Soft Pull / Soft Inquiry

A soft pull is a credit check that does not affect your FICO score and is not visible to other lenders. Soft pulls power pre-qualifications, employer background checks, your own self-reports (Credit Karma, annualcreditreport.com), and pre-screened "you are pre-approved" mail offers. For car shopping, soft-pull pre-quals from Capital One Auto Navigator, AutoFi, or Chase let you check your real rate without burning credit. The trade-off: soft-pull rates are estimates, not guaranteed — the binding rate only comes from the hard inquiry at the dealer.