We will discuss where to obtain your credit report and how much you should expect to pay for a credit report.
You will also learn about credit monitoring services and figure out whether they are right for you.
Where to Obtain Your Credit Report and Credit Score.
There are two websites that can help you obtain your credit reports, but only one site that can provide you with your true FICO credit scores. In order to obtain free copies of your credit reports from each of the three big credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), you should visit www.annualcreditreport.com.
However, in order to really understand your credit situation, you will also need to obtain your credit score. The Annual Credit Report website will provide you with copies of your credit report information, but not with the actual three digit score associated with your report.
To obtain the scores from each of the three agencies, visit www.myfico.com and purchase one of their services. Both of these methods will be described step-by-step in this chapter.
Obtaining Your Free Credit Report
When a company wants to determine what type of credit you have, they will often request a copy of your credit report.
In the past, individuals were not able to request their own credit reports, but thankfully, that has changed. Everyone in the United States is eligible to request one free copy of their credit report each year.