you get to 0%, the better.
- 3. Too Much Monitoring Can Lead to Unnecessary Anxiety
While it’s important to keep an eye on your credit, checking it daily can lead to unnecessary stress. Unless you’re actively working on improving your score or suspect fraud, checking it once a week or even once a month is usually sufficient. Daily monitoring might cause you to focus too much on small fluctuations that aren’t meaningful in the long run.
- 4. Credit Scores Reflect Long-Term Behavior
The key takeaway from my month-long experiment is that your credit score is a reflection of long-term financial behavior. While checking daily gave me insights into the small factors that influence score fluctuations, the real impact comes from consistently managing your credit over time—making payments on time, reducing debt, and keeping credit inquiries to a minimum.
- 5. Credit Monitoring Tools Are Helpful
Using free credit monitoring services like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame gave me valuable insight into my credit report, including any alerts for changes. These tools are great for keeping track of your credit health, and they can alert you if anything unexpected happens—like a new inquiry or potential fraud. However, checking them daily isn’t necessary unless you have a specific reason to do so.
- Should You Check Your Credit Score Daily?
After a month of daily credit score checks, I came to the conclusion that checking your credit score daily isn’t necessary for most people. While it can provide useful insights into your financial habits and help you catch errors early, the stress of obsessing over every little fluctuation outweighs the benefits for most individuals.
Instead, I recommend checking your credit score monthly or when you anticipate significant financial changes, such as applying for a loan, making a big purchase, or paying down a large amount of debt. This will give you a clearer picture of your credit health without getting bogged down by small, day-to-day shifts.
- Final Thoughts: Keep an Eye on Your Credit, but Don’t Obsess
Checking your credit score regularly is essential for maintaining a healthy financial profile, but there’s no need to check it daily unless you’re actively working to improve your score or dealing with potential fraud. By understanding how your credit score works and what factors cause fluctuations, you can take control of your credit health without unnecessary anxiety. At the end of the day, credit scores are important, but they’re just one piece of your overall financial puzzle. Consistent good habits—like paying bills on time, reducing debt, and monitoring your credit report for errors—are what will ultimately make the biggest difference in improving your score over the long term.