Free Annual Credit Report: Things to Know

How healthy is your credit?

Things To Know about Free Annual Credit Reports

Do you know that you are among the lucky ones to get a free annual credit report? In fact, all people living in today’s age are lucky to get a free annual credit report. In olden days, there was a time when the credit consumers in the United States had to spend 10$ per credit report obtained from the three chief credit bureaus namely, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Moreover, this was the time when credit related issues were very rare. However, today, the scene is different. At present, the credit consumers are much bothered about problems such as bad credit score and credit misuse. Keeping this in mind, the main credit bureaus offer free annual credit reports.

Recognizing the Significance of Free Annual Credit Report

How many of us recognize the need to obtain and review the free annual credit report? I don’t think that this number is considerable. Sadly, people tend to realize the importance of the report reviewing when a loan is denied or when they suspect identity theft. Nevertheless, it is better to remain proactive and manage credit information by obtaining a report before the lenders granting you loans ask for it.

Getting a Free Credit Report

It is vital for you to know that any of the three credit bureaus does not send the free credit report on its own. In fact, you will have to request for it from all the three bureaus either simultaneously or at a different time of the year. As a tip, it is preferable to request the annual free credit reports via a trustworthy agency. For example, you can approach the federal Trade Commission or visit the AnnualCreditReport.com site for obtaining the free reports in an easy manner.

However, do bear in mind that you need to avoid using services that are found via the search engine results. This is because they are not always reliable. Alternatively, you might get to know about a service from a friend or colleague. However, even in this case, you need to find out as to how reliable they are by visiting their official sites and reading customer reviews. In short, avoid being a part of a free report scam.

Utilizing Free Annual Credit Report

The first step towards credit protection is definitely to obtain the free annual credit report. Next, you should analyze as well as review the information present in the credit report. Now, there are two reasons for you to do so. First, doing so will make you identify records that should have expired long ago. Second, it is always wise to recognize information which is incomplete or incorrect. This is where a professional credit report monitoring service comes into the picture. Such a service ensures that your credit report is up-to-date and offers accurate as well as complete information.

You kindly need to note that your free annual credit report does not include any kind of credit score such as FICO. This is irrespective of the report source (the three credit bureaus). In fact, such a report contains information that influences your credit score either in a positive or negative way.

Services Included:

3 Free Credit Scores
Daily Credit Monitoring and Alerts
Quarterly Credit Updates and Updated Scores
Protection Against Identity Theft and Fraud
7-Day Free Trial