Free Annual Credit Report

Most people know that reviewing their credit report once a year is an important thing to do to keep tabs on their credit and guard against any type of fraud or errors. But until recently, consumers had to pay a fee in order to gain access to their credit report even if they contacted the major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, directly. A few years ago, however, the federal government mandated that each of the three credit reporting agencies provide consumers, on request, a copy of their credit report once a year for free. Because monitoring your credit is important, every consumer should take advantage of this mandate and obtain their free annual credit report from each credit reporting agency.

Consumers who have been denied credit are also eligible to receive a copy of their credit report for free if they request it even if they have already received a free annual credit report. If you applied for a loan or other type of credit and were turned down because of information on your credit report, you should receive a notice from the company stating how to request your credit report form the agency that they used to make their decision. Reviewing your credit report if you have been turned down for credit will help you to identify the things that you need to improve to raise your credit score. Reviewing your credit report after you have been turned down for credit will also help you guard against identity theft, especially if your credit score was previously good and you are not sure why it would have declined.

The good thing about a free annual credit report is that now every consumer has the opportunity to review their credit report for errors at least once a year and watch for any suspicious activity that may be the result of identity theft. Because it can take months to clear up errors, and even longer if you are the victim of identity theft, it is important to look at your credit report once a year and take action quickly if you do notice any errors. A free annual credit report is your defense against would be identity thieves and errors that sometimes occur and will keep your credit report accurate.

There are a few ways to request your free annual credit report. You can write to each of the three credit reporting agencies to request a copy of your credit report and have it mailed to you. You can also call each credit reporting agency through their toll free number to request a copy of your credit report and have it mailed or emailed to you. You can also visit the website of each credit reporting agency and order your credit report from there. The good thing about getting your credit report directly form each credit reporting agency is that it is truly free, you do not have to provide a credit card number or sign up for any credit monitoring trials or pay any fees.