Other Ways to Get Free Information
The free credit reports that you can get are a great resource. You should take advantage of the program as a first step toward watching your credit. However, there are other ways to get free access to credit scores and the information in your credit reports.
Free Credit Report Triggers
The laws described above entitle you to view your credit reports annually no matter what. In addition to those rights, federal laws entitle you to free credit reports in specific situations. If you are denied credit, insurance, or employment based on information in the reports, you should receive a notice explaining what happened. Simply ask the credit-reporting company named in the notice for a free report within sixty days.
When somebody pulls your credit, they are required to inform you if they've used the information against you. Any adverse action like a denial of credit, employment, or insurance triggers the disclosure. They must also give you contact information for the credit-reporting company that they used to make the decision.
There are a few other triggers as well. If you're unemployed and you intend to apply for a job within the next sixty days, you can ask for a free credit report. People on public-assistance programs can ask for free reports. Finally, placing fraud alerts in your credit files entitles you to a free credit report to check for signs of fraud.
Inquiring Minds Can Tell You
Since your lenders keep tabs on your credit, they can help you do so, too. Lenders periodically check your reports to make sure that you have not become a greater risk to them over time. They may offer you some of this information as a value-added service. For example, some credit card companies will show you your FICO score, as well as a charted history of your FICO score values, free of charge. By keeping an eye on that number, you'll know if anything major is happening to your credit.
Every time you get your credit checked, for a mortgage, loan, employment, or phone service for example, you can ask the inquirer what your credit reports say. They may or may not have details, but they can probably at least tell you whether it's excellent or not. Make a habit of asking anytime you authorize somebody to check your credit. In some cases, you might be able to request a copy of the reports when you authorize the credit check.
