How To Get a Free Credit Report Without a Credit Card
In 2003, the government passed a law, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, which allows consumers to get a free copy of their credit reports from each of the credit bureaus every year.
Annually, you can order one copy of each credit report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - the three credit bureaus.
Free Credit Report Websites
There are many websites promising to give you a free credit report, but require you to enter a credit card number to receive that report. When you enter your credit card number, you actually sign up for a free subscription trial for that information.
Most of these trials last from 7-30 days. If you fail to cancel your subscription before the trial ends, your credit card will get charged for the subscription.
Real Free Credit Reports
The government-mandated free credit reports do not require you to enter your credit card number or to sign up for a trial service. To help streamline the process of ordering your government-mandated free credit report, the website www.annualcreditreport.com was put up.
This is the only place on the internet that you can order the free credit report guaranteed by federal law. When you order your annual credit report online, you will receive your report immediately after you’ve been authenticated.
Video: How to Get a Great Credit Score
If you prefer, you can also order your annual credit report by phone by calling 1-877-322-8228. There will be a verification process and you will receive your credit report in the mail within 15 days.
You can also order your annual credit report via mail. To do this, you should first download and print the annual credit report request form. Complete the form and mail it to the following address:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Video: How to Improve Your Credit Score
Ordering Your Free Credit Score
You’ll be able to order three credit reports each year for free through annualcreditreport.com, but the site doesn’t offer free credit scores. Your credit score is a numeric grade given to the information in your credit report. It’s used by creditors and lenders to decide whether to give you a credit card or a loan. A bad credit score could mean you get higher interest rates or even have some applications denied. We have a report and score offer that gives you all three credit bureau reports and credit scores. Get your three-in-one credit report and score within minutes by clicking the button above.