How to obtain your free credit report in minutes. No strings attached.
There’s no need to sign up for a trial credit monitoring service that will charge your credit card if you do not cancel the service.
Forget freecreditreport.com, here’s how to really get your credit report for free!
Why did I create this site? To give the American consumer free, useful, straightforward, information about getting their really free credit report. Stop listening to all of the free credit report ads and commercials. They are a waste of time and money. The U.S. government has already given you the ability to get your free credit report, all you have to do is know how to do it.
A lot of people do not try to obtain their credit report until they are denied for a car loan, a mortgage loan or even worse, a job. Then of course they want their credit report as quickly as possible so they wind up using a service they saw advertised and it costs them a lot of money.
Obtain your report regularly for free and this won’t happen to you. You will save money and hours of frustration.
How to obtain your credit reports for free in 20 minutes or less.
1. Contact all three major credit reporting agencies by telephone (do not use their websites - see below).
Equifax - 1-800-685-1111
Experian - 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion - 1-800-888-4213
2. Request your free credit report by following the phone prompts. Be patient they will try hard to get you to pay for your credit report.
Update January 19, 2006: Warning: Do not use Annualcreditreport.com or any website to order credit reports. You may be giving up your right to sue Equifax and other CRAs (credit reporting agencies) under the FCRA if there are errors in your credit report.
When you use a website to order your credit report, it is easy and more likely that the credit reporting agency will make you agree to their terms and conditions before they will send you your credit report. Many people will just enter their information and click the button to submit their information and receive their free credit report. What many people don’t realize when they submit their information via the CRA’s website, is that they are also agreeing to be bound by the terms and conditions set out by the credit reporting agency’s lawyers. Terms and conditions which are most likely not in favor of the consumer.
If after reviewing your credit report, you find that it is inaccurate and you have trouble getting a mortgage, job or loan because of the inaccurate information, you will probably have less legal recourse because you agreed to be bound by “their” terms and conditions.
I strongly suggest you never order your credit report from a website. You should only order your credit report via telephone or mail because it is more difficult for Equifax, Experian and Trans Union to bind you to a lengthy “terms and conditions” agreement.
Annualcreditreport.com fowards the consumer to the CRA’s website to complete the order for a free credit report. Equifax’s website asks the user to agree to arbitration before they will send you your credit report. ARBITRATION IS BAD (see www.givemebackmyrights.org). If they have not already, the other CRAs like Experian and Trans Union will soon follow in Equifax’s footsteps and try to get users to agree to arbitration.
It is easiest to call the credit reporting agencies and tell them that you suspect someone may have fraudulently used your social security number. They must give you a free credit report if you suspect fraud.
You can obtain your credit report for free as provided by federal law and review your credit report periodically to make sure your credit rating is protected.
Rampant identity theft is happening every day. Identity theft topped the list of top 10 consumer complaints to the FTC for 2000, 2001 and 2002. Under section 612 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, national credit reporting agencies must send you your credit report for free if you feel you may have been a victim of fraud.
Warning: The credit reporting agencies make it very easy for you to pay for your report, but more difficult to get it for free. It is easiest to call their 800 number. They will still try to get you to pay for your report. Just stay on the line until they are finished with their sales tactics.
3. That’s it. Now just wait for your credit reports to arrive in the mail. You should receive your credit reports within a week or so.
You Don’t Have To Pay For Your Credit Report
Many people mistakenly believe that they have to pay for their credit reports.
I often hear radio commercials offering consumers free credit reports on sites like freecreditreport.com, but there’s usually a catch. Many of the companies offering free credit reports require consumers to sign up for some type of credit monitoring service on a free trial basis. Although it is free, there are strings attached. You have to give a credit card number and your name and address in order to sign up for the trial service, and then you can get your free credit report. If you do not cancel the free trial by a certain date, your credit card will be charged a fee for the credit monitoring service. One company I know of charges $79 annually.
You do not have to pay $79 a year to monitor your credit reports. All you have to do is order your credit reports for free yourself.
Update March 26, 2006 - I don’t understand why people still go to freecreditreport.com to get a “free” copy of their credit report. Freecreditreport.com seems to be adverstising everywhere.
Every day on the drive time radio shows like Sean Hanity, Howard Stern, and Rush Limbaugh, I still hear advertisements for freecreditreport.com. I also noticed a link to freecreditreport.com on my yahoo email side bar.
I know there are a lot of people using freecreditreport.com and giving them their money because if they were not, freecreditreport.com would not continue to spend so much money on radio and internet advertising. Stop wasting your money and REALLY get your credit report for free by following the suggestions on this web page.
Are bill collectors hounding you?
Did you know you can stop bill collectors from contacting you just by sending them a short letter or fax requesting them to stop contacting you. Bill collectors are governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If a third party bill collector contacts you after you have asked them not to contact you any more, they have violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and may be liable for damages to you of $1000 per violation plus attorneys fees.
Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only. I am not a lawyer. Please consult an attorney regarding your specific situation. This website is for non-commercial use.
Last updated February 8, 2009
