Have you gotten your free credit reports for this year?

cubbie · Mar 5, 2007

It's been a year since I last pulled my reports for free so I can pull them for free again this month. There shouldn't be any surprises. I have great credit but I am curious every year to see them. I'll probably pay to get my credit scores as well.

If you aren't familiar with the free credit reports, here is the website put together by the US government: www.annualcreditreport.com

epona · Mar 5, 2007

I wish I could do this! I mean I can see my credit information, but I have to pay. And here, requesting it can actually damage your credit rating (on the assumption that if you've asked for the info you must have something to be concerned about

)

gardenandcats · Mar 5, 2007

Thanks for the link. I didn't know you could get it free

catloverin_ks · Mar 5, 2007

Thanks for that link!! I was actually wondering how I could get a *free* one..

cubbie · Mar 5, 2007

Originally Posted by catloverin_ks

Thanks for that link!! I was actually wondering how I could get a *free* one..

No problem. They won't provide you your credit score for free, but they will provide you with everything else for free: payment history, account history, etc.

It's been in effect for 3 or 4 years I believe.

catloverin_ks · Mar 5, 2007

Originally Posted by Cubbie

No problem. They won't provide you your credit score for free, but they will provide you with everything else for free: payment history, account history, etc.

It's been in effect for 3 or 4 years I believe.

hmm, well its asking me for $$$.

cubbie · Mar 5, 2007

Originally Posted by catloverin_ks

hmm, well its asking me for $$$.

Well, they may try to upsell services such as providing you with yoru credit score or putting you on a credit monitoring plan which is entirely up to you. The report is free.

ping · Mar 5, 2007

I get a free one every year through all three major credit reporting companies. It can vary from company to company whats listed. Yes getting a credit score will cost you but really you don't need that IMO.

trouts mom · Mar 5, 2007

I have never gotten one

I wonder if there is anything wrong on there..I do have impeccable credit, but I have heard that they can make mistakes.

gingersmom · Mar 5, 2007

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I have never gotten one

I wonder if there is anything wrong on there..I do have impeccable credit, but I have heard that they can make mistakes.

That's the whole reason why you should request yours - that way you can catch any mistakes and get them fixed.

katiemae1277 · Mar 5, 2007

yep, this will be the third year I'm requesting mine, I stagger mine though so I get one every 3 months or so, first from Equifax, than Experian, or is it the other way

then Transunion, but I'll be getting my credit score this year also, I only get it from Equifax though, as that is the one used most often. I've had/have credit problems, so I'm interested to know if my score has gone up any since I've been trying to get everything in order

gingersmom · Mar 5, 2007

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

yep, this will be the third year I'm requesting mine, I stagger mine though so I get one every 3 months or so, first from Equifax, than Experian, or is it the other way

then Transunion, but I'll be getting my credit score this year also, I only get it from Equifax though, as that is the one used most often. I've had/have credit problems, so I'm interested to know if my score has gone up any since I've been trying to get everything in order

Please keep in mind that each time someone/a company requests your credit score, it can cause it to drop. If you have had many credit inquiries lately, I would wait before requesting your score, as you don't want to inadvertantly contribute to it dropping just by making the request. Too many inquiries in a short period of time will cause the score to be lowered as a result.

cubbie · Mar 5, 2007

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Please keep in mind that each time someone/a company requests your credit score, it can cause it to drop. If you have had many credit inquiries lately, I would wait before requesting your score, as you don't want to inadvertantly contribute to it dropping just by making the request. Too many inquiries in a short period of time will cause the score to be lowered as a result.

Hi GingersMom,

I have to respectfully disagree with you. Pulling your own credit score will not hurt your credit score in anyway. It's what is called a "soft pull". Credit card companies routinely pull your credit to determine who to send credit card offeres without your notice and those are "soft pulls" also. There are different types of credit pulls and the only ones that can cause your credit score to lower are called a "hard pull".

Here is a trustworthy source of information that explains the difference in details: http://www.lendingtree.com/smartborr...Hard-Pull.aspx

Credit Report -- Soft Inquiry vs. Hard Pull
A soft inquiry does not hurt your credit score but a hard pull does.
On a credit report, when a third party looks at your credit score, this is called an inquiry. All inquiries, however, are not created equal. Some hurt your credit score, and some do not. An inquiry known as a soft inquiry does not affect your credit report, but a hard pull does.

Soft inquiry
A soft inquiry, or soft pull, is a term used to refer to an inquiry into your credit history that does not adversely affect the credit score. Often, you are not even aware that there has been a soft inquiry on your credit report. For example, if you receive a solicitation in the mail offering you a credit card, the credit card company has most likely conducted a soft pull to see if you qualify. When mortgage lenders pre-approve you for a loan, they initially use a soft pull. Potential employers use it as a part of background checks, and your current credit card companies use soft inquiries to check up on you. Banks use them to verify that you are who you say you are when opening an account. If you check your own credit report, which you can do for free once a year, this is done with a soft pull. Most of the time, you do not even know when they occur, and they do not affect your credit report.

Hard pull
A hard pull on a credit report is different. It does affect your credit score. Anytime that you are actually getting a loan or a new credit card, the lender conducts a hard pull on your credit report. This stays on the record. It also lowers your credit score by about five points for six months. For this reason, it is important to guard your credit report from too many hard pulls. If you get a store credit card just to save 10 percent on a single purchase, you have hurt your credit score. That is probably not worth the 10 percent savings. Some banks even use a hard pull if you are opening a savings account, so be sure to check your potential bankâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s policy. Additionally, the incentives that credit card companies offer for signing up may not be worth the hit to your credit score.

A good rule of thumb for your credit report is to try to avoid any inquiries that are considered hard pulls. By limiting them your credit will be in good shape and you can qualify for the best interest rate available to you when it comes time for you to apply for a loan that you truly need.

wookie130 · Mar 5, 2007

I checked mine about a month ago.

I will fully admit that my credit blows...and unfortunately, I'm not going to take a lot of ownership in that, as a lot of it was due to my husband's actions. Prior to this, my credit was great.

jenng · Mar 5, 2007

Thanks for letting me know... I just went and pulled up all 3 for me.

tornangel012 · Mar 5, 2007

I check mine every year since I graduated from College about WOW 4-5 years ago. Anyways I had an ex-fiancee who when he was my Fiancee stole my credit cards frequently AND put them back and HIDE the bills from me. So that totally screwed my credit over.

OH also a nice thing about there free credit reports is you can put on a fradulant alert for up to 90 days at a time and it will notify the other 2 free credit report companies. I had to do that recently due to finding out someone was using my name and credit to open a Dell account to buy computers. Luckily Dell called me to confirm so I stopped that nonsense.

Have you gotten your free credit reports for this year?

cubbie

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epona

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gardenandcats

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catloverin_ks

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cubbie

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catloverin_ks

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cubbie

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ping

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trouts mom

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gingersmom

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katiemae1277

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cubbie

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