Why should you bother looking at your credit report you ask? The answer is very simple, because you need to know where you currently stand financially. With the FACT Act in place, you now have rights to view your annual free credit report file. And then dispute any errors you may find. You can request your free credit reports from all 3 bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It only takes a couple of minutes to view and print your annual free credit report so there isn’t any reason not to do so. You are entitled to receive one annual free credit report every 12 months from each of the major credit reporting bureaus. It is entirely up to you if you wish to order all three credit reports at the same time or order one now and the others later.
What Option Is Better?
The advantage of ordering your free credit reports from all 3 bureaus at the same time is that you will be able to compare them. Then you would not be eligible for another free credit report for another 12 months. The advantage of ordering one now and others later, like one credit report every four months. Is that you can keep track of any changes or new information that may appear on your annual free credit report. So if you request yours from only one credit agency today you can still request from the other two at a later date. That way, you will have access to your updated credit report every four months throughout the year.
What Is In Your Free Credit Report?
Your Annual Free Credit Report lists the full detail on all your credit accounts. It tracks your past payments on all your loans and credit cards. Your credit report is different than your credit score. Your credit score is a number that ranges from 300 to 850. What type of account information will you find in your credit report? Each bureau lists things a bit differently but here is the type of info you will see in your credit file: For each account you have opened you will see listed the account owner, account type and current balance. The date the account was opened, date of last payment and any past dues. Also the date the account was closed, account status, term of duration, scheduled payment amount etc.
Free Credit Reports From All 3 Bureaus
Knowing which financial direction you are heading is the first step. We recommend you take a look at your free credit reports from all 3 bureaus so you know where you currently stand.