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Ralph writes:
I’d like to know how to get a free copy of my credit report from the agencies.
A recent federal law gives consumers access to their credit reports; however, it costs extra to obtain your credit score. Your credit score is not an actual component of your credit report.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.
There is never a need to go through any other agency to obtain your credit report. This is an official, government-approved site. If you’d like, you can obtain reports from all three credit reporting agencies at once. Or, you can stagger your requests, possibly requesting one report every four months from a different agency. There are three ways to obtain your credit report:
- Order it online at AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Call 1-877-322-8228.
- Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
You will need to provide some basic information, including your social security number, and you may need to provide some personal financial information. If you plan to check your report online, be wary of impostor sites. Be absolutely certain that you have reached AnnualCreditReport.com.
It’s important to obtain a copy of your credit report at regular intervals. The credit reporting agencies are not infallible, and neither are your creditors. People make mistakes, and mistakes on your credit report can cost you money. If you suspect an error, read how to dispute credit report errors.
When you request your free credit report, you’ll also be given a chance to purchase your credit score for about $8. Your credit score is a single number that serves as a snapshot for your overall creditworthiness, a sort of summary of your entire credit report. To learn how your credit score is computed, read my anatomy of a credit score.
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July 11th, 2006 at 10:05 am
I pay a small fee for quarterly updates at mycreditinform.com. Their credit calulators (”What would happen to my score if I…”) are great as well.
July 11th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. There’s an incredible amount of info on these reports, kinda scary. Fortunately, all my info is good!
May 26th, 2007 at 7:37 am
I recently tried to apply for a o% interest credit card for my business so that I could balance transfer to it an amount from another card that had been at 0%. But the card company told me they couldn’t allow it since the folks at Equifax said I had insufficient credit history. So I called, well I tried calling, the Equifax people to see what was going on since I have had all sorts of credit cards and loans and financial interactions over the years and I presently have two company credit cards. I got an automated system. But I persevered and finally got the real number of a real person. However, when I requested my free credit report he began to ask me to tell him what my current credit cards and their numbers were. This was after varifying my SS# and my Dr. Li. #. I balked at his question since i thought his agency is supposed know this stuff already. I couldn’t figure out why I had to tell him what he should already know. So I tried another number he gave me, and they sent me a form letter to complete my request.
September 20th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Great article! I just wanted to let you know I linked to it from our page on How to Get a Free Credit Report:
http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Get_a_Free_Credit_Report
I read your blog frequently. I was very happy to link to it!
Mahalo!
September 20th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
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October 24th, 2007 at 8:11 am
[...] You can find way more information on credit by reading any good personal finance blog (check out the links in my sidebar). For more specific information about this topic, read How to Obtain Your Free Credit Report @ Get Rich Slowly. [...]
October 28th, 2007 at 12:06 am
[...] I’m actually going to establish a routine for checking my credit reports. I’ve been using one free check every few moths, but I don’t really have a system. My last check was on April 26th. I’ll do my next check on November 1st, and then do one every four months thereafter. (Read more about your free annual credit reports.) [...]
October 31st, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Thanks for the reminder. I’ve set up Google Calendar to remind me every 4 months to get a new credit report. Now I won’t forget again!
February 15th, 2008 at 6:06 am
[...] new one. Keeping old credit card accounts open gives your credit score a boost. He should check his credit report every few months, though, to be sure there’s no suspicious activity on the old [...]