I had no clue there were additional credit scores outside of the ones from the three major credit bureaus. I can't imagine they are that divergent from the main three though. I suppose it makes sense to pay for the actual report if you plan to buy a house or a car since getting accurate information about ones credit is important. While I know the score isn't on there, the info from the free annual credit report should be somewhat helpful I though think since it does show payment history from all three of the major bureaus.

Is it true having your credit score checked repeatedly in a short amount of time can hurt your score? I read that a while ago, but I have no clue how true that is.