#Where to get your truly free credit score

First National Bank of Omaha and Barclaycard U.S. customers are first to get free and real FICO scores

Google free credit score, and you'll be pointed to websites that exploit your interest by luring you to expensive credit-monitoring services that cost as much as $200 a year.

But now, some consumers can get their first truly free credit score, if they're credit-card holders at First National Bank of Omaha or Barclaycard U.S. two of the 10 largest issuers of credit cards in the U.S.

The free scores, which customers can see updated every month, are the actual FICO scores used by the lender to grant or deny credit and set interest rates, not the myFICO, PLUS, VantageScore, or other so-called educational scores sold to consumers, which are not actually used by many, or sometimes any, lenders, insurers, or other businesses.

These same scores are also used to monitor how well you handle your account and to determine whether your credit line should be raised or if you've gotten too deep in debt. The free scores also come with an explanation of the top two factors driving the score, which gives you useful guidance on how to improve your score.