Free 3 In 1 Credit Report
I have never had a credit report and don't know how to go about getting
one. I have always paid all my bills on time and I should have an
excellent credit history; however, reading about identity theft, I am
becoming nervous about not knowing a thing about what is on file about
me. I understand that there are several companies in the business of
issuing credit reports. How does one get a report? Is there any need to
be worried about who writes reports, all the information they would
require about me in order to compile the file, and other concerns. I am
elderly and do not want to get into any scam; I don't mind paying a
reliable company, but who is reliable and who is not? Do I even need
one, or should I leave well enough alone?
There are several companies that will sell you a report. The three
credit reporting agencies will sell you one for about $9 or $10
(Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). There are other companies that sell
them, or you can get a combined report that covers all three agencies.
However, I would not take one of these offers for a "free" credit
report. They will sign you up for some kind of credit service with a
monthly fee, and you will have to cancel it. I'd rather just pay for
one outright than have to deal with this. The only way to get a free
credit report without strings attached is if you are turned down for
credit. (If you are turned down, you'll get a letter telling you how to
get your free report.)
If you aren't having any problems with your credit, getting a combined
report from all three agencies is probably overkill. In my experience,
the three agencies eventually have all the same information, although
one may get some information earlier than another one. Even when I was
having identity theft problems, I never found that one agency had more
information than another one. I would just get a single report and then
go from there. Any of the three agencies will be fine (they all have
web sites and you can probably get your report instantly online - the
3-in-1 usually has to be sent by mail).
http://www.experian.com
http://www.equifax.com
http://www.transunion.com