Is a Soft Credit Check Bad for Your Credit Score

A soft credit check is a type of credit inquiry that doesn't affect your credit score. This is because it's a pre-approval or pre-qualification check, not a full credit application.

Soft credit checks are often used by lenders to assess your creditworthiness without leaving a mark on your credit report. This can be beneficial if you're shopping around for a loan or credit card, as it allows you to compare rates and terms without impacting your credit score.

In fact, according to the Federal Trade Commission, soft credit checks are "not considered a hard inquiry" and "won't affect your credit score."

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A soft credit check, also known as a soft credit inquiry or soft pull, is a type of credit check that doesn't affect your credit score.

Soft credit checks happen when you or someone you authorize checks your credit report, such as a potential employer, a credit card issuer, or a mortgage lender. They can also occur when a company checks your credit to preapprove you for an offer.

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You can see soft inquiries on your credit report, but they don't impact your credit score. Soft inquiries are not an indicator of greater risk.

Some common examples of soft inquiries include checking your own credit, one of your current creditors checking your credit, applying for a soft-pull preapproval with a creditor, and a company checking your credit to see if you qualify for preapproval offers.

Here are some examples of soft inquiries:

Soft inquiries are nothing to worry about, but it's good to be aware of them so you can understand what's happening with your credit report.

Soft inquiries don't have any impact on your credit scores. They're completely ignored by credit scoring models.

Only hard inquiries can potentially affect your credit scores, and even then, the impact is usually small and temporary. Multiple recent hard inquiries can be more damaging, but credit scoring models often combine them to avoid punishing rate shoppers.

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A majority of soft inquiries come from existing creditors doing monthly check-ups or potential solicitors not related to credit-seeking behavior. These soft pulls are only viewable on your credit report by you, not by existing or potential future creditors.

Soft inquiries don't impact your FICO score, so you don't need to worry about them in that sense. However, some lenders might manually review reports and assume you're actively shopping for credit if they see a lot of soft pulls from pre-approved offers or credit checks.

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There are two main types of credit checks: soft and hard credit checks. A soft credit check is a request for your credit report or credit score for any purpose other than issuing credit, and it will not impact or change your credit scores. Soft credit checks are often used for pre-approvals, rate checks, and checking your own credit report.

A soft credit check can occur when you check your own credit score, receive a pre-approved credit card offer, or when a landlord checks your credit score. These inquiries are recorded in your credit files and can remain for up to two years.

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Here are some examples of soft credit checks:

You can view the soft inquiries on your credit reports, but keep in mind that your three reports could have different inquiries, as an inquiry is only added to the credit report that was checked.

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You can view soft inquiries on your credit reports by requesting a free copy from each major credit bureau (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) weekly through AnnualCreditReport.com.

Soft inquiries are requests for a review of your credit file, including a review of existing accounts and your own requests to see your annual credit report. These will not impact or change your credit scores.

You can check your Experian credit report for free, and it's a good idea to check your reports from all three credit bureaus to see the soft inquiries that have been made.

Some examples of soft inquiries include checking your own credit report, which is a soft inquiry and doesn't hurt your credit score.

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Here are some examples of soft inquiries:

You can see soft inquiries on your credit report, even though they don't affect your score.

Many lenders let you check your rate online before you apply, allowing you to get a good idea of your potential loan terms without impacting your credit score.

This soft "rate check" can give you a fairly good idea of whether you would qualify for a loan and the potential interest rate you'd receive.

Soft credit checks are a great way to shop around for a loan and compare rates without affecting your credit score.

You can check your rate online without making a hard inquiry, which means your credit score won't take a hit.

Some lenders may even allow you to check your rate multiple times without affecting your credit score.

It's a good idea to check your rate with multiple lenders to compare their offers and find the best deal.

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Soft inquiries don't impact your credit scores, so you don't need to worry about them in that sense. However, some lenders manually review reports, and if they see a lot of soft pulls from pre-approved offers or credit checks, they might assume you're actively shopping for credit.

A soft inquiry occurs when you check your own credit, or one of your current creditors checks your credit, or you apply for a soft-pull preapproval with a creditor. Soft inquiries are also common when a company checks your credit to see if you qualify for preapproval offers.

Some applications can result in either a hard or soft inquiry, including opening a bank account and renting an apartment. In these situations, you could ask the company whether it will use a hard or soft pull to check your credit.

You might have dozens, or even hundreds, of soft inquiries in your credit reports – and they still won't impact your credit scores. Soft inquiries are even less worrisome than hard inquiries, which only play a minor role in your score.

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Here are some common scenarios where soft inquiries occur:

A majority of soft pulls come from existing creditors doing monthly check-ups and potential solicitors not related to credit-seeking behavior.