Navigating the Annual Credit Report Site to Get Your Free Credit Report

Did you know that you are entitled to receive one free credit report a year from each of the three major credit bureaus?

I recommend that you do it online as you will have immediate access to the report. I also recommend that you do this from home as you will need access to credit card numbers and other private information that may or may not be in your head. This free report will not contain your credit score. You will have to pay extra for that.

The URL you should use is AnnualCreditReport dot com. Be sure to type it correctly! I have written it out because I cannot put live links in the body of this article.

Once online at this site, you will be asked to type in the state that you live in; then click Request Report. Next you will see a page that requests your personal information. Make sure there is a logo in the upper right hand corner verifying that this site is VeriSign Secured. Once you see that, go ahead and type in your information, other than the usual, name, date of birth, and social security number, you will need your address or addresses for the past two years. The next page gives you the option to choose reports from one, two, or all three bureaus. I suggest that you select all three.
 
Pay careful attention to the next screen that tells you where to click to return to the Annual Credit Report page, if you use the back arrows you will be kicked off the site and have to start all over again.

Once you get in be aware that all three bureaus will try to sell you access to your credit scores or one of their enhanced products. If this is what you want to do, great, but if not, then hunt for the small no thank  you button, and you can move through this advertisement and on to the verification part of the process where you will be taken to each bureau in turn.

Each bureau will ask you for different information to verify that you are indeed you. Items include your mortgage provider and the monthly payment amount, what county you live in, the model and year car that you purchased. You may also need two revolving account numbers. TransUnion will ask you to create a login and password. You cannot move forward until you do this.
 
When you finally get to the page to view your report, make sure to capture it electronically as a PDF file since just printing it out may not preserve all of the data that is near the edges of the pages. Save these to a secure location on your computer.

Linda Adams is an innovative and seasoned facilitator/educator with more than 20 years experience designing and implementing programs for audiences of all ages. She is dedicated to helping others realize how important their credit is to every facet of their lives. If you would like a free video of this process you can go to her website http://www.Love-Your-Credit-Score.com It is one of the free gifts for leaving your email. You will find the sign up at the end of the page - keep scrolling!