Tristan Dunston asked:




Consumers in the US, UK and Australia can all get their hands on a free copy of their credit report to do a credit check on themselves. The systems in each country are different, and this article explains how consumers can go about getting a free credit report if they live in one of these countries.

In the United States:

Consumers have had the legal right to a free copy of their credit report, annually, for a number of years now. The Fair Credit Reporting Act granted consumers a free credit report from each of the three US credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and Transunion.

There is only one authorized website in the US from which American consumers can obtain their free report under their legal entitlement, and that is annualcreditreport. There is also a free toll number, 1-877-322-8228 where US citizen’s can order their annual credit report. A report can also be ordered by filling out the Request Form and posting it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Online, the service is instant, but security questions will be asked to verify identity. By telephone and post, it takes about 15 days for a credit report to arrive, but it may take longer if the agency needs to verify an identity.

The Federal Trade Commission, which protects US consumers, has warned people to be on the look out for what it calls ‘impostor’ sites. At one point it was estimated there were more than one hundred such websites in existence, some of which included domains that used misspellings of the authorized free credit report website.

There are other online services offering free credit reports, using subscription free trial period schemes. With these credit report services consumers need to be aware that if they fail to cancel the subscription within the free trial period they are likely to have their plastic charged. The trial period schemes usually require consumers to cancel the subscription within the trial period, usually 30 days, or the company may start to charge a fee.

Also, in the United States, consumers can get a free credit report if they have been turned down for credit, insurance or employment and they apply within 60 days of receiving notice from the company involved. The unemployed who are looking for work, those on welfare and people whose reports are inaccurate, because of fraud, can all get a free credit check.

In the UK:

There is not a legal right for consumers to a free credit report from the credit reference agencies in the UK, unlike the US. But you can go directly to the websites of the three credit reference agencies, Callcredit, Equifax and Experian to get one without having to pay a fee. All offer a free trial subscription service that provides a free credit report as part of the free trial. To avoid incurring a charge, the consumer must remember to cancel the subscription with the credit reference agency within the free trial period, usually 30 days. Failure to do so may lead to the agency charging fees.

One website in the UK, annualcreditreport.co.uk, provides UK consumers with free yearly access to their credit report from one of the three credit reference agencies. This service doesn’t require people to provide their credit card details to get a free credit report.

While there is not a legal right for consumers to a free credit report in the UK, there is a right under Data Protection laws for consumers to get a credit report for

]]> http://www.creditreportcompare.com/blog/finance/how-to-get-free-credit-reports-in-the-us-uk-or-australia-2/feed/ 0 http://www.creditreportcompare.com/blog/finance/free-online-fico-score-report-5-tips/ http://www.creditreportcompare.com/blog/finance/free-online-fico-score-report-5-tips/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:05:39 +0000 admin http://www.creditreportcompare.com/blog/finance/free-online-fico-score-report-5-tips/

Jed C. Jones Ph.D. asked:




Your FICO score determines everything from your eligibility for car and home loans to the interest rate on your loans. Before you refinance your home or car, you owe it to yourself to find out your current score and then improve it as much as possible. Improving your score by just 50 points could save you $1,000s in annual payments. Reason: a better score means much lower interest rates, which can save you literally $200-$300 or more each month on your home or auto payments. You have an amazing opportunity to get your credit score for free online and taking advantage of it is definitely worthwhile. Here are 5 tips for getting your free online FICO score report:

Tip #1: Remember that your report is your right as a U.S. citizen: The U.S. Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the Big Three national credit reporting bureaus to provide you with a free copy your report every 12 months upon request.

Tip #2: Get your report only from the one official source: There is only one official source from which to obtain your FCRA-authorized free credit reports: the Annual Credit Report Request service. This is a service implemented jointly by the Big Three credit bureaus. Note: many other Web sites do offer free online FICO score reports, but those offers may come with strings attached such as billing your credit card each month after an initial, free-trial period.

Tip #3: Prepare the necessary information: Before you order your FICO report, be sure to prepare the necessary information needed to pull it. Required items should not require any special research: your name, current address, social security number, and date of birth. However, if you have moved within the past two years, be sure to have your previous address on hand. Note: during the order process, you may be asked additional information that only you may know in order to verify your identity.

Tip #4: Get your authorized report via the Internet or by mail: Search for Annual Credit Report Request online to find the current Web address or physical address from which to order your report. You can also download a printable order form from the official Web site and then send in your order form via regular mail.

