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Annual credit report- which company?

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  • Annual credit report- which company?

    Hello,

    I want to get my free report from annualcreditreport.com for the first time. It asks if I want experian, equifax or transunion. Should I do all 3? Is it better to do one, and I could try another in a few months? I am new to this... thanks. I don't know the rules of it and I tried to google and it was not very helpful.

  • #2
    Originally posted by jcmf339 View Post
    Hello,

    I want to get my free report from annualcreditreport.com for the first time. It asks if I want experian, equifax or transunion. Should I do all 3? Is it better to do one, and I could try another in a few months? I am new to this... thanks. I don't know the rules of it and I tried to google and it was not very helpful.
    Up to you really. I get one report every four months, which gives me a good ongoing idea of my credit standing. So for you, maybe get the Experian now, Equifax in March, and Transunion in July of each year. If I recall correctly, I got all three of them at the same time when I first started checking, and then staggered them starting the next year. Your mileage may vary, but I've found that it is basically the same information from report to report. It is possible that some creditors will only report to certain agencies, but that hasn't been the case for me. I set a reminder on my computer so I remember to get a copy when it is time.

    One note, at least one of the agencies (don't recall which) is quite militant about only giving a report once a year. So if you get a report on November 23 this year and try to get a report from that agency on November 22 next year, they will tell you that you are only entitled to one free report each year. So over time, the date I am able to obtain reports has drifted slightly.

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    • #3
      Staggering them like skydiving said is probably the best since then you can check for free throughout the year.

      Just so you know though, they'll give the report for free but if you want a credit score number, you have to pay for that. Typically $4-8 I think depending on the company.
      The easiest thing of all is to deceive one's self; for what a man wishes, he generally believes to be true.
      - Demosthenes

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      • #4
        Originally posted by kv968 View Post
        Staggering them like skydiving said is probably the best since then you can check for free throughout the year.

        Just so you know though, they'll give the report for free but if you want a credit score number, you have to pay for that. Typically $4-8 I think depending on the company.
        I agree as well. Good to stagger it throughout the year, but good to check all of them as each one can have different information on it, so it is good to confirm all details from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion periodically.

        As KV said, most people don't realize the free credit report doesn't include a free copy of the score.

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        • #5
          I am not trying to spam for CreditKarma but I just found them and they seem to be legit. They offer a lot of information in a simplified form with a breakdown on why your score is what it is (in my case I dropped from a FICO over 800 to mid- 700s because of debt ratios. So I am working on getting my debt down (as we all should) and raising my limit so my debt is a smaller fraction of available credit. My credit card has been retired for a while now.
          I YQ YQ R

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          • #6
            I'd say go for the cheapest...we're on a money saving website after all!

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            • #7
              Cheapest isn't an issue when going to www.annualcreditreport.com since all three credit bureaus' reports are free once per year.

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              • #8
                If you're married, I suggest you use your information on month 1 and do Agency 1. Use your spouse's information on month 3 and do Agency 2. Use your information on month 5 and do Agency 3. Use your spouse's information on month 7 and do Agency 1 again, et cetera. To see this in a different format:

                You: month 1/Agency 1; month 5/Agency 3, month 9/Agency 2
                Spouse: month 3/Agency 2; month 7/Agency 1; month 11/Agency 3

                As most couples have their files "married" this should give you all three reports (more or less) every six months, and each of you will get reports every four months. This is how my wife and I check ours.

                I am also on CreditKarma as well as Credit Sesame. The information on these sites is a bit different, but you get a "Fako" credit score, which I just put into Excel for tracking purposes. (Yes, I know the sites have a graph, but I like to have raw numbers to work from). Note: "Fako" is the cute name for the "not truly a FICO" credit score they give you.

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