3 Ways to Get a Free Credit Report |
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There are several ways that you can obtain a free credit report, so that you can keep up to date on what is going on with your credit situation, without shelling out $45 each time you want to check your file with all three credit reporting agencies. There are three great ways to get a free credit report, all of which are explained below. Get Your Yearly Free Credit Report As a U.S. consumer, you are allowed one free credit report per year by law. Each credit reporting agency must provide this for you when requested, and cannot deny you for any reason. The only way you may miss the opportunity to get your free credit report quickly is if you fail the security questions that you are required to answer. These questions will be about information that is on your credit report, so it is information that the credit reporting agencies assume that you should know. Even then, sending in requested personal documents should get your report on its way. You can request this report within minutes by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. You must request your free credit report from this website, the phone number on the website, or the mailing address on the website. You cannot request this report directly from the credit reporting agencies. Get Denied For Credit By law, you are also allowed a free credit report anytime you are denied credit. When you apply and are denied for a credit card or loan, the lender will send you a letter detailing your denial reasons and the credit reporting agency that they got your credit report from. You will then have 60 days to request a free credit report from the credit reporting agency or agencies named in the letter. The issue with this is that you can only receive a report from the agency in the letter, not from all three agencies; but, if you have already obtained your yearly report from www.annualcreditreport.com, this will be a good way to get another peek at your file without paying for it. Get a Credit Monitoring Service Free Trial The last way to get a free credit report is to sign up for a credit monitoring trial that offers a report as your 'gift' for trying the service. You will usually have 30 days to cancel your membership and not be charged for the following month's service. Although you may only sign up to receive a free report, credit monitoring can be to your advantage because it can be a good way to know if someone else tries to apply for credit in your name. No matter which of these options you choose, make sure you print out a hard copy of your credit report and keep it in a safe place. This way you will always have a copy to refer to, until the next time you can order a free credit report. Remember, the best way to protect your credit reputation is to check on it at least 1-4 times a year. |
