Check Your Credit Report FREE Three Times a Year

Did you know you can get three free credit reports each year? You get one from each of the three major credit bureaus. You just have to go to annualcreditreport.com and request them, but don’t request them all at one time. Space them out every three or four months so you have continuous monitoring of your credit report. When you request them online, you can access them immediately.

A lot of people never do this. To be honest, I’m a little behind on monitoring my own credit report. The only reason I pulled it up this week was because I have a loan coming up for maturity. I wanted to be sure my credit was still good before I attempted to refinance. I’m so glad I did, because I found a negative credit item that was incorrect.

A few months ago, a collection agency reported me delinquent on my account with a utility company I haven’t used for probably two years or more. The report said I was delinquent as of a few months ago. I disputed the item online and it was deleted from my credit report. I’m lucky it wasn’t something more serious.

People have their identities stolen all the time without even realizing it. Monitoring your credit report for suspicious activity is one way to keep tabs on that. If someone is opening credit cards or checking accounts or even renting apartments in your name, you’ll know it by monitoring your credit report. If collection agencies are making false claims at the expense of your good name, you’ll know it by monitoring your credit report. If a lender reports a late payment that you actually paid on time, you’ll know it by monitoring your credit report. These are all things that can impact your credit negatively and prevent you from getting loans when you really need them.

The only thing I don’t like about the free report is the absence of a credit score. That’s really a crucial piece of the credit puzzle. Your credit score is the first thing lenders look at when deciding whether or not to loan you money. If you want the score, too, you’ll have to pay for it. The cost is roughly $8 to $10, but Experian is actually offering credit scores for $1, for a limited time. If you really want to know your credit score, this is the cheapest way to obtain it. If you plan to borrow money anytime soon and your credit is questionable, it’s worth the $1 to find out what your chances are of getting that loan.

If you’re not checking your credit regularly, do yourself a favor and access one now at annualcreditreport.com. This is the best way to protect your credit and your good name.