Get a Free Credit Report Without the Extra Costs

Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:59AM EDT

See Comments (91)

Nothing is ever truly free in this world, but a credit report is under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which requires Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to provide you with a copy of your credit report annually at no charge. You must either request your free credit report by calling 1-877-322-8228 or by visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com. You can also print out this request form and order a copy by mail.

Why am I telling you this? I came upon an article that takes a closer look at all the other websites that claim to offer "free" credit reports. A search for "free credit report" returns links to sites like freecreditreport.com, freebiecreditreport.com, or freecreditreportsinstantly.com which seem to suggest you're getting what the URL says, a free credit report. The truth is dubious sites that advertise free reports are most likely trying to lure you into signing up for credit monitoring services or worse, they could lead you to a phishing site!

Even the Federal Trade Commission warns against these type of sites, "Only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law – annualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim to offer “free credit reports,” “free credit scores,” or “free credit monitoring” are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. In some cases, the “free” product comes with strings attached. For example, some sites sign you up for a supposedly “free” service that converts to one you have to pay for after a trial period. If you don’t cancel during the trial period, you may be unwittingly agreeing to let the company start charging fees to your credit card."

And while one credit report per year is yours free thanks to the FCRA, credit scores are not, which is why people actually sign up for these type of services. But keep this in mind the next time you're contemplating taking a peek at your credit score, according to the Red Tape Chronicles most banks or insurance companies have their own formulas for computing your overall score, so paying for it may do you no good. Also make sure you read terms and conditions carefully before signing up for any free trials, since some of the terms they set can be extremely misleading.