Online payment services have become an increasing necessity in the modern world in order to facilitate cashless transactions beyond the working hours of a bank. These online payment services range from credit cards, e-wallets, net banking and many other digital payment systems available to users and merchants all around the clock.
These online payment services can be broadly categorized into three most basic transaction models such as the cash based, post-paid and pre-paid models. The cash based model is the exchange of cash without any central processing fee or additional cost for the transaction. While the post-paid model gives a user transaction privileges like a bank at some minimal additional cost, the pre-paid model allows the purchase of pre-paid tokens for future use without incurring any charges. Although all these systems contain minimum security, the issue of fraud or liability on a phishing scam would be the user’s responsibility as the online payment service providers would vouch only for their payment transactions and not for the third-party vendors.
An online payment service medium is not just a tool for an individual to make online purchases from different intreat sites but also a medium for traditional shop sellers to expand their business online without the fear of delay on payments for their goods as these portals provide an instant credit or debit to the bank accounts of the holder in real time. Corporate giants including banks like the American Express and smartphone developers from iPhone to Samsung have launched their own online payment service portals and integrated them with the technological gadgets like laptops to smartphones in order to facilitate easy transactions for their end users. While there may be a small charge for certain transactions, most transaction are offered for free with high end encrypted security to secure the user’s bank details and identity.
Some of the leading online payment service providers include Square, Google Wallet, Amazon Payments, PayPal, V.me by VISA, and 2Checkout. All these providers have their own online portals as well as customized applications for smartphones and other technological gadgets. These providers are not just for transactions on the web, but also provide the feasibility to use their services to make payments at restaurants, movie theaters, malls, supermarkets, grocery shops, airports, metro stations, hospitals, pharmacies, etc, by tying up with local vendors and business to provide connected services to its individual user and enhanced opportunities for small businesses and vendors. The future of these service providers is in the successful integration of biometrics to enable personalized transactions and avoid ID theft.
There are companies that work on collecting and maintaining credit information of consumers. These are known as credit reporting agencies (CRAs). There are three such major CRAs in the country, namely Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Apart from these, there are other smaller-scale agencies too that specialize at the job. If you’re worried about “where to get my credit score?,” the larger CRAs are the most reliable bets.
These major CRAs obtain information from companies that you hold business and transactions with. People or companies that lend you money regularly report to these CRAs on your repaying status. There is also detailed information on the amount you are indebted and whether you have ever defaulted on your payments. Aside from the reports obtained from lenders, these companies also tally your general records based on certain other aspects. Some of these aspects are your public records from the local and state judiciary. These include your tax records and bankruptcy information. This information makes up an important chunk of your credit score and its report.
Equifax
Present in 24 countries, Equifax is an agency that offers consumers protection against identity theft and credit fraudulence. They also sell credit reports and credit monitoring assistance to businesses.
Experian
Experian started off in London and is now a trusted agency in 39 different countries. It provides you with a credit score, credit report, and even credit tracker on subscription. The agency uses FICO 8 system of credit score calculation. Experian was a part of Forbes’ “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2018.
TransUnion
Based across 30 countries with a database of over 1 billion consumers, TransUnion is another CRA giant. The agency, like the other ones, will provide you with your credit score and your credit reports. In case you decide to freeze your TransUnion credit report, it will also go the extra mile to notify Equifax and Experian, which frankly is a big help especially in case of identity theft and credit fraud.
So, the next time you are sat wondering “where to get my credit score?,” think of these three giants that provide you with an annual credit score and credit report for free once each year. However, if you are looking for more frequent updates, you can subscribe to their services and receive your monthly updates.
Did you know that you have more than a single credit score? Agencies calculate your credit score based on the data in your credit reports. If you are wondering, “where to get my credit score?,” there are three main credit reporting agencies. These can have different credit scores for you if your information on each of their credit reports is different. Also, these agencies charge a fee to reveal your credit score.
Recently, it has become easier to track and get hold of your credit score without paying any fees. You can get it from your credit card company, your loan provider, and even from a non-profit counselor. Here are a few tips you can use to check your score.