what is the difference between a soft inquiry and a hard inquiry on your credit report
Soft inquiries are credit checks that are typically ordered by the consumer when viewing his or her own credit report, and thus cannot affect lending decisions. Checking your own credit through most third-party sites, or the official official government-sponsored site, counts as a soft inquiry.
Hard pull inquiries stay on your credit report for 1-2 years and each hard inquiry can cause a 5 point drop in your credit score for about six months. Examples of hard credit pulls that will affect your credit score include: Applications for a new credit card. Requests to activate a pre-approved credit card offer.