4 More Ways To Get A Free Credit Report
I think the media in general has been pretty successful about promoting AnnualCreditReport.com, the official government-mandated source of free credit reports. I checked all mine last March. But what happens when it hasn’t been 12 months yet but you need to check again? Do you try one of those free trial gimmicks and remember to cancel in time?
Not so fast! There are several more ways to get a free credit report without having to use up all your freebies:
- You were denied credit, insurance, or a job due to information on your credit report. A notice stating which credit bureau supplied the report should be included in your letter of denial. You then have 60 days to request a free copy of your report from them.
- You are unemployed. You?re also entitled to one free report a year if you?re unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days.
- You are on welfare.
- Your believe yourself to be a victim of identity theft. Perhaps you recently found a suspicious transaction, or lost your wallet. Have you shopped at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s since 2003? Place a fraud alert on your file, and then ask for a free copy of your credit report.
Here are the numbers you’ll need:
* Equifax: 800-685-1111; Fraud Dept. 800-525-6285
* Experian: 888-397-3742 (same for Fraud Dept.)
* Trans Union: 800-916-8800; Fraud Dept. 800-680-7289
This is all taken from the Federal Trade Commission, so you can reference that if they try to argue with you.
Find more in Deals & Offers, Frugal Living | 2/5/07, 9:49pm | Trackback
February 5th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Speaking of credit reports, anyone know what the rules are re: being an authorized user on a credit card and why is shows up on the credit report? I thought an authorized user is not responsible for the credit account, so why does it show up on the credit report? Both my wife and I have opened credit card accounts and placed each other as an authorized user. On our credit reports, it shows the account as an authorized user account. If the authorized user isn’t liable for the account, then why is it being used in the person’s credit report? Is it being used to figure out DTI? Is it being used as part of FICO? Anyone know? Thanks.
February 5th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
ok, so i found the answer on the FTC site, but it doesn’t go into whether the authorized user account(s) is used to figure out DTI and FICO for credit. Anyone know? Thx
February 6th, 2007 at 6:48 am
You are allowed one report from each of the 3 agencies once per year. This doesn’t mean you have to get all 3 at once. I go to the website and order a credit report from one agency about once every 4 months (rotating the agencies so I get one per year from each) So I can get a feel for my credit history 3 times a year.
February 6th, 2007 at 6:53 am
I think you forgot one extra bonus credit report for those consumers who live in the following states: CO, GA, ME, MD, MA, NJ, and VT. Reason? Consumers in these states are eligible for 1 free credit report per year, under state law.
February 6th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Having 1 report every 4 months is great for just keeping tabs on things, but if you are an identity theft victim you really want to check all three at the same time as they could all be different.
Thanks for the additional info, SE.
February 6th, 2007 at 7:50 am
There’s no way to get the credit scores for free, though, right?
February 6th, 2007 at 7:53 am
The only way I know of to get scores for free is through a free trial. My recommendation is to get the scores instantly online, print them out/save them to pdf format, and then cancel the very same day so you have no reason to forget.
February 6th, 2007 at 8:21 am
I was always told that pulling your credit report puts a mark on your credit. Anyone want to dispel or confirm this thought? And if it does make a mark, how severe is it?
February 6th, 2007 at 9:44 am
If you have a WaMu (formerly Providian) credit card, they will show you online the score they pull every month, and will optionally send you an e-mail alert if your score changes +/- 20 points. My account shows the TransUnion FICO (specifically, according to their online help, the “Bankcard Industry Option FICO score” which is apparently adjusted from the “Classic FICO” to be a more useful predictor for them.)
February 6th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Personally, I think getting a credit report without a credit score is half-useless. Then again, signing up and canceling didn’t go so well for me either - i ended up paying for a month of service. The whole system of credit rating just seems so medieval and outdated for me. It is much easier to harm your score than to improve it…
February 6th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Checking your own credit report doesn’t hurt your score at all.
Your score is simply a formula based on the information on each credit report. Once you see a few scores and get familiar with the formula, you can pretty much predict your score range based on your report, so I don’t feel it’s worth the bother to check my score very often. I definitely will before applying for a mortgage, though.
February 6th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I actually check every 4 months, alternating the various sites so I only hit each one 1 time per year
February 6th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I was able to get a free credit report from TransUnion, actually on accident. I logged in and clicked on “dispute a credit item” or something like that, and they gave me a free credit report so i could check for things that were wrong. This was a month after I got it through annualcreditreport.com and I didn’t expect that to happen.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
I t hink if u sign up for a washington mutual credit card you can get your credit score for free…
February 7th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Thanks for the tip, Mike H.
Yep, WaMu (formerly Providian) gives you your FICO score based on your Transunion credit report for free, although the updates can be erratic. But everyone has three scores, and you’ll still be missing out on Experian and Equifax.
February 7th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I’m checking my credit right now, but nowhere does it display the credit score, the numerical value of it. When I click on a link for it, it wants to charge me 5.95. I thought this was free?
February 8th, 2007 at 10:11 am
[…] Here’s a good link on MyMoneyBlog on how to get a free credit score. […]
February 8th, 2007 at 10:13 am
If you get a new job, sometimes the employer will check your credit and you can get a free copy. Not that I suggest switching jobs for that sole reason…
Also, if you work for a credit agency you get yours free every year.
February 8th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
[…] 4 More Ways To Get A Free Credit Report In addition to getting your free annual copy of your credit report, here are 4 other ways to obtain a free copy of your credit report. (tags: credit tips) Related Postslinks for 2007-02-06File Income Taxes for Freelinks for 2007-02-01Taxpayers Have Until April 17, 2007 to File and PayIRS Confirms Tax Credit Eligibility for 2007 Honda Hybrid and Natural Gas Vehicles Leave a Comment […]
May 18th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
i love this offer
June 16th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Credit reports are fine, but, little-known is that the credit bureau fraud alerts are voluntary–and only a 50% compliance level prevails.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Your report is free..you have to pay for the score..True credit is a good one, you get all 3 scores and reports just remember to cancel!
January 16th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
[…] want to go with a full blown credit monitoring solution, there are a number of ways to at least get a free credit report. For instance, all three credit agencies are required by law to provide one free credit report […]
March 14th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Beware Freecreditreport.com
It’s a scam and they will not make it easy for you to cancel your membership. Moreover, when you try to log in and cancel online, the website will crash or perform very weird things. You will get charged every month and you’ll spend days trying to cancel and speak with your bank or credit card company. These charges will show up every month under: CIC*Triple Advantage 877-4816825 CA
Don’t fall for these corporate scams particularly from Freecreditreport.com
May 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am
i’ve been a member of the triple advantage membership at freecreditreport.com and i have already cancelled before and signed back again because their membership has really great offers. Unlimited experian report, identity theft guarantee worth $50,000… the reason that i can see why people think it’s a scam is because some people do not read the website and just click, click and cick; then when they get charged they would go berserk.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
[…] there’s AnnualCreditReport.com for free credit reports. But what about your credit score? I’ve mentioned a couple of these […]
August 27th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I would like to see my credit score but I don’t own a credit card. Anyway I can see my credit score without having to pay through the nose?