Many consumers aren't aware that, by law, Americans are entitled to one free credit report per year. And for those that are aware of this important fact of finance, fewer still know where they can actually, ya know, get their free credit report.
As a result, we're left to Google the term "how do I get my free credit report", which is quite possibly how you ended up here in the first place. And yes, we're going to tell you.
The website where you can apply to receive your free annual credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com. This is a free and secured website, and is the official destination to request your legally-entitled credit report.
It's important to note that your credit report is different from the credit monitoring services (including the ones we've partnered with on Creditnet.com) that offer free trials that include access to your scores. After the trial promotion, monthly fees range from around $15 and above. That said, these can be excellent services to safeguard against identity theft, and often include daily access to your credit scores.
Your report is the blueprint to your score, and helps you to gain perspective on what lenders are seeing when they consider your risk when applying for a loan or credit card. Perhaps most importantly, obtaining your credit report will give you the opportunity to identify any inaccurate information or mistakes on your report, which you can then dispute with the major credit reporting agencies.
So if you've never seen your credit report, we recommend following the link below to put in your request. It's free, and you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
