American Express^® MyCredit Guide Frequently Asked Questions

MyCredit Guide provides your FICO^® Score based on Experian^® credit report data. FICO^® Scores are updated weekly refreshed upon login. Experian credit reports are updated monthly, or any time a financial institution reports a change to your profile. MyCredit Guide also includes a range of information and tools to help you understand your credit score better and plan for the future. Some of the features include:

• Factors that are impacting your score
• Up to 12 months of score history
• Your detailed credit report provided by Experian
• Alerts about critical changes to your Experian credit report information to help you identify potential fraud
• FICO^® Score Simulator which can help you assess the possible impact of financial choices before you make them
• Credit education articles

Your FICO^® Score is updated weekly, upon log in.

FICO^® Scores take into consideration five main categories of information to determine your score*:

• Payment history (35%)
• How much you owe (30%)
• Length of credit history (15%)
• New credit (10%)
• Types of credit (10%)
  *percentages are estimates

The FICO^® Score Simulator is an interactive tool that shows you how certain actions you might take, like applying for a new credit card or loan, making a late bill payment, or closing out one (or all) of your credit cards, could positively or negatively affect your FICO^® Score.

NOTE: Results of the FICO^® Score Simulator are estimated and don’t necessarily show the exact results a given behavior will have on your score.

The FICO^® Score Simulator starts with the information in your current Experian credit report and estimates how changes to the information could affect your score. Please keep in mind, the FICO^® Score Simulator is an educational tool and the outcomes are estimated and not predictions.
NOTE: Accounts not reported to Experian or subsequently deleted from your credit report will not be reflected in your score.

The FICO^® Score Planner (FSP) is a feature created to enhance the FICO^® Score experience. FSP allows the individual to set a target FICO^® Score and associated time horizon to reach that target FICO^® Score. These criteria along with the individual’s credit report data elements will be analyzed to provide potential actions the customer could take to reach that target score.

Yes, you will be able to make adjustments to your target goals by selecting the "Edit Goal" option.

You can view your Experian credit report through MyCredit Guide. If you want to see your credit report from other credit reporting agencies, you may request a free copy of your credit report at annualcreditreport.com. You're entitled to receive one free credit report each year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

You will be automatically enrolled in all available email communications, including for marketing purposes, with your MyCredit Guide enrollment. Your email communication preferences can be adjusted by visiting your “My Account” page in MyCredit Guide.

American Express will review your recent credit history and/or other information to determine your eligibility for pre-qualified American Express Card offers. Pre-qualification does not impact your credit score.

MyCredit Guide is a free tool, available whether you have an American Express account or not. Just enroll in MyCredit Guide and you can check your FICO^® Score and Experian^® credit report online for free.

FICO^® Scores range from 300 to 850 and are categorized as follows:

• Exceptional: 800 to 850
• Very good: 740 to 799
• Good: 670 to 739
• Fair: 580 to 669
• Poor: 300 to 579

Everyone’s credit profile is unique. Your financial behaviors and choices may affect your score differently than it would others. Still, there are a few basic things that everyone can do to help maintain a good credit score:

• Consistently pay the amount due on all your bills, on time
• Regularly monitor your credit report and address any inaccuracies in it
• Don’t accumulate too much debt
• Don't apply for new credit too frequently

Your FICO^® Score is visible only to you.

Identity (ID) Monitoring keeps an eye on your personal information across a range of internet sites. MyCredit Guide will monitor for compromise or exposure of your personal information including Social Security Number and email address. If we detect that your information has been exposed or compromised, MyCredit Guide will provide alerts to inform you of the specific accounts exposed, description, and recommendations for actions you can take to help secure your data and identity.

It means that our Identity Monitoring service has found your personal information on one or more of the internet sites being scanned. MyCredit Guide recommends that you consider taking action such as contacting your financial institutions, changing passwords, and reviewing your credit report to ensure that there is no unusual activity. Identity Monitoring Alerts are provided through your existing MyCredit Guide account.

Our Identity Monitoring service scans internet sites on the Surface Web, Deep Web and Dark Web for elements of your identity. The Surface Web is made up of the websites indexed by typical search engines. The Deep Web consists of the part of the internet that isn’t indexed by typical search engines, and the Dark Web consists of websites where IP addresses are encrypted or hidden.

First, check to see if the alert contains a specific recommended action. Additionally, you can help protect yourself from fraud by:

• Placing a fraud alert on your credit file by contacting the national credit reporting bureaus.
• Frequently changing your passwords and using unique passwords. Even though only one account may be referenced in the alert, you might want to consider changing your passwords for other accounts as well – especially if you used the same password for other accounts.
• Checking your credit card and bank statements for unauthorized charges.

The data on your MyCredit Guide is based on your Experian^® credit report. Your FICO^® Score is calculated based on information in that credit report.

The information on your Experian credit report comes from multiple sources. Your credit report contains personal information, credit account history, credit inquiries, and public records. This information is reported by your lenders and creditors to the credit bureaus. Much of it is used to calculate your FICO^® Score to inform future lenders about your creditworthiness.

Your credit bureau information is continuously updated. If your FICO^® Score shows a change, it could be due to a number of reasons. For example, if you acquired new credit, paid down existing debt, or made a late payment, you may see an effect on your credit score.

If you cannot see your FICO^® Score, it may be because there is not enough information in your credit report to calculate a credit score.

This is typical if you have recently enrolled. The FICO^® Score history chart will build each month, starting with your first visit to MyCredit Guide.

Your FICO^® Score through MyCredit Guide is calculated using credit bureau information from Experian. The score can vary depending on the credit bureau that calculated the score since each credit bureau may have different information about you. It can also vary due to the timing of the calculation, given that your credit report is updated frequently.

MyCredit Guide is a summary of your credit data from Experian. If your information does not look right, we recommend that you review your Experian credit report provided in MyCredit Guide. You can also call Experian from 9:00AM to 10:00PM ET, Monday through Friday at 833-421-3385.

American Express may use the information you provide when you enroll to market American Express products and services to you. For information about your options, and how American Express protects your privacy, please read our Privacy Statement.

Identity verification is a fraud protection tool that is intended to help protect your security and privacy. Identity verification asks questions that can only be answered by the person connected to that credit report – without this step, an unauthorized party could obtain your credit report information.

Identity verification uses specific information contained in your credit report and from other sources. It’s possible that your information that has been updated has not yet been reported to the credit reporting agency or provider of other data. Also, sometimes the process may ask for information about accounts that you may have closed within the past three years and that you may no longer remember.

To get help, you can call Experian customer service from 9:00AM to 10:00PM ET, Monday through Friday at 833-421-3385.

A customer service team member will attempt to confirm your identity by asking you questions about your credit history. Once your identity has been confirmed, the representative will make your MyCredit Guide available for you to view online.

To reset your password, please visit the MyCredit Guide login page, click on the "Forgot Password" link, and follow the directions provided.

Yes, you can cancel your MyCredit Guide account. To do so, after you have logged in, click the link to “My Account” at the top menu, then select “Cancel MyCredit Guide Account.”