What to know when ordering your credit reports?

If you would like to review your credit profiles, Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax you can get them all free one time every year.  This is the site to go to www.annualcreditreport.com.  Once you put the state you live in and request all 3 of your reports you will have to fill out information confirming your identity.  After filling out all of this information you will be directed to a page to check off all the reports you want.  As you order each bureaus report they will, individually, request more information.  Once you order one report you will have to go back to the hope page to order the next until you have all 3.  Don’t be confused and think you have to pay for scores or reports since they will do their best to have you take the bait and pay.  Under all the colorful marketing you will see a small type sentence that says “move on to my free report” or something similar.  That is what you are looking for.  If you do want to see your scores you will have to pay for them. 

When you order scores from online sites if it isn’t www.myfico.comyou need to make sure you know what score it is and how it varies from a Fico score (scores a mortgage lender uses).  The scores available are Plus Scores, Vantage Scores, and Fico Scores.  See prior articles explaining different scoring systems. 

There are many sites offering free credit reports and scores but there is only one that is obligated to give you a free credit report annually and that www.annualcreditreport.com.  If any site is requesting your credit card it means they will be automatically charging you if you do not cancel whatever (supposed) free offer they have lured you into.  Even annualcreditreport tries to trick you into giving them your credit card.  Remember do not give your card if you truly want a free credit report.  Just keep looking at the fine print until you find the free road.