How to Obtain a Free Credit Report?
Can You Get a Really Free Credit Report?
You’ve probably seen commercials on TV that tout offers to provide you with a free credit report. What you may not realize, however, is that many of the companies that offer a free credit report actually require a purchase, or charge fees after a required trial period, before they allow you access to your credit report. Despite the ones that require you to purchase their offers, you can get a really free credit report.
Before you dive into registering for a membership with any of these companies, though, you need to know exactly how to obtain a free credit report. You need the inside scoop on the legitimate sites that offer a really free credit report and the sites that just plain don’t. You’ll want to know how to obtain a FREE credit report.
How Much Does a Free Credit Report Cost?
If you Google free credit reports or how to obtain a free credit report on the Internet, you’ll find a plethora of sites that shout offers for free credit reports. Click on a few and begin the process of registering for them, however, and you’ll find that a purchase may be required before you actually will be given access to your credit reports.
Many sites use the free credit report ad to hook you into checking out their sites to purchase credit-related products. You typically don’t find that out, though, until you’re deep into the application process.
Sometimes you don’t even realize that you’ve signed up for their offers. You may not become aware that you’ve registered for a membership, until you notice the charges on your credit card – IF you even notice the charges. Some people have been duped for months before they realized they were being charged a monthly fee. Subsequently, many also found it virtually impossible to obtain a refund from the company that originated the unwanted charges.
Some of the products you may be required to sign up for are credit monitoring, your debt analysis, your FICO score or a monthly or annual membership that allows you access to your credit reports from all three of the credit reporting agencies. Fees can range from $1.00 for a trial offer or product to $29.95 a month for unlimited access to your credit reports, and more.
Stay Away From Sites That Don’t Really Offer a FREE Credit Report
Don’t fall victim to sites that require you to purchase or sign up for their products or services – unless you really want to sign up for them. How do you do that, though, you may ask?
Always, always read the fine print. Find out the instructions it gives on how to obtain a free credit report from their site. Read everything on every web page that pops up in the company’s website before inputting your personal or credit card information. And, therein lies the key.
If your credit card information is required, then you’re more than likely either purchasing a credit-related product or signing up for a monthly or annual membership for which you will be charged. Again, read the information provided on the web page for clarification.
How to Obtain a Free Credit Report
You can get a free credit report without jumping through all the hoops that many sites require of you. It’s as simple as one-two-three.
Here’s how to obtain a FREE credit report. Go to each of the three major credit reporting agencies to get free copies of your credit report. It’s a guaranteed way to obtain free copies of your credit reports.
By law, credit reporting agencies are required to provide you one free copy of your credit report annually. You can keep abreast of information on your credit report if you request one from a different credit reporting agency every four months – i.e., request your Equifax report in January, your Experian in May and the TransUnion report in September, and so on. You’ll always know what’s in your report if you follow this pattern.
Remember, not all sites that advertise free credit reports provide you with a truly free credit report.