Soft inquiry
A check of your credit report that does not affect your credit score — used for prequalification, self-checks, and account reviews.
A soft inquiry is a pull of your credit report that does not affect your credit score. Common examples: checking your own credit, an existing lender reviewing an account, a prospective employer running a background check (in states where allowed), or a lender making a prequalification or preapproval offer that has not yet turned into an application.
Soft inquiries appear on the copy of your credit report only you see. They are not visible to other lenders and are not factored into the scoring models used to price loans. That is the whole practical difference from a hard inquiry.
Most "check your rate without affecting your credit" language on lender websites is describing a soft inquiry. The soft pull produces a rate estimate; if you accept and formally apply, the lender then runs a hard inquiry. Reviewing your own credit report at annualcreditreport.com is always a soft inquiry, no matter how often you check.
Plumb is financial education, not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.