3 Ways To Get Your Free Annual
Credit Report
by Greg Quincy
Yes, you can now get your credit report without paying a dime.
And unlike before, now it is truly free. No longer do you have to sign up for a
"free" credit report by signing up for "credit monitoring protection service"
for a low annual fee of $79 a year! The days of dodging the annoying charges and
service fees for a free credit report are over.
Under the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, you have the right
to a free copy of your credit report within a 12 month period from the big three
credit report bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion).
The goal of this new government act is to ensure that Americans have the
right to stay informed about what these three credit reporting bureaus say about
you without having to pay for it. Since identity theft, fraud and errors are
quite common today, why should you have to pay for a copy of a report to fight
back against these problems?
Here are the 3 ways to get your free annual credit report:
The three credit reporting agencies have created a website to request your
annual credit report.
1) Go to www.annualcreditreport.com
2) Call (877) 322-8228 to request your free credit report.
3) Complete a form from the Federal Trade Comission,
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/include/requestformfinal.pdf and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
If you go directly to the three agencies or use any other type of service
you may end up having to pay or sign up for the subscription services I
mentioned above! Make sure you use one of the 3 methods I have listed to get
your annual free credit report.
You can get the reports from all 3 agencies at once or stagger the reports
from each one during the course of 1 year. The advantage of staggering the
reports that you receive is to keep track of how any major changes in your
financial picture affect what is on your credit report. For example, if you plan
on getting a second mortgage over the coming year, or applying for student
loans, ect. it might be wise to get a report before and after these major
events!
This new Act does not supplant the other methods you can take advantage of
to receive a free credit report. If you are applying for unemployment or been
denied a loan, or need a credit report in order to get a job, you still have the
right to obtain a free credit report.
Take advantage of this new government regulation and make sure all of the
information listed by all three credit reporting agencies are correct. Any
errors or omissions can reduce your credit score and end up costing you a lot of
money when you apply for any type of credit.
Greg Quincy is the
publisher of the website
http://www.financialtipsforyou.com, offering his insights and personal
finance budget tips that he has gained from working in the financial industry
and the economic challenges of raising a family. Copyright © 2005
http://www.FinancialTipsForYou.com.
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