How Can You be Eligible for a Free Credit Report?

Viewing your credit report should be done regularly to aid you in maintaining a good credit score, repairing a poor or bad credit score, ot detecting potentially fraudulent credit activities under your name. For these reasons, the government has realized the importance of consumers viewing their own credit reports and thereby enacted a law allowing anyone to request for a copy of their credit report. This lead to the establishment of the Fair Credit Reporting Act that entitles each American to one free credit report in a 12-month period from any or all of the three major credit bureaus.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act together with the Federal Trade Commission regulates the annual free credit report for every individual. The act enabled the three major credit bureaus -Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion- to establish the Annual Credit Report Request Service.

Annual Credit Report Request Service

You can request for yearly free credit report through this service in three ways: online, through mail, or through telephone.

For the online method, the Annual Credit Report Request Service operates http://www.AnnualCreditReport.com, which is the online website that serves individuals who wish to avail of their yearly free credit report.

For the mail method, you can download or print the annual credit report request form from the website, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/resources/forms/requestformfinal.pdf. If you do not wish to get the request form online, you can opt to visit any Federal Trade Commission office and request for a form there.

Once you receive the form, you can fill it up with the required details mentioned in the form and send them to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-521. Make sure you review and double-check all details you have given.

For the telephone method, you can call the Annual Credit Report Request Service number at 1-877-322-8228.

Number of Requests You Can Make

Through the Annual Credit Report Request Service, you are only entitled a free credit report from each credit bureau in one year. However, this does not mean you can only make one request yearly. In fact, it is recommended that you make 3 requests each year - one for each credit bureau.

Other Eligibility Factors

If you have already used up the annual free credit reports from each credit bureau within the last 12 months, you can still avail of your free credit report if you meet the following criteria:

• You have experienced the following within the last 60 days:
• Your credit was denied - this includes your credit application or your current credit account.
• Your insurance was denied - this includes your insurance application or your current insurance policy.
• Your employment was denied - this includes your employment application or your current employment.
• Your government license or government benefit was denied
• Your other transactions or accounts were denied - this includes your utility service or application for apartment tenancy.

You are currently under the following circumstances:

• You are currently unemployed and you intend to find work in 60 days
• You receive public welfare assistance
• You think any of your three credit bureau's credit report has discrepancies due to account fraud

You are a resident of the following states:

• Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont.

These are just some criteria that will allow you to request for a free credit report. By doing so, you are given a copy of your credit report which usually costs a significant fee. Furthermore, you are also assured that these conditions will allow you to view your credit report without having any effect on your credit score. Normally, any inquiry on your credit report will lead to a negative effect on your credit report and credit score. Thankfully, websites like https://www.credit.com/ufg/default/id_guard_extra_caution can give you a free copy of your credit score without you having to meet certain conditions.