NC Penguin

Since about 2006, residents in the US have been entitled to get free US credit reports from the three major credit bureaux. Have you been getting yours?

I only remembered to get two of them in 2006 but I got my TransUnion one earlier this year. I always thought TU's was the worst because it wasn't as up-to-date as Equifax and Experian but I'm happy to see that TransUnion has improved and that the 2007 credit report is pretty much up-to-date.

You can either get all three reports (one from each of the credit bureaux named above) at once or get each bureau's report separately. If you spread this out over the year, you can get a snapshot of your credit history, which I think is more useful than getting all three at once.


NC Penguin

ironporer

Just spent an hour or two on Saturday going over mine/ours actually. Though you have to $7.00 more to see your actual FICO score... odd.

www.annualcreditreport.com

Elvira

An hour or TWO - OMG............. life's too short...

Bob

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/...t-report_x.htm

quite a good article about it all, bit old though...

BigDavyG

Agreeing with you just feels wrong.

But seriously - do people get some kind of sense of achievement or something if they get their score up to a certain level ??

BritGuyTN

not really a sense of acheivement, but a good score can makes things a lot easier

we are in the process of re-fiing our house, and bank of america who are giving us a replacement loan have only needed a payoff release form. No w2s, no tax returns, no pay stubs, nada - apparently all on the strength of the wifes credit (not a stated loan program)

when I met her she had some issues, but fixing those over the last couple of years has made her score(s) go from 660~ to 780~

Duncan Roberts

I used to think the same thing about transunion but they really seemed to have got their act together. They actually have one of the best monitoring services out there now. The best seems to be their $15 a month for unlimited access to all 3 credit reports and scores plus 24 hour monitoring, $25,000 identity theft insurance and a lot of very good tools. I keep thinking about it, but even for a quality service, $15 a month is $15 a month!

TruBrit

i've got a FICO score in the 800's...i've always had a good rating in the UK and couldn't stand not having the same here so i played the FICO game...lol

Bob

your credit card probably already has you covered for that kind of level for free.

BigDavyG

Yep - identity theft assistance is a joke, especially if you consider the fact that any "leaks" are quite likely to come from the people offering you the identity theft assistance in the first place.
Right up there with payment protection insurance and home warranties.

Elvira

I'm sure you're right.

Payment protection plans must be one of THE biggest legitimate scams.

But I know quite a few people who have home warranties. I remember looking into it briefly when we bought our house 5 years ago, but at the time I didn't think it's worth having. So what's the deal?

TruBrit

yep agree with you there, i wouldn't waste my money.

Duncan Roberts

If thats what you think that's fair enough. It's not exactly the selling point for me either, but it's part of the package. I like the idea of knowing within 24 hours if something has happened to your report though, especially as its for all 3. Plus the scores are a nice little extra that can add up when you get your free reports if you choose to get them.

Bob

Aye, so true...it's the first thing they tell you to can when collections start calling...and it's surprising what kind of scams have come from those dodgy geezers that money help cover up....the stories my missus or a mate could tell...enough to put you even more off credit cards

Bob

your credit card would tell you that anyway...they are more likely to be quick off the mark letting you know if you want them too, and it'll be free...