Bank of America shows your credit score in Online Banking and the mobile app at no cost

Bank of America displays your credit score directly in your account if you log into Online Banking or use the mobile app. The score appears in your account dashboard — you do not need to request it or navigate to a separate tool. This score updates monthly and is pulled from one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion), though Bank of America does not always specify which one.

The score you see is your VantageScore, not a FICO score. VantageScore and FICO are different scoring models that can produce different numbers for the same person. Most lenders use FICO when deciding whether to approve you for a mortgage, car loan, or credit card, so the Bank of America score is useful for tracking your credit health over time but may not match the score a lender sees when you explore.

You do not need a specific account type to see your score — it is available to most Bank of America checking and savings account holders. If you have not logged in recently, your score may take a few days to appear after you first access your account.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Bank of America credit score is a VantageScore, not a FICO score, so it may differ from the score lenders use when reviewing your process.
  • The score updates once per month and appears in your Online Banking dashboard or mobile app at no cost.
  • Bank of America pulls your score from one of the three major credit bureaus but does not always tell you which one.
  • You can also request your free annual credit report from each bureau at AnnualCreditReport.com to see detailed information about your accounts and payment history.

Where to find your score in Online Banking

Log into Bank of America Online Banking on a computer or open the mobile app on your phone. On the dashboard or home screen, look for a section labeled "Credit Score" or "Credit Insights." Click or tap on it to see your current score and a graph showing how it has moved over the past few months.

The score card also shows factors that may be affecting your score — for example, "High credit utilization" or "On-time payments." These factors come from your credit report and help explain why your score is at its current level. Bank of America updates this information monthly, usually around the same date each month.

If you do not see a credit score section in your account, you may not have a credit file yet (which happens if you have never borrowed money or opened a credit account), or your account type may not include this feature. Business accounts and some older account types do not display credit scores.

The difference between VantageScore and FICO

Bank of America shows you a VantageScore, which ranges from 300 to 850. FICO scores also range from 300 to 850 but use a different formula to calculate your score. Both models look at payment history, credit utilization, and length of credit history, but they weight these factors differently and may include different information from your credit report.

When you explore for a mortgage, auto loan, or credit card, the lender almost always pulls a FICO score, not a VantageScore. This means the number you see in Bank of America may be higher or lower than the score the lender sees. The difference is usually not dramatic — if your VantageScore is 720, your FICO score is likely somewhere in the 700–750 range — but it can matter for borderline applications.

The Bank of America score is still useful because it shows you how your credit is trending and what factors are helping or hurting you. If your VantageScore is rising, your FICO score is probably rising too. If you want to know your actual FICO score before explore for credit, you can request it from FICO directly at myfico.com, though that service charges a fee.

How often Bank of America updates your score

Bank of America refreshes your credit score once per month. The exact date varies by account but usually falls between the 10th and the 20th of the month. You will see a notification in your account when the score updates, and the graph will show the new data point.

The monthly update means you should not expect to see changes when ready after paying down a credit card or making a large payment. Credit bureaus collect information from lenders and creditors on their own schedule, which can take 30 to 45 days. Your payment may not appear on your credit report for several weeks, and then another week or two may pass before Bank of America pulls the updated score.

If you are working to improve your credit before explore for a loan, check your score monthly but do not obsess over week-to-week changes. Focus instead on the factors Bank of America shows you — paying bills on time and lowering your credit card balances will move the needle over months, not days.

Getting your full credit report from the bureaus

Your Bank of America score tells you the number, but it does not show you the details of your credit report — the individual accounts, payment history, and any negative marks. To see that information, you need to request your credit report directly from the three bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

You are may have access to to one free credit report from each bureau per year. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the official site run by the three bureaus. You will answer security questions to verify your identity, and then you can view, read, or print your report. Do not use other websites that claim to offer free reports — many charge a fee or sign you up for a paid monitoring service.

Your credit report shows every account in your name, the balance and payment status of each, and any late payments, collections, or other negative information. If you spot an error — a payment marked late that you made on time, an account you do not recognize, or a duplicate entry — you can dispute it directly with the bureau. Errors on your credit report can lower your score, so it is worth checking at least once per year.

What to do if your score is lower than expected

If your Bank of America score is lower than you thought it would be, the score card usually shows the main factors dragging it down. The most common reasons are high credit card balances (credit utilization above 30%), missed or late payments, or a short credit history.

High utilization is the easiest to fix quickly. If you have a credit card with a $5,000 limit and a $4,000 balance, your utilization is 80%. Paying it down to $1,500 (30% utilization) can raise your score noticeably within the next monthly update. Missed payments take longer to recover from — a late payment stays on your report for seven years, but its impact on your score fades over time, especially if you make all payments on time going forward.

If you see an account or payment on the Bank of America score card that you do not recognize, pull your full credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com and look for the same item there. If it is an error, dispute it with the bureau. If it is accurate but you do not remember the account, it may be an old card or loan that is still reporting — closing old accounts can sometimes lower your score, so leaving them open (even unused) can help.

Monitoring your score over time

Bank of America stores your score history in your account, so you can see how it has moved over months and years. This historical view is more useful than any single number because it shows whether your credit is improving or declining. A score that rises 20 points over six months tells you that your financial habits are working; a score that drops tells you something has changed.

Check your score monthly when it updates, but do not check it more often than that — the score does not change between updates, and checking too frequently can create unnecessary anxiety. Set a calendar reminder for the same date each month to review your score and the factors affecting it. Over time, you will see patterns: your score may dip after you open a new credit card (because new accounts lower your average age of credit), then recover as you build a payment history.

If you are planning to explore for a loan or mortgage in the next few months, start monitoring your score now. This gives you time to address any obvious problems — paying down high balances, correcting errors on your report — before a lender pulls your score.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does checking my credit score in Bank of America hurt my credit?

No. Checking your own score is a "soft inquiry" and does not affect your credit at all. Only when a lender or creditor pulls your score (a "hard inquiry") in response to an process does it have a small, temporary impact on your score. You can check your Bank of America score as often as you want without any penalty.

Why is my Bank of America score different from the score another bank shows?

Different banks and credit monitoring services may pull scores from different bureaus or use different scoring models. Bank of America uses VantageScore; another bank might use FICO or a different version of VantageScore. The same bureau can also produce slightly different scores depending on when the data was pulled and which accounts reported that day.

Can I improve my score quickly before explore for a loan?

Some changes help faster than others. Paying down credit card balances can raise your score within one or two monthly updates. Disputing errors on your credit report can also help if the errors are removed. Late payments and collections take much longer to recover from — months or years — so if those are on your report, focus on making all future payments on time.

What if I do not see a credit score in my Bank of America account?

You may not have a credit file yet if you have never borrowed money or opened a credit account. You may also have an account type that does not include credit score monitoring, such as a business account. Contact Bank of America customer service to confirm whether your account is may be able to access for credit score tracking.

Is the Bank of America credit score the same one lenders use?

No. Bank of America shows a VantageScore, but most lenders use FICO when deciding whether to approve you for credit. The two scores usually move in the same direction, but the numbers can differ by 50 points or more. If you want to know the exact FICO score a lender will see, you can purchase it from FICO at myfico.com.