How To Get Free Credit Report

Sure, you’ve seen the commercials and heard the catchy jingles of companies that tell you how to get a free credit report. But the jingles are just a lure, and sometimes you will find that your “free” credit report isn’t actually free at all.

All American consumers, however, are by law entitled to one free credit report every year from each of the three national credit reporting agencies: Experion, Equifax and TransUnion. Legislation passed in 2003 gave consumers the right to request free credit reports by telephone, through the mail or online.

The three agencies have partnered at www.annualcreditreport.com to offer consumers direct access to credit reports at no cost. The website is the only one authorized by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and it does not require a consumer to purchase additional financial products in order to get a free credit report.

Visitors to the site simply provide their social security numbers, names, addresses and birth dates for immediate access to credit reports without any fees or purchases. Consumers who are uncomfortable providing that information over the Internet may get free credit reports, instead, by phone or by mail. Annual Credit Report.com lists its contact phone number as well as its mailing address prominently on its homepage. Those who choose to request credit reports by mail will first have to download and complete the site’s request form.

You may choose to order free credit reports from Experion, Equifax and TransUnion simultaneously, or you may choose to stagger your free credit report requests throughout the year. It is only important that you request a credit report from each of the three reporting agencies no more often than every 12 months if you want to see them for free.

There is one other little-known way to obtain a free credit report, but it is only available to consumers who have run into credit problems.

If you apply for a job, a loan, an apartment or any other product or service and you are turned away based on poor credit, the employer, lender, landlord or retailer who denied you is required by consumer protection laws to inform you in writing that your credit report did not meet the company’s requirements. You are then allowed to request a free copy of the credit report upon which the denial was based, but you must request it within 30 days of receiving the written notice.

The written notice must include the contact information of the agency that provided the credit report to the company that declined you, and the agency is then required to send you the credit report for free if you contact them and request it.

No one likes to be surprised by credit report blemishes, and the best way to avoid them is to be proactive. Take advantage of consumer protection laws and request free credit reports from Annual Credit Report.com every year. The website may not advertise itself with catchy jingles, but it truly does offer 100-percent free credit reports.