Marc T. asked:




It seems to be the normal way of life now days to have everything we want, and have it now. The use of credit cards along with an instant or “buy it now” attitude has millions of us in debt for life. We simply go pick out what ever we “need” now and pay with credit cards. Why not swap those high interest cards for secured credit cards, far safer to use? Secured credit cards have a cash “backup” which means you must have the money on deposit before borrowing it. Like borrowing your own money, they offer a way to buy things that require use of a credit card.

Getting into debt is the easy part

It’s hard for me to imagine not having a debit card with my checking account at the bank. I seldom carry cash because it can be dangerous when living in a big city with a high crime rate. This modern world changes some of those old time values even if we want to maintain them, it’s not easy to do.

Getting out of debt is difficult but doable

After years of prescribing to the “buy now pay later” method which includes living paycheck to paycheck as so many do virtually all of their lives, it is about time to climb out of debt and rebuild that damaged credit rating once and for all. It is an uphill climb to becoming free from debt. The prospect of saving thousands of dollars and eliminating bad credit due to using credit cards much of our life is a goal worth fighting for.

Get a free credit report to see where you stand

We are each entitled to a free copy of our credit rating once each year and that can be done by going to the three reporting companies who are the nationwide information source for our credit report. Don’t be fooled by those places that want you to pay for a report, the legitimate places will not charge you! Go to annual credit report dot com or call 1-877-322-8228 for the honest answers to your request for information.

Pay off the little fishes first before tackling the whales

In order to make the payoff of your debts appear doable it’s advisable to pay off the smallest one first, then the next, and so forth. When you pay off that little one apply the amount you paid on it each month toward what you pay on the next one, as this progresses you will have more and more to add onto your monthly payment for the next bigger debt and it will be paid off that much sooner. Mention was made above about having a debit card that goes with a checking account. That and two secured credit cards are the only plastic cards I carry anymore. After paying off the $20,000 we owed to various creditors we now have enough in our checking and savings accounts to pay cash for that much “needed” new TV or whatever we want. You can do it too!

Calvin

martinho6281 asked:

Credit.AllReviewed.Net – Hey everybody if you’re looking for good credit monitoring and identity theft protection to protect your credit and stop worrying about bod credit, check out the site above. With your package you’ll get an instant credit report free and you’ll be able to fix any problems with your credit report. This will allow you to get much better lending rates from lenders because you’ll be much lower risk to them, and you’ll in turn save a lot of money. Just check it out at the site above and get your credit report and score.

Catherine

Ken Marlborough asked:




Checking your credit report is an efficient tool in battling identity theft. You can order a free credit report once every twelve months from any of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.

All the information available regarding your credit history like your address, transaction profile and any government offenses are listed in the credit report. Consumer companies nationwide sell your credit report to creditors, insurance companies, possible recruitment agencies and other businesses that need to assess your request for, employment, insurance, credit, or renting. That’s why it is helpful to make sure the information on your report is accurate, complete and up-to-date before you apply for a loan.

You can visit a credit report site to get your free report online. Sites can also offer a toll-free number to order their free annual credit reports, or you can download a form and send it to their website.

Consumers can order all three reports at the same time, or they can stagger their requests over a period of a year. Consumers are eligible to order a free credit report any time. They are not required to submit their request within a certain period of time.

Banks will remind you if they are giving you credit at a higher interest based on your credit score and warn you if they have divulged any negative information about you in other credit agencies.

Scrutinizing your own credit report once a year should be a habit that you do frequently, especially with the rise of identity theft related crimes. Be aware of other sites that claim to provide free credit reports and any e-mails that claim to be from a consumer reporting agency. Seeing if it’s free has its own warning sign, so keep this in mind as numerous fraud schemes pop up.

Elizabeth

Christopher Wright asked:




Since late 2004 and early 2005, the three nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – began processing consumers’ requests for free annual credit reports at annualcreditreport(.com).

A credit report contains consumers’ identification information; payment history with different creditors; a list of inquiries made by various financial institutions; and information on the public record, such as foreclosures or bankruptcies. Consumer reporting companies collect and sell this information to lenders and other businesses that have a permissible purpose to obtain it.

The FTC has issued a new consumer education brochure, “