How to Get your Free Yearly Credit Report without
Hidden Charges
Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), everyone can now get access to a
free yearly credit report. The FCRA requires each of the three consumer
credit bureaus -- Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion -- to provide each consumer
with a free credit report every 12 months.
A few years back, consumers had to pay in order to obtain their reports. Now,
they are entitled to a free instant credit report. Whether you live in Los
Angeles or New York, you can still get a free annual credit report from the
government so that you can stay informed of all your credit information, fight
identity theft, and get fair treatment.
"Where do I get a free credit report?" The answer can be found all over the
place and chances are you have seen the answer in the form of TV commercials and
advertisements on the Internet. Read on to discover the right place to get your
really free anual credit report.
3 Ways to Order My Free Yearly Credit Report
There are many ways to get your free copy of credit report. You can get your
free credit report at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by phone or through the
mail.
The Internet is another perfect place to access your free instant credit report.
You can visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com, which is built by the three major
credit reporting agencies, to access your government free credit report. Just
fill in some information and you will receive your report within 15 days or your
credit bureau will let you know if it will take longer than 15 days.
You can also order your free credit record by calling tool-free 1-877-322-8228.
If you have already checked your report in the last 6 months through the phone,
then the company may be willing to process and mail it to you within 15 days.
Keep in mind that the delivery date may be longer than 15 days if the companies
require proof of identification before sending you your report.
To obtain your report through the mail, send your request through Annual Credit
Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 using the Annual
Credit Report Request Form, which you can find
here. If
you have provided them with the correct documentation they will process and mail
it to you within 15 days of receipt.
Avoiding Yearly Free Credit Report Hidden Charges
There are other places where you can get your free credit bureau report. In
fact, there are online companies that answer the question "where do I get a free
credit report?" These agencies will let you view your credit report whenever you
want. You are usually offered a 30-day free trial and you have to pay a monthly
fee once the trial period ends.
These companies offer all the things that you would expect, like protection
against theft and fraud. But why would you want to pay for that when all you
want is your credit report? If you don't need constant notification about your
credit report chances are you don't need any additional services as an addition to your
free copy of credit report.
For credit report monitoring purpose you can order your free yearly credit
report from different credit bureaus at different period of time. By staggering
your requests during a year you can monitor your report and clear any errors
found before they affect your credit score. In many cases you won't need a
credit monitoring service. You will only need to pay for your credit score when
you apply for a loan.
