Getting My Free Credit Report At Least Once A Year

At least three times a year I make it a point to take some time and get my free credit report.  While we are all guaranteed at least one free credit report each year there are ways to get additional credit reports in order to help us all understand how important credit is in our every day lives and to keep us aware of our own credit activity.

I appreciate the idea of being guaranteed one free credit report each year but going all the months in between my last credit report without checking my credit makes me uneasy.

One thing I do to get a free credit report is participate in the free credit monitoring services my credit card company offers.  Not all credit card companies offer free credit services but some do so it is worth checking on.  In addition to checking with your credit card company also check with your bank or credit union.

Businesses like credit card companies and banks encourage credit monitoring because if you are a victim of identity theft they end up having to reimburse you and your account for the money that is fraudulently spent.  This means they lose out on the money and (in the case of most credit card companies) the interest they would have charged you for the money they thought you spent.

In order to avoid these sort of loses many credit card companies and banks are offering free credit monitoring services because that is usually more cost effective than spending man hours checking every single transactions rather than focusing on the blatantly suspicious transactions.

In my case the free credit monitoring service includes an email notification when any new details are added to my credit report whether it is a new account or inquiry.  Twice a year (or more if there is suspicious activity) I receive a copy of my credit report in the mail along with a letter detailing any activity that seems unusual.

My credit card company offers more extensive credit report monitoring but I prefer to stick with the service that is free of charge.

For those of you who do not have access to a free credit report monitoring service that will provide you with a free credit report there are other options.  Before I signed up for my credit service I would get my free credit report by writing the credit bureau if I was ever denied credit on any type of account.

That is a guaranteed way to get a free credit report sent to you by mail in 30 days or so but that only applies to those who have been denied a loan, line of credit, or credit card.  The letter must be sent to the credit reporting agency that the credit company used to determine your credit worthiness.

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