Each year, you are entitled to receive a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus, for FREE! Your credit score is not included in these free credit reports, but there are other ways to get your credit scores for very little or even free.

Free Credit Report

To get your free credit report, go to http://www.annualcreditreport.com and follow the instructions to request your free credit report. The process is very quick and easy. You will have to select the one of the three credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, or Equifax) to receive your credit file disclosure (credit report) from.

I recommend that you only request one credit report at a time, for two reasons. 1) Generally all three credit reports are the same and the same information is the same, and 2) by staggering the requests for credit reports, you can monitor your credit reports throughout the year for free. If you request a credit report from a different bureau every 4 months, you can keep a close watch on your credit history.

Free Credit Score

Getting your credit score (also know as fico score) for free is not as easy, but is still possible. Be wary of websites promising free credit scores, because generally you have to pay for such information. The best way to get your credit score for free is by checking with one of your credit card companies.

Some websites, such as quizzle.com and creditkarma.com offer free credit reports and a score.  I have personally used quizzle, and it does provide your Experian credit report and score.  (Also note, quizzle.com is owned by Quicken Loans).  These sites hope that you will purchase other products while you visit, but you can get your credit score from their sites absolutely free without purchasing anything.

Credit card companies usually have credit managing or credit monitoring services, which frequently have introductory offers for joining and give you the first month free. This will enable you to see your credit report including credit score, for one to all three credit bureaus, depending on the service. Usually these program cost $10-25 per month, but you may cancel at any time. You can also add on your credit score to your free credit report from http://www.annualcreditreport.com for a fee.