When was the last time you checked your credit report?
Did you know that the by law, you are entitled to three free credit reports every twelve months?
You’ve seen the commercials for “free credit reports,” but if you pay attention, they usually require you to sign up for some other service just to get it. Not exactly what we’re looking for.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you access to your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and Transunion) once every twelve months.
All you have to do is head over to AnnualCreditReport.com, submit your information (Name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number, and your Address), and select the credit reporting company you’d like.
Remember, you are allowed to request a free credit report once every twelve months from EACH of the credit reporting companies. That means that you can pull them all at once and wait 12 months until you’ll be eligible next or you can pull them at different times.
My suggestion is spreading them out across the year and pulling one credit report every four months for maximum exposure. That way you’ll always be on top of your credit report and be alerted sooner of any suspicious behavior.
So, what are you waiting for? Take action today! Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and get started today! Don’t put it off or you’ll forget about it!
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I did go get my credit report from Experian. I was happy to see that there wasn’t any faulty items on my report. However, they don’t give your credit score darn it!
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Daniel Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
@Everyday Tips, Right, this is just a credit report. For credit scores, I recommend Quizzle, Credit.com, and CreditKarma. I had a post a long time ago breaking down the three services. Quizzle definitely wins my vote (gave me the highest score!), although Credit.com is great at explaining everything.
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You know you’re a personal finance geek when you actually gamble with your friends each year as to who will have the best credit score….yup, that’s me.
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FinEngr Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 11:39 am
@Car Negotiation Coach,
HA! Really? What happens to the winner/loser?
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My husband has been pulling our reports about 2 – 3 times a year because we are working on raising our scores to above 740. We usually go with those sites that claim they are free, only to charge you a monthly fee if you don’t cancel the service. I don’t mind canceling the services if it means I can pull my score more than once a year. Maybe in the future, I will only have to pull it once and will check out the the annual credit report link. Thanks for the info!
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Daniel Reply:
June 9th, 2010 at 10:04 am
@Little House, I did that once, but it was such a pain in the butt to cancel. I called, got transferred, was given a pitches, and after about half an hour, was able to cancel! What a hassle!
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This might sound strange from a PF blogger, but I’ve never actually gotten a credit report before. I’ve not had much reason to suspect my ID has been stolen, and I’ve always HAD credit but never really used it. When I went in for a mortgage my bank said that my credit rating was perfect, so I assume I’m on track. However, I think I might just try to get a copy soon, just out of curiosity. I think I’ll do what you suggest and pull one every 4 months.
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Daniel Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 11:27 am
@Learn Save Invest, Ha, definitely weird from a PF blogger, but if you’re responsible with your credit, there’s no real need other than KNOWING that you’re protected. I think it’s good to stay on top of it, even if you don’t need it soon.
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Thanks for the friendly reminder.
I have this scheduled on my calendar for every four months but when I got the last reminder I blew it off.
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I’m due to check Experian for me and Equifax for hubby on July 8th, lol. :-)
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Daniel Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
@Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, Fine, you can just sit tight. You’re exempt from taking action!
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I do need to check mine, but I’m lucky that my beloved credit union gives me my Equifax score monthly for free! That, combined with reimbursing ATM fees makes me a very happy panda. Now if only their savings rates could compete with Ally I could consolidate all my finances there…
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