Go on-line and search for “free credit report” and you find find pages and pages of offers and advertisements promising free access to your credit history and FICO credit score. It’s overwhelming unless you know how to sort out the really free reports from the sales pitches. Start here…
By federal law, you probably qualify for one free credit report per year through the approved government provider and there are a number of on-line companies that offer free credit reports. These offers seem very attractive at first glance because you get an on-line report without waiting for a report to be sent to you, and you often can get several reports from the three major credit bureaus at once, which can save you time.
However, these on-line companies run the gamut from good to bad, so you will want to compare a few different firms before choosing one. You will also need to read the on-line company’s agreement very carefully because the fine print can hide a financial obligation.
Some reputable companies promise free credit reports but only with the purchase of a credit repair program or some other credit repair package. In some cases, you can decline the offer and still get the report but in other cases you cannot. It’s your choice.
Also, some companies will offer you free credit reports that are really nothing more than a combination of reports from the three major credit bureaus. They are incomplete or edited. These are practically useless, because you will want to compare each of the three credit bureau reports and fix each credit score separately.
There are also many free credit report companies that will send you unsolicited emails trying to get you to subscribe to some service. Always read the fine print very carefully to see whether the free credit report offer has no strings attached.
If you don’t qualify for a government mandated free credit report, one of the legitimate on-line companies may be your only choice for getting your credit reports. The sooner you do, the sooner you can start repairing your credit history and boost your FICO credit score.
No matter where you get your credit history and credit score, make sure that you get the most complete information package you can. The more detailed, the better.
When you do get your credit reports you will notice that they contain quite a bit of information about you, including:
1. Your personal and contact information.
This section includes your name and your address, as well as many of your former addresses, your Social Security Number, your employers (past and present) and your date of birth.
2. Your personal information about credit.
This lists all your loans, including the types of loans you have now and have recently had, the dates these loans were opened, the credit limit on each loan, how well you have been repaying those loans (this is important – skipped or late payments count heavily against you in your credit score), and who your lenders are are all in the file. This also includes credit cards, credit lines, and store charge cards. Everything is listed.
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