Checking your annual credit score is a very important thing that most people seem to neglect to do every year. And I am not even sure why? It’s easy to do, and can save you loads of time and money in the long run. If you don’t know where to go, you’ll soon learn 2 places that everyone can go and find out what their credit score is.
1. Your local Credit Bureau:
All the major credit bureaus must give you at least 1 free annual report each year, all you have to do is call them up, or mail/fax in a request and as long as all your info checks out, you can get your report. They usually will not share information over the phone, so expect it to be mailed out.
There is more than 1 agency that has info on you, the biggest are Equifax, and Esperian so make sure you check with each one, as they do not share information with each other, this is a way to better arm yourself with the knowledge of what you do and do not qualify for.
2. Online:
With the advancement of communication over the net, it is quite easy to get your credit score online. These are usually third party companies that do a check on your behalf, so you’ll have to pay for it, even if you haven’t yet gotten your free annual report this year.
You can even have it set up so that it gives you a new report monthly, quarterly, or even just yearly. These are easy ways to keep up to date on your report, just in case there is an error and you need it fixed. It will always be best if it’s fixed right away, instead of being caught off guard later.
Another way you can get it online is if you go directly to the bureau’s website, you can usually purchase some sort of reporting package that will show you various levels of information about you on their reports. This can be done any time of the year, and usually comes with some sort of fee, it varies from agency to agency, and what level of report you want.
There you have it, 2 main places to check for your annual credit score, the credit agency, or online. Either way is acceptable, and you should get the same info for either place. Just remember, you always get 1 free report each year from EACH agency, take advantage of that, and you’ll save yourself a lot of grief in the long run.