You have the right to get a free credit report every year.

That’s a privilege approved by the law, and that’s something you as a consumer should take advantage of to keep your credit score and records in good shape.

With a free credit report, you can easily find errors and inaccuracies in your credit history and have them corrected by the credit bureau – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, within 30 days according to law.

Not to mention you can easily ward and prevent the threats of identity theft and credit fraud if you’re well updated with a free credit report.

This gets really handy, huh?

BUT sadly, many have also taken advantage of it in a not so nice way.

I’m sure you’ve seen many websites from left, right, and center are offering free credit report…PROVIDED that you sign up for a 30-day trial after which you’ll be charged a fee.

I don’t know about you BUT that doesn’t sound free to me!

You see, what they’re really offering is NOT your free credit report. It’s another service – it can be a credit monitoring service, identity theft protection, etc. that you’ll be paying for.

The free credit report is just a perk.

Now that may sound nice when you first encounter it. BUT the thing is that many of these websites and companies are actually counting on you to forget about the trial period so they can take their share of cash from your credit card!

Not really nice after all, huh?

So you end up paying for your supposed-to-be free credit report along with the credit monitoring service, fraud alert, etc. when all that you wanted was your report.

It’s about time for you to be alert about these websites whenever you’re surfing for a free credit report.

I won’t be stopping you from taking up the free trial they’re offering…BUT please, make sure that you cancel the service after you’ve taken your free credit report. Now if you think the service they’re offering is well worth it, by all means, go for it!

Just make sure you don’t end up paying for something that’s supposed to be free.

And one more thing, whenever you’re transacting with these kinds of websites where you have to input your credit card information and other VERY important details, make sure that you’re doing it securely.

Always check the URL. It should have “https” instead of the usual “http”. You may also want to see if they have any certifications and recommendations from online institutions like BBB, SSL, etc.

You’d better be safe than sorry.

So you want to buy that brand new car? Want to pay in advance for your apartment’s rent? Planning to buy a new home?

Yeah?

In this world and era where everything is transacted electronically, you can’t get away without having a good credit. That’s EVEN true even if you have cold hard cash in your hands!

With that in mind, knowing how to read your free credit report is as important and essential for your financial status as knowing where to get a free credit report, records, and score. Not to mention you get to check if there’s something ‘fishy’ – something like identity theft going on if you can read your free credit report right.

And the good thing is there are many websites that allow you to get your hands on them without even spending a single dime.

Credit reporting and a free credit report are INDISPENSIBLE for someone who wants to understand their credit status and cares a lot about its personal and financial effects to one’s life.

So you want to get the best deals when you look around for new and incentive-packed credit cards deals and offers?

Then getting a good credit score is a MUST. And you can earn one by keeping your payments on time and not sinking yourself with too many debts.

It’s always necessary to check your free credit report, which you can easily find on a number of websites, to see if there’s an error or there is something you should be suspicious about.

Looking at your free credit report, you’ll see your personal information and, of course, your credit history and records. That means every account you’ve had in the beginning…

- Credit cards
- Student loans
- Mortgage
- Retailer cards

…and everything in between will be listed there. It will show all of the things related to it – how long you’ve had the account, how many payments you’ve made, how much, how many times have you skipped your payment, and more.

Did I mention it contains everything?

This is summarized by a so-called FICO score. Through this score, banks and other financial institutions get a quick preview of how well or bad you’re faring and if you’re to be approved for the financing you’re applying for.

It’s VERY important to go through the details of your credit report and records you’ve kept with you. Check for inaccuracies! The last thing you want to happen is get declined for a loan just because of some silly record-keeping mistake your bank has made.

And when you see something – say a loan, an application of limit increase on your card, etc. which you think you didn’t do, double-check right away! These are signs that somebody might be using your financial information without you knowing.

Simply put your credit status and records as assets that you should take good care of. And getting your free credit report is the first step to the right direction.