Who uses which score

TL;DR

• Credit card approvals run on FICO 8 or FICO Bankcard 8 at ~95% of US issuers. VantageScore is almost never used for card approvals.
• Mortgages run on FICO 2/4/5 tri-merge today, migrating to FICO 10T + VantageScore 4.0 bi-merge under the FHFA rule.
• Which bureau a lender pulls varies by region, applicant, and random A/B tests the issuer's risk team runs. "Usually Experian" is always a directional statement.

Credit card issuers

Most pull FICO 8 or FICO Bankcard 8 for approval. The bureau varies.

| Issuer | Usual bureau | Score model (typical) | |---|---|---| | Chase | Experian (CA, TX, others) / TransUnion (some regions) | FICO 8 Bankcard | | American Express | Experian | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Capital One | All three (pulls TU + EQ + EX on most apps) | FICO 8 | | Citi | Equifax (usually) | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Discover | Experian | FICO 8 | | Bank of America | Experian (usually) / TransUnion | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Wells Fargo | Experian | FICO 8 Bankcard or FICO 9 Bankcard | | US Bank | Experian (usually) | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Barclays (US) | TransUnion (usually) | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Synchrony | Equifax | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Comenity (Bread Financial) | TransUnion | FICO 8 Bankcard | | Navy Federal | Equifax | FICO 8 + internal scoring | | PenFed | Equifax | FICO 8 | | Alliant | Equifax | FICO 8 | | USAA | Equifax | FICO 8 + internal | | Apple Card (Goldman Sachs) | TransUnion | FICO 9 | | Goldman Sachs Marcus | Experian | FICO 8 |

The "usual bureau" column is directional — issuers A/B test, pull multiple bureaus on some apps, and vary by region. Chase in California is not the same as Chase in Texas.

Auto lenders

Almost all run FICO Auto 8 or FICO Auto 9.

| Lender | Usual bureau | Score model | |---|---|---| | Ford Credit | Experian | FICO Auto 8 | | GM Financial | Experian | FICO Auto 8 | | Toyota Financial | Experian | FICO Auto 8 | | Honda Financial | Experian or TransUnion | FICO Auto 8 | | Chase Auto | Equifax | FICO Auto 8 | | Capital One Auto | All three | FICO Auto 8 | | Ally Auto | Equifax | FICO Auto 8 | | USAA Auto | Equifax | FICO Auto 8 + internal | | Credit unions | Varies | FICO Auto 8 or 9 |

Dealer financing usually pulls through a dealer's preferred bureau. If you're shopping, your first "hard pull" at a dealership triggers a 14-day rate-shopping window (see Hard vs soft inquiries).

Mortgage lenders

All conforming mortgages (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac guaranteed) pull a tri-merge:

| Bureau | FICO model used | |---|---| | Experian | FICO 2 | | TransUnion | FICO 4 | | Equifax | FICO 5 |

Underwriting uses the middle of the three scores. If a second borrower is on the loan, the middle-of-middles: both borrowers' middle scores are computed, then the lower of the two middles is used.

Non-conforming loans (jumbo, bank portfolio, hard money) pull whatever the lender chooses — usually FICO 8 or 9, sometimes VantageScore 4.0.

Migration in progress: the FHFA mandated a move to FICO 10T + VantageScore 4.0 bi-merge starting in 2025. Most conforming lenders are still on tri-merge as of 2026. Check with your lender for the specific model they'll pull.

Personal loan lenders

| Lender | Score model (typical) | |---|---| | SoFi | FICO 9 + internal | | Upstart | VantageScore 3.0 + alternative data ML model | | LendingClub | FICO 8 | | Marcus by Goldman Sachs | FICO 8 | | Discover Personal Loans | FICO 8 | | Prosper | FICO 8 | | Affirm (installment) | VantageScore 3.0 + internal |

Fintech lenders trend toward VantageScore or custom ML models. Traditional banks stay on FICO 8.

Student lenders

Federal student loans don't pull a credit score at all. Private lenders (Sallie Mae, SoFi, Earnest, Citizens Bank) typically pull FICO 8 from one bureau.

Consumer-facing "free score" products

None of these underwrite anything. They're for monitoring.

| Source | What they show | |---|---| | Credit Karma | VantageScore 3.0 (TU + EQ) | | Capital One CreditWise | VantageScore 3.0 (TU) | | Chase Credit Journey | VantageScore 3.0 (EX) | | American Express MyCredit Guide | VantageScore 3.0 (TU) | | Bank of America Privacy Assist | VantageScore 3.0 (TU) | | Wells Fargo CreditView | FICO Bankcard 9 (EX) | | Discover Credit Scorecard | FICO 8 (EX) | | Experian free app | FICO 8 (EX) |

Discover and Experian are the two outliers showing actual FICO. Everyone else shows VantageScore 3.0.

Reading this matrix

• Applying for a specific card — check the issuer's "usual bureau" row, monitor FICO 8 at that bureau (free via Experian app for EX, paid via myFICO for TU/EQ, or wait for your bank to show it).
• Applying for a specific auto loan — usually Experian FICO Auto 8 for dealer captive financing.
• Applying for a mortgage — pay for myFICO "Ultimate" to see all three mortgage FICOs. Credit Karma will not be useful here.
• Just curious — Credit Karma's fine.

For why the bureaus themselves differ even when the model is the same, see The three bureaus.