The three major credit reporting agencies – Experian, Transunion, and Equifax – set up AnnualCreditReport.com for people to request their free report each year, if they meet certain criteria. Other websites that promise free reports might cause a “hard inquiry” on your credit report, hurting your score, or offer paid services that you don’t need.
When ordering your credit report, you’ll have the option to get it from all three companies or just one or two of them. Either approach is fine but each has it’s own benefits. Getting reports from all three companies allows you to compare them all and see if there are any discrepancies. The downside is that you’ll have to wait another year before you can get any of the reports for free again. Getting just one report at a time, allows you to pace your requests throughout the year. For example, getting one report every four months so you’re regularly monitoring your credit.
A LOZO expert posted this tip. |