| FreeCreditReport or AnnualCreditReport |
| By Credit Federal |
Published
06/8/2009
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Credit Report
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Where To Get a Really Free Credit Report Promised By The Government
Where To Get a Really Free Credit Report Promised By The Government
You've seen plenty of commercials and ads offering a 'free credit report', but which one is the true, really free credit report sponsored by the government? Although many websites; including freecreditreport.com, offer a free credit report copy, there's only one place to get a copy with no credit card required and no trial membership period... This one and only website; ordered by the government, is annualcreditreport.com.
AnnualCreditReport.com is the official, true site that allows you to request a free credit file disclosure (commonly called a credit report), once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
So what's the deal with all the other websites that offer a 'free credit report'?
There are websites that offer a free credit report, but unlike AnnualCreditReport.com they are not the official government ordained website. Another difference is that; although they offer a free credit report copy, it's based only upon you agreeing to give one of their other services a 'free trial' period. If you don't cancel the trial membership per their terms, then they charge you for the credit report copy you had obtained through them. Whereas with AnnualCreditReport.com, there are no trial membership nor credit card requirements. AnnualCreditReport.com gives you a free credit report once per year from all three major credit bureaus.
Should the other free credit report websites be shut down, since those are not really free?
No. Remember that the official government free credit report through AnnualCreditReport.com gives you only one report per year from each credit bureau. Hence, if you need a second copy of your report (such as six months later), you'll have to buy it or get it through one of the other 'free' credit report sites and agree to a trial membership. Just don't forget to cancel the trial membership per the website's terms so your credit card won't be billed.
There is one more advantage to using a website other than the official AnnualCreditReport.com government website, and that reason is to obtain your score. AnnualCreditReport.com only gives credit reports, not scores.
About trial offers: Some free credit report websites require you to sign up for a trial subscription to Credit Monitoring. Of course the trial requires you to provide your credit card number, but your credit card won't be charged until after the free trial has expired. If you cancel the trial service during the trial term, your credit card won't be charged and you still received your free credit report and possibly your score (if the website offered such).
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