Checking Your Credit Report Online

Debt plays much too big of a role in the life of average American people. Dealing with out finances and staying out of debt seems to be a big issue today. The best place to begin with debt is by keeping your credit history clean making sure everything is in order. Checking your credit report online is one way to keep tabs on it.

Your credit report is compiled by an agency. They use the information from your past and present conditions to determine what type of credit score you should have. If you have had problems with credit or have ever filed bankruptcy your credit score will be very low. If you have kept a clean credit history and have made on time payments to your creditors you should have a fairly good score. Whatever your credit history and score are, you are entitled to know. It used to be that you would have to call and wait ages for your credit report to come in the mail. Today however, there are much faster ways of getting your credit report; using the internet is one of those ways.

You might be asking yourself “why does a credit report really matter?” Well, I suppose if you have $200,000 to pay outright for a house, or $25,000 to buy a car with then your credit history might not matter. But let’s be realistic; there are very few of us that can actually do this (although it would be nice). Your credit history has a major impact on your future and an individual’s ability to own or rent (yes I said rent) a home, buying a car, or taking out any type of loan. It’s important to know what your score is because the higher the score the more you usually qualify for. You may think you have good credit and come to find out after checking with the credit bureaus it’s not as good as you think. If you keep regular tabs on it you are more likely to be able to fix a problem if by chance it should occur.

The FRCA or Fair credit reporting act was first passed in 1971 and gave all citizens the right to view their credit report from all of the major credit bureaus. It was recently updated and amended in 1977 to say that it was a law violation if anyone obtained a copy of someone’s credit report without prior permission.

Now thanks to technology we can obtain those credit reports online with the access of a computer and the internet. Depending on what the service is you may be charged or it may be free; it is different depending on the website that is providing the service. Most credit agencies change an annual fee of $30. With the ability to print your credit report from the internet you no longer have to wait days to receive it. All you have to do is download it and print it out. It’s that simple.

While printing credit reports online is convenient and fast, there are also some disadvantages to it. Unfortunately there are many scammers that are looking to make a quick buck on anyone they can sell to. Many of the websites out there today are doing just that. Here’s how they work; they take all your credit information, card details with the notion that you will be signed up soon to be receiving your credit report. Then you’ll notice the charges on your credit card; ones that you haven’t ever made. Try to stay away from those websites as best as you can. Stick to signing up for services from the leading credit bureaus; Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Make sure that the online credit report is correct and if there are false claims or things you do not recognize then call the credit bureaus immediately.