A FICO score is a number that represents an person’s creditworthiness. FICO scores range from 300 to 850. The higher the score, the more creditworthy you are considered to be. The median FICO score in the U.S. is 725. FICO scores are used by the vast majority of banks and credit card issuers to determine how much credit they are willing to give you and at what interest rate. Although many companies will tell you your FICO score for a fee, you don’t have to pay for it. You can get your FICO score for free in a number of ways. The easiest way to find out your FICO score is to examine your credit card statement. A number of credit card issuers, including American Express, Bank of America, and Citibank, print their customer’s FICO scores on their monthly statements. You may have to look hard to find it, but it’s there someplace on your statement. Other banks, such as Wells Fargo, don’t put FICO scores on their monthly statements but will tell their customers their FICO scores for free upon request. Discover card will tell anyone, not just their own cardholders, what their FICO score is for free by using Discover’s Credit Score Card website. If you have a student loan from Sallie Mae, they too will tell you your FICO score for free. This isn’t something that you need to pay for.