Yes, you can now obtain your credit report without paying a penny. And unlike the past, is now truly free. You no longer need to adhere to a report of “free” credit by signing “credit monitoring protection service” for an annual fee of $ 79 per year! The days of dodging the annoying charges and fees service for a credit report are over.
Through 2003, the fair and accurate transaction Credit Act, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report within 12 months from the three major credit agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) .
The purpose of this document, the new government is to ensure that Americans have the right to be informed about what the three reporting agencies, credit say about you without having to pay for it. Since identity theft, fraud and errors are very common today, why should you pay for a copy of a report against these problems?
Here are 3 ways to get your free annual credit report:
The three reporting agencies, credit unions have created a website to request your credit report annually.
1) Go to www.annualcreditreport.com
2) Call (877) 322-8228 to request your free credit report.
3) Fill out a form from the Federal Trade Commission, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/include/requestformfinal.pdf and mail to: Application for Annual Credit Report Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
If you go directly to the three agencies or using any other type of service in late May by duty or subscribe to subscription services that I mentioned above! Make sure you use one of 3 methods that I mentioned to get your free credit report annually.
You can obtain reports from all 3 agencies at once or stagger the reports for each over 1 year. The advantage of the timing of reports you receive is to keep track of how any change in your financial situation affects what is in your credit report. For example, if you plan to get a second mortgage on the following year, or apply for student loans, etc.. might be desirable to obtain a report before and after these important events!
This new law does not replace other methods you can take advantage of receiving a credit report for free. If you are applying for unemployment or were denied a loan or need a credit report to get a job, you are still entitled to obtain a free credit report.
Take advantage of this new government regulations and ensure that all information given by the three agencies credit reporting is correct. Any errors or omissions can lower your credit score and end up costing lots of money when applied to any type of credit.