How to get your free credit report (and score)
Posted on August 5, 2008
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If you have credit issues, you might find your email in-box filling up with spam from companies either claiming to fix your credit score or give you your credit score for free. In my opinion, companies that charge you to “repair” your credit are for the most part scam artists, but that is the subject for another post.
Companies offering you a “free” credit report and score may be legitimate, but there almost certainly be a catch – to get your “free” report and score, you have to sign up for their monthly service, typically around $15 per month. They let you start with a free trial period (usually around 7 days), during which you have to remember to cancel, otherwise you get billed the $14.95 or whatever.
Personally, I recommend you do not use these companies to get your credit report or score. While they could be coming from legitimate companies, they are just as likely to be a phishing scheme (can you tell the difference between a real or fake email from Experian?) It is much safer to get your free credit reports from annualcreditreport.com. From this site, you can view and print your reports from the 3 main credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. Each company will also offer you the opportunity to purchase a look at your credit score. Don’t take them up on the offer, there is a way to get it for free (but not online).
To find my credit score, I went to a Citi Financial and asked what the going interest rates were for a personal loan for a person with poor credit. The lady said it depended on several factors, and asked if I knew my credit score. I told her I didn’t know. She asked me for my SSN, I told her, she typed it into her computer. I asked if I could see my score, so she showed me. Didn’t cost a penny.
For more information on companies offering “free” credit reports, follow this link.
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