Tip #5: Monitor your report monthly: Given the identity theft epidemic and the common occurrence of credit report errors, it is wise to check your reports from all three national bureaus each month. There are many Web sites that offer this service and you can cancel at any time in most cases. Most of these sites will give you valid credit information for a fee and are completely legitimate. Just remember to read the terms and conditions carefully before use.

Improving your FICO score can save you $1,000s in annual debt payments. When obtaining your score, remember that the free annual report authorized by the FCRA is only available from a single official source. However, to obtain monthly credit report updates for a fee, subscribe to the services any of a number of legitimate online sources.

Gloria

Tim Gorman asked:




A credit report provides information in regards to your credit worthiness by giving the nitty gritty details of your credit transactions. These reports are sold by the credit bureaus to lenders like banks, insurance companies, credit card companies and many other financially related institutions who use your report to evaluate you and decide whether to transact with you. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to your very own free credit report from each of the three top credit bureaus Equifax, Experian ad TransUnion, every 12 months, on request. This is to ensure that you know what picture is projected about you to the various potential lenders and businesses in the market and to protect yourself from any form of identity theft that seems to be prevelant in today’s society.

In order to cater to the free annual credit report program, the three credit reporting companies have set up a website, a toll free telephone and a mailing address as avenues through which anyone can order their free credit information. The website is http://www.annualcreditreport.com , the toll free number is 1-877-322-8228 and mailing address is Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281, to which you need to send in the Annual credit report request form. Additionally, you have the option to order free report and score (the score is optional and comes at a small cost) from all three companies at the same time or each at a different time, depending on your purposes.

Consumers that choose to search the Internet and go online in order to obtain a copy of their free credit report and score need to be wary on one point – There are companies that have their web site names very close in spelling to the one mentioned above. So, if a consumer makes a typo error while typing the website address, they will be redirected to different unintended pages, which may collect some information and offer some services, at a cost.

When you order your information online, you will get it instantly. Whereas if you order using the toll free number or through the mail, it is likely to take a minimum of 15 days or more, depending on the volumes being processed by the credit bureaus. You are also eligible for a free credit report, when a company has refused to transact with you; if you do not have a job currently and plan to take up one in the next sixty days; if you are on welfare or if your report has any errors that you have reported with evidence.

If you wonder what you will do with a credit report, think again. Before applying for a loan or insurance or credit card or a job, it is a good idea to verify your financial information and ensure that all the details provided there are accurate and current. Else, the report might throw an unpleasant surprise at you. Verifying your credit report periodically is a way to avoid identity theft, where a person lifts your identity details and uses it for credit purposes like getting a loan or a credit card and defaults on it. By checking your credit report, you can catch such thefts and report them on time, before it gives you ‘bad credit’.

Now that you know the advantages of tracking your credit report and score, you could choose the best way to get it free and enjoy the benefits.

Catherine

Jay Delgado asked:


You have the right to obtain one free credit report a year from each of the major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Reviewing your free credit reports each year can be extremely beneficial when it comes to protecting and improving your credit standing. If you have not taken advantage of this free resource, you should do so immediately.

There are three ways that you can order your free report:

* Online: When you order your credit report online, you will be able to view and print it instantly.

* Phone: 1-877-322-8228. If you order your report by phone, it will take 15 days to process your request.

* Mail: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta GA 30348-5281. You will need to fill out a request form to order your report by mail. It may take 3 to 4 weeks to receive your report through the mail.

Remember; you can only obtain your free annual credit report through Annual Credit Report; you can NOT contact the credit agencies directly for your free report. They will provide you with a report, but you will have to pay for it (average cost $10.50).

When you request your free credit report, you need to have the following information: address, social security number and date of birth. If you have lived at your current address for less than two years, you will need to provide your previous address. You will also need to be able to provide information about your personal financial affairs so that the bureaus can confirm your identity. Some of the most common questions asked by credit bureaus involve information that you are very familiar with such as the amount of your mortgage payment, car payment or credit card balance.

In addition to one free annual credit report, there are special circumstances where you may be eligible for a free report directly from one of the credit reporting bureaus:

* Adverse Action: If you are turned down for credit, employment or insurance benefits because of information contained on your credit report, you are entitled to a free report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. The notice will include all the information you need to request your free report.

