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dionysus

(26,467 posts)
1. you're allowed to get a free credit report once a year without using any of those companies.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 06:27 PM
Nov 2013

just contact the credit reporting agency.

W_HAMILTON

(7,869 posts)
7. Use this link!
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 07:00 PM
Nov 2013

It is a federal website that links to www.annualcreditreport.com, the "official" website for the federally mandated free credit reports.

Gato Moteado

(9,865 posts)
5. after 7 years of living outside the US with no credit activity.....
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 06:50 PM
Nov 2013

....my credit history disappeared.

a year and a half ago i had 0 credit history, a FICO score less than 600 and i couldn't get a decent credit card or loan. now i have 12 or 15 great credit cards, $150k in revolving credit and my transunion and experian FICO scores are between 775 and 800 and my equifax FICO is about 720. i can get approved to buy a house with no problem....and it took me no more than a year to get there. it's easier than you think and you don't need to hire an expensive consultant to do it. granted it was much easier for me than for someone with baddies or a bankruptcy, but even with that, you'd be surprised how easy it is to get your credit back on track.

i can help you find out what you need about your credit and i can tell you where to look to get the info to fix baddies on the report. i can also show you how to bump hard inquiries off of your trans union and equifax report (it can't be done on experian).

message me if you want any detailed info. as for getting your credit scores, it's free at creditsesame.com and creditkarma.com...i recommend them highly. the scores these free sites give your are not true FICO scores....in fact, they probably aren't even close to what your true FICO scores are, but the reports they give you are invaluable otherwise. they will tell you what bad things and good things are on your report. this is a great start for anyone trying to fix their credit.

getting your FICO scores for free can be tricky, short of going to a bank and applying for a loan. the problem is that will leave you with a hard inquiry on your report......3 or more of these in a 2 year period and your score degrades and lenders tend to shy away from you. but, there are ways of getting your FICO scores free monthly without taking hits on your credit report. if there's enough interest here, i will elaborate. if not, private message me and i'll help you get all the info you need.

W_HAMILTON

(7,869 posts)
8. I would use the official site: www.annualcreditreport.com
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 07:02 PM
Nov 2013

Almost all of the other "free credit report" sites have some sort of fine print where you can actually get charged; however, www.annualcreditreport.com is the official website for the federally mandated free credit reports you always hear about.

W_HAMILTON

(7,869 posts)
11. If you give them the information necessary to retrieve your credit report...
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 07:08 PM
Nov 2013

...they have more than enough information on you already.

Your site may be fine, but I wouldn't risk it either way. I would just go with the federally mandated, "official" website that I linked. That is the website all these others try to piggyback off of to draw users in.

Gato Moteado

(9,865 posts)
13. creditsesame and creditkarma are free and reputable
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 07:18 PM
Nov 2013

they make money on advertising. you'll see plenty of credit card advertisements on the site.

you don't need to have a credit card in order to get an account with either website.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
10. +1. THIS is the official, free credit report site.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 07:07 PM
Nov 2013

Every other site really wants to make money out of you.

myrna minx

(22,772 posts)
12. I've used Credit Karma too. I appreciate the free service.
Thu Nov 14, 2013, 07:16 PM
Nov 2013

While I wouldn't use it to predict my credit score for something like a home purchase (I would go to my fico for that), but I love being able to see my general Trans Unions score, monitor if there's any nefarious activity, and see if their data matches mine. I've used it since March and appreciate the service.

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