This might be old news for some but for others it might be new. You can get a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus each year. Every twelve months Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion will give you a free credit report. The only downside is that you don’t get your actual score. You only get the report. The report will show you all your open accounts, payment history, and much more. The only thing it won’t tell you is the actual number of your credit score. Beyond using it for bragging rights or knowing where you are on on the credit score scale the number isn’t all that useful.

If you want to monitor your credit you can spread out each report and pull one every four months. By spreading out the time you pull the reports you can see any changes that are out of place. So, in January you’ll get your report from Experian. In May you’ll get it from Equifax. In September you’ll get it from TransUnion. When January comes around again your year waiting period will have passed with Experian and you can apply again. If you want email reminders sent to you try LetterMeLater.com. They will send you emails in the future so you won’t forget.

Please visit www.annualcreditreport.com to get started.