"FREE Credit Reports" - what's up with em?
 

To be trusted? Easy to use? Spammy upsell BS?
Have a source that is easy to use *and* to be trusted?

creditkarma.com is a site I like to use... they do not spam you, but will suggest on their site that you might like XYZ credit card etc.

Go to FTC.gov and find/follow the *only* official link to free credit reports... everything else is just using the "name" ... no telling what you'll get.

I monkeyed around a bit and Experian has a 9 day free deal - got my credit score there.
Higher than I thought, hell almost 800

Equifax = Absofriggnlutely! "Free" is only good for a short time and after it expires they will keep spamming you. Like anything "free" you get what you pay for (just a score, no detail) so that's about what it's worth.

Those "free credit report" commercials you see on TV actually do give you a free credit report...

But not until you have signed up for their credit monitoring service. Which is NOT free.

Wait until the end of the commercial. Some guy comes on, and very quickly says "offer applies after enrollment in" something something.... It's so fast you can barely hear it. But you have to enroll in their service before you get your credit report.

But by law, every credit reporting service is required to give you a free report, once a year. To make this whole process easier (and cheaper for them), the three main credit companies banded together and created this web site. This is where you can legitimately apply for your annual free report, without fear of a scam, or spam, or anything else.

https://www.annualcreditreport.com

+1 for https://www.annualcreditreport.com

It's actually free. Annually. Wild, huh?

Wise advice here...it's law that you are entitled to free credit report, if you want one. But...this entails giving your social security number over the net. I won't do this. Just a scared old fart.

Keep in mind that getting your credit score and a credit report are 2 different things. You get one free report annually by law but not the score.

I got a free credit score last night, from the mortgage representative who is doing our refinance: 789 for me, 815 for my wife ;).

Go to an auto dealer and pretend that you're interested in a car. I think they'll run it and tell you your score.

I've done the one-time-a-year free thing on all 3 reporting agencies. Not one would furnish my score without charging me for the number. They will give me the 50+ page report, but it says right there, no credit score for free. Has this policy changed in the last year or two?

Another vote. This one is legit. The one's that advertise on TV are bunk.

No, you get the report for free, but the score is usually in the $5-10 range.

The score costs money but if you order the free reports you can see if everything looks like you think it should and fix any problems before the hurt you.


If you know you have good credit you don't need the actual number- just check up to make sure it stays that way.

Get the one-time-a-year thing direct from the agencies. F the FICO. Who cares? If you know there's no derogs on your report, your FICO is going to be reasonably fine. Beyond that there are a hundred different ways to get and track your FICO for free these days anyway without paying their extortion money B.S. Providian does it real-time if you get a card with them. Ditto Washington Mutual (now JPM). Or just apply for a $500 personal loan and ask for a copy of your score report. You most certainly can get the # without having to pay those jokers a dime for it.

Another way to obtain free credit reports is if you happen to apply for a credit card or line of credit, and you are turned down, the credit company that you applied with has to disclose the reporting companies along with the reason for the reject. But... you are entitled to obtain a free credit report from each of the major, credit record history companies(TRW, Experian, or Equifax) More than likely one of these or possibly all three had bad remarks, so you can check all three sites, and get the free reports. I believe that you have to do the check within 60 days from the declination letter from the people that you were applying with. Tony.

Was just curious to see if we broke 800. No credit issues.... yet. ;)