* Unemployment: If you are unemployed and plan to look for a job within the next 60 days, you can request a free credit report from one of the three main credit reporting agencies. You are only allowed one per year. This also applies for families receiving public assistance.

* Identity Theft: If your report is inaccurate because of fraud or identity theft, you can request one free copy per year.

Most financial advisers recommend that you review your credit report for errors every 90 days. If you are not requesting your free reports regularly, you could be putting your financial future in jeopardy. Nearly 25% of credit reports contain errors that can lead to a denial of credit. Yours may be one of them, but you will never know unless you check it out for yourself.



Neil

Tristan Dunston asked:


Consumers in the US, UK and Australia can all get their hands on a free copy of their credit report to do a credit check on themselves. The systems in each country are different, and this article explains how consumers can go about getting a free credit report if they live in one of these countries.

In the United States:

Consumers have had the legal right to a free copy of their credit report, annually, for a number of years now. The Fair Credit Reporting Act granted consumers a free credit report from each of the three US credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and Transunion.

There is only one authorised website in the US from which American consumers can obtain their free report under their legal entitlement, and that is annualcreditreport.com. There is also a free toll number, 1-877-322-8228 where US citizen’s can order their annual credit report. A report can also be ordered by filling out the Annual Credit Report Request Form and posting it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Online, the service is instant, but security questions will be asked to verify identity. By telephone and post, it takes about 15 days for a credit report to arrive, but it may take longer if the agency needs to verify an identity.

The Federal Trade Commission, which protects US consumers, has warned people to be on the look out for what it calls ‘imposter’ sites. At one point it was estimated there were more than one hundred such websites in existence, some of which included domains that used misspellings of the authorised free credit report website.

There are other online services offering free credit reports, using subscription free trial period schemes. With these credit report services consumers need to be aware that if they fail to cancel the subscription within the free trial period they are likely to have their plastic charged. The trial period schemes usually require consumers to cancel the subscription within the trial period, usually 30 days, or the company may start to charge a fee.

Also, in the United States, consumers can get a free credit report if they have been turned down for credit, insurance or employment and they apply within 60 days of receiving notice from the company involved. The unemployed who are looking for work, those on welfare and people whose reports are inaccurate, because of fraud, can all get a free credit check.

In the UK:

There is not a legal right for consumers to a free credit report from the credit reference agencies in the UK, unlike the US. But you can go directly to the websites of the three credit reference agencies, Callcredit, Equifax and Experian to get one without having to pay a fee. All offer a free trial subscription service that provides a free credit report as part of the free trial. To avoid incurring a charge, the consumer must remember to cancel the subscription with the credit reference agency within the free trial period, usually 30 days. Failure to do so may lead to the agency charging fees.

One website in the UK, annualcreditreport.co.uk, provides UK consumers with free yearly access to their credit report from one of the three credit reference agencies. This service doesn’t require people to provide their credit card details to get a free credit report.

While there is not a legal right for consumers to a free credit report in the UK, there is a right under Data Protection laws for consumers to get a credit report for £2. This is known as a statutory credit report. A statutory credit report can be obtained by writing to the credit reference agencies and sending a cheque or postal order for £2, with details such as name, full current and previous address, and date of birth to: Callcredit Ltd Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, Leeds LS3 1WZ; Experian Ltd Consumer Help Service, PO Box 8000, Nottingham NG80 7WF and Equifax Credit Report Advice Centre PO Box 1140 Bradford BD1 5US. It usually takes around 7 days for a statutory credit report to arrive.

In Australia:

Australian consumers have a right to a free copy of their credit report under the Privacy Act. Veda Advantage and Dun and Bradstreet, Australia’s largest credit reporting agencies, will both provide a free credit report to consumers within 10 days of receiving a request. The Tasmanian Collection Service, which covers the citizens of Tasmania, provides consumers with a free credit report if they have been refused credit or an application is to do with the management of an individual’s credit commitments.

Australian consumers keen to keep an eye on their credit rating can get a free copy of their credit report by writing to: Veda Advantage Public Access, PO Box 964, North Sydney NSW 2059. Dun and Bradstreet at Public Access Centre, Dun and Bradstreet (Australia) PL, PO box 7405, St Kilda Road, VIC 3004. Tasmanian Collection Service can be contacted at GPO Box 814H, Hobart, TAS 7001.



Tamara