I'm looking to check my credit score and know there are many sites to go to. However, I've heard that several charge for the check but say it is free. Are there any credit check sites that are really free?
Thanks so much for those websites and recommendations! I'm trying out the annualcreditreport.com and have options for one or more of the companies from which to order a report. Is it better to use one every few months and then start over 12 months from now, or is it better to order all three at once and then wait a year until I can use this site again?
Yes, go directly to the websites for the credit reporting agencies:
Equifax, Experiean, and Trans Union.
By law they have to give you one free report per year.
You can get a free credit report once a year from each of the 3 main reporting agencies from the government site here:
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
They do not however offer your credit score for free. Just the reports from the 3 agencies.
I don't know of any place that truly offers a free credit score.
I would get the reports and make sure everything is as it should be to start with. If anything is on there that is wrong you can contest it, it's really easy. This will help clean up your credit right away. Over the years my husband and I have found mistakes. I had my parents credit card listed on my report once (my name had been temporarily put on it to pay for wedding and honeymoon items and they removed when we got back from our honeymoon but it remained for a few years all the same), he's had some of his father's things too. Closed accounts will sometimes not get reported as closed by the bank.
You get a free one every twelve months, and yes, this site is absolutely free (I use it).
Note- this is just your credit report, not your FICO score.
the States Attorney General has a safe link to your annual credit report. The rest look so similar it's easy to get tricked. Don't ever put in any bank or cc info. Scam alert!
Just contact the three biggies. You are entitled to O. free report from each per year (I think--maybe every 2).
Any other websites are requiring you to get some sort of subscription....
Except annualcreditreport.com can get your report free from the three companies.
Or you can call them yourself:
Equifax 1-800-685-1111 - you can get a free report if you have been denied credit in the last 60 days. Make sure that you order only the credit report. Mail within 48 hours.
TransUnion 1-800-916-8800 - receive within 6 to 8 business days.
Experian 1-888-397-3742 - receive within 8 to 10 business days.
Beware of imposter sites. Here's the Federal Trade Commission guidelines:
You can just call back in and cancel the same day. I did that recently. It's best to check with transunion because they are the one that gives the lowest score. Sometimes that score is LOT lower than the others and for no real reason other than they use a screwy formula.
annualcreditreport.com is absolutely free. The federal government required the big three credit bureaus to set it up. You can get all of your credit reports through that website - just beware that each of the three companies have links on there that take you to other offers - things you'd have to pay for.
