You can get access to your credit report in many different ways. A lot of the ways are simpler than others, but no matter how difficult it is you need to realize that it is necessary, if you want to stay on top of your credit, to check your credit score at least once a year. There are a multitude of different websites online that offer free credit reports, but by and large they only provide these reports for a short period of time. If you are looking at wanting unlimited access to viewing your credit report no matter what time of day or night it is, there are some subscription-based websites that will allow you to purchase access to that.
Services that require a monthly membership fee may offer more that just a simple credit report. The number of bells and whistles the provider offers will determine the amount of your monthly fee. Many sites offer email notification of any activity on your credit report. This can be a great feature considering that identity theft is on the rise. It will allow you to monitor any new credit activity to make sure you are always aware of what is going on.
It is vitally import in to check your credit report periodically and you really need to start taking it seriously. When you review your credit report on a yearly basis you are able to see whether or not the activity that has happened on it was authorized by you. If you come across activity that wasn't authorized by you and then you can move forward with steps to get those problems corrected. If you never ever monitor your credit report it can have devastating consequences, especially if you ever become a victim of identity theft. You don't ever want to find yourself in a position where you are a victim of identity theft because in some cases depending on the severity, it can take many years to rectify the problem.
Normally your bank or credit union is going to provide you with a free credit report when you request one once a year. Most banks will supply this to you free of charge. If you apply for a loan during that time frame, normally they will give you a copy of your credit report at that time to. Not all financial institutions are created equally though, so you need to make sure about their policies.
Whenever you apply for service and are denied because of your credit score, this entitles you to a free copy of your credit report from the company that provided the information that caused you to be denied. For instance; if you have ever applied for a credit card or a cell phone account and were refused because of your credit score, you received a letter. The purpose of this letter was to tell you the reason you were denied and allow you to the option of requesting a copy of your report for free. Most often, you will have to make the request in writing, but the instructions to receive your report are included with the letter.
It is vitally important that you make sure to keep track of your credit score can view your credit report regularly. No one else is going to do this service for you and when you do want to check that you're going to have to make a specific request to do so. Even though there are a lot of different ways you can receive your report, the fastest and most convenient ways are usually the highest priced. One thing you can be sure of though, is if you continue to monitor your history the chances of you becoming a victim of identity theft are greatly diminished.
