In today's economy it's tough enough getting a car loan or even a new store credit card with excellent credit. If you have a few problems with your past payment history, and you don't know exactly what might be in your file, you might be wondering "How can I get my free credit report" to see what the credit bureaus are reporting about you and your credit history.
However, you need to plan ahead. You don't want to wait till the last minute to find out you won't be driving home in that sleek little black convertible you've been drooling over for the past week.
Recent legislation forces the credit bureaus to provide each consumer from almost every state with the right to receive one free credit report annually. They want you to do this online. However, since it is mailed out, it might take more than two weeks for it to arrive.
Options exist, however. If time is of the essence, you might want to consider registering for a free trial with one of the online companies that provides free credit reports. Considering all you really need to do is to see your credit report and check for misinformation, these free trials are a great option.
If all you want is your credit report, why would you buy a monthly membership? They are hoping the additional services they offer will entice you to stay and continue paying.
Once you see your credit report you can cancel your membership. They don't exactly make it easy to do this, however. Companies that offer this type of membership service while advertising that you can get your free credit report make you use a credit card to sign up. Then when you want to cancel, they never seem to answer the phone or respond to email requests to do that.
If you don't want to continue the membership once you get your credit report, what can you do? Chances are you'll get charged for the next month. If this happens, send supporting documentation to your credit card company explaining what happened. Make certain you send them printouts of the emails you sent to the company along with a screen print of their page that explains their free trial period. Also provide them the confirmation email you received after signing up for the free trial. Most credit card companies are happy to provide you with a credit in these circumstances, especially if the company itself won't do anything for you.
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