How to Get a Free Credit Report?

Answer 1

Getting your free credit report has never been easier. While you may have seen dozens of commercials on TV advertising free credit reports, many want you to sign up for various credit monitoring services or pay a fee to access your credit score. While you may in fact want these services or information, there is no need to pay to access your basic credit report. You have the right to access this information from each of the three major credit bureaus once annually. Simply follow the steps laid out here, and you’ll be able to get your free credit report.

• First, gather any information you may need during the process of requesting your free credit report. You’ll likely need information such as your name and any aliases used, social security number, current and former addresses, and you may need to verify accounts you have open.

• Next, go to www.annualcreditreport.com to request your free credit report. It is the only authorized website for users to access their annual credit report for free. Follow the directions on the site and enter the information it requests. You can get your report from all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at the same time, or you can vary the time throughout the year that you request the reports.

• If you have difficulty with the website, you can request your free credit report by calling 877-322-8228. You will need the same information to verify your request as you would if completing it online.

• You can also go to the Federal Trade Commission’s website (www.ftc.gov) and download a form to request you free credit report.

If you want to get a free copy of your credit report, just follow the steps laid out here. It is a fairly simple and straightforward process. As long as you have the necessary information to verify your identity, you should be able to access your free credit report quickly and easily.

Answer 2

How To Get A Free Credit Report

Credit reports are detailed collections of people's personal credit history which includes such things as payment history, payment behavior, financial accounts and up-to-date account balances. However, they do not include people's credit scores which are solely based on the credit reports. For people to maintain or achieve an excellent credit score, they should review their credit reports periodically. This article explains the importance of credit reports and how people can get free copies of them.

Why Do People Need To View Their Credit Reports?

In some cases, there may be information on people's credit reports that are questionable or out-dated. Thus, it is essential for consumers to review their reports regularly so that they can spot these errors and work on fixing them. When there are errors on people's reports, their credit scores can be adversely affected, and they can be denied of such things as credit cards, loans, mortgages, insurance, cell phones and even home rentals.

Where Can People Get Their Credit Reports?

Everybody is entitled to receive one free credit report each year from the three main credit reporting bureaus. These bureaus are Equifax, Transunion and Experian. The federal government requires all three of these bureaus to provide consumers with a free copy of their reports each year.

Although the reports do not include people's credit scores, they can obtain them by paying a small fee. How Do People Go About Getting Their Free Credit Reports?

Free reports are not automatically mailed to consumers, they must request them. They can do this either by contacting one of the above credit bureaus or by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. They can do this either online, by mail or phone. They can also request a free credit report from the annual credit reports website, annualcreditreport.com. In just a few weeks, consumers will receive their complimentary report in the mail.