Free credit reports?

[Galaril]

I am getting ready to start house shopping and wanted to get a credit report.
I know that ubder the law a free credit report is guarnateed but I don't know who to get this from. I am a little leery with all of the various credit report companies many seem rather tacky and unprofessional .Anyone have a suggestion ?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Most of the "big" free credit report links on the web lead to the same place (I went through qspace.com). You have to sign up for a free trial of a credit monitoring search in order to get the free credit report, but you can cancel the trial anytime. That's not related to the law, though.

I'm no lawyer, but as I understand it, you're entitled to a free credit report if you've been denied credit due to a review of your credit report in the past 30 days. Also, you may be entitled to one free copy of your credit report per year, though I'm less sure about that.

If you want a copy of your credit report, I suggest simply writing to Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, as those are the three big credit reporting agencies. Of the three, I've found Equifax to be the most complete, but that may not be true for everyone. TransUnion has tended to lag behind on some of the reports (the first eight months of my car payment don't show, although that's probably the lender's fault, not TransUnion's). Experian has fallen somewhere in the middle for me.

I don't have addresses or phone numbers for any of the three companies handy, but I'm sure that a search would find them. Good luck.

[Peregrine]

If you're willing to pay, I've found that the service from myfico.com has been good. You not only get your credit report but also a FICO score which is a good way to grade your credit at a glance. I found it useful when I was starting the search for my house.

[Marmel]

myfico.com is a great site for information. Most companies will look at all three of your scores from the 3 big companies listed above and use the middle score, FYI.

[Airhog]

As mentioned above, you can get a free credit report, if you sign up for the monitoring. All it took was a call the next day and the monitoring was removed.

[Castlerock]

Depending on where you live, you may be able to get a free credit report every year from each of the "big 3" reporting agencies (Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian). And no matter where you live, you can get a free credit report if you have been denied credit.

If you have NOT been denied credit, a credit report costs $9. Except in the following states:

California: $8 for all copies
Colorado: No charge for your first copy each calendar year; $8 for additional copies
Connecticut: $5.30 for your first copy within each year; $7.95 for additional copies
Georgia: No charge for the first two copies each calendar year; $8 for additional copies
Hawaii: $9.36
Maine: No charge for the first copy each 12-month period; $5 for additional copies
Maryland: No charge for your first copy each 12-month period; $5.25 for additional copies
Massachusetts: No charge for your first copy each calendar year; $8 for additional copies
Minnesota: $3 for all copies
New Jersey: No charge for your first copy each calendar year; $8 for additional copies
New Mexico: $9.45
New York: $9.74
Pennsylvania: $9.63
South Carolina: $9.45
South Dakota: $9.54
Texas: $9.74
Vermont: No charge for your first copy each 12-month period; $7.50 for additional copies
Washington, D.C.: $9.52
West Virginia: $9.54

[Fritz]

I just did an experian report at freecreditreport.com. you can sign up through the web, but you have to call to unsubscribe. I had some trouble getting through.

[clintl]

Credit reports should be by law free on demand at any time. You are not a customer of the credit bureaus, and there is no justification for them to be able to charge you to see your own personal data.

[STK]

view it online...

$4.99/month

hxxp://mycreditinform.com