What Credit Bureau Does Credit Karma Use?

Credit Karma (CK) shows you credit information from TransUnion and Equifax, so every free report you open on the site originates from those two bureaus, not Experian.

• Sign in to your CK account
• Navigate to the 'Scores & Reports' tab
• Click 'View TransUnion report' or 'View Equifax report' to switch between bureaus
• Review the full credit file, including accounts, inquiries, and public records

For more detail, see Credit Karma's bureau usage guide.

Credit Karma (CK) skips Experian because its VantageScore 3.0 model only requires data from TransUnion and Equifax, and those two bureaus already supply the full credit picture CK needs. Licensing fees for Experian's data are higher, and the incremental information rarely changes a consumer's score, so CK keeps costs low and data flow fast by limiting itself to the two partners.

Using just TransUnion and Equifax also streamlines the refresh process described in the 'see transunion and equifax on credit karma' section, letting CK update scores multiple times a day without the extra latency Experian would introduce. This setup leads directly into the next topic - how VantageScore 3.0 powers your CK score.

VantageScore 3.0 is the credit‑scoring model that powers Credit Karma's (CK) personal score, and CK pulls the underlying data exclusively from TransUnion and Equifax  -  Experian never factors in.

For example, a user with a TransUnion balance‑to‑income ratio of 18 % and an Equifax payment‑history score of 720 will see a CK score around 720, because the VantageScore algorithm weights those two bureau reports equally. If the same user later reduces the TransUnion credit utilization to 9 %, the CK score jumps roughly 15 points, reflecting how VantageScore 3.0 instantly incorporates the newest TransUnion and Equifax data.

Conversely, a missed payment reported only by Equifax can drop the CK score by 20‑30 points, even though TransUnion shows perfect history. This real‑time blending explains why CK scores move quickly and why later sections discuss score volatility and how it differs from FICO.

Credit Karma (CK) pulls your data from TransUnion and Equifax, runs it through VantageScore 3.0, and updates the score whenever either bureau adds new information, so any fresh inquiry, balance change, or payment status shift can move the number.

Because the two bureaus don't refresh at the same moment, CK may show a dip when only one source has recorded a change and then a rise when the second catches up; for example, a credit‑limit increase reported to Equifax today but to TransUnion tomorrow creates a temporary swing.

VantageScore 3.0 also weights recent utilization and activity more heavily than most FICO models, so short‑term fluctuations appear larger even if your overall credit health stays steady. (Learn more about VantageScore 3.0)

Credit Karma (CK) shows a VantageScore 3.0 built from TransUnion and Equifax data, which is a different algorithm than any FICO score.

• CK pulls only from TransUnion and Equifax; FICO may use any of the three major bureaus, including Experian.
• CK follows VantageScore 3.0 weighting (e.g., lower impact of recent hard inquiries); FICO applies its own proprietary weighting that changes by version.
• CK refreshes the score nightly as bureau data updates; many FICO scores are refreshed monthly or only when a lender requests a new pull.
• CK offers one consumer‑friendly number; FICO often generates multiple versions (8, 9, 10) that can vary between lenders.

Credit Karma (CK) lets you pull a fresh VantageScore 3.0 from TransUnion and Equifax whenever you click the refresh button, and the updated score appears within minutes.

1. Sign in to the CK website or mobile app and open the Score dashboard.
2. Tap the circular arrow icon that says 'Refresh'. If you've already refreshed in the last 24 hours, CK will display 'Score up to date' instead of making a new pull.
3. Wait a few moments while CK requests the latest data from both bureaus; the new score replaces the old one instantly.
4. Need more than one refresh per day? Upgrade to Credit Karma Premium for multiple daily pulls.

For detailed instructions, see How to refresh your Credit Karma score.

Credit Karma (CK) lets you download a free TransUnion credit report with a few clicks. After logging into your CK dashboard, navigate to the 'TransUnion Report' tab and follow the on‑screen prompts; the file appears instantly for download.

• Sign in at Credit Karma free credit report portal.
• Click 'View My Credit Reports' under the TransUnion section.
• Verify your identity with a one‑time code sent to your phone or email.
• Choose 'Download PDF' to save the full TransUnion file to your device.

Now that you have the report, you can compare its numbers to the CK score, spot inaccuracies, and use CK's built‑in dispute feature in the next section.

Credit Karma (CK) lets you dispute any inaccurate entry on the TransUnion or Equifax reports it shows. Open the CK dashboard, click the offending item, choose 'Dispute,' and follow the prompts to upload supporting documents such as a bank statement or credit card bill. CK then forwards the file to the appropriate bureau, which must investigate within 30 days.

After the bureau completes its review, CK updates your score automatically; if the error is corrected, you'll see the change on your VantageScore 3.0 display. Watch for email notifications that tell you whether the item was removed, revised, or upheld, and be prepared to re‑file if the response seems incomplete. For a step‑by‑step tutorial, see how to file a dispute with Credit Karma.

Most lenders bypass Credit Karma (CK) and pull credit files directly from the bureaus, usually requesting a full TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian report rather than relying on the VantageScore 3.0 that CK provides from just TransUnion and Equifax. They do this because CK's score isn't a 'official' FICO score and because many underwriting models need data points that only a complete bureau file contains.

Only a handful of lenders use CK's VantageScore for an initial pre‑screen; even then they switch to a full bureau pull for final approval. For example, many auto‑finance and mortgage companies will look at the CK score to gauge interest but will still order the complete TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian files before committing a loan.

As noted in how lenders use credit reports, Experian remains a primary source for many underwriting algorithms, so CK's omission of that bureau limits its direct relevance to lenders.

Credit Karma (CK) still shows your score and credit‑report data even when you have a credit freeze because it reads the existing file from TransUnion and Equifax; a freeze only blocks new lenders from pulling a hard inquiry, not the periodic soft pulls CK performs to refresh your VantageScore 3.0. If you want CK to reflect recent activity - such as a newly added account - you'll need to temporarily lift the freeze or grant a temporary lift for the specific bureau, which takes minutes online via the bureau's portal (see how credit freezes work).

Because CK never pulls Experian, the freeze on that bureau does not affect its data at all. This means you can monitor your credit daily, dispute errors, and see score changes without compromising the protection a freeze provides, and you'll only encounter a hiccup when a lender you apply with requires a hard pull that you must unblock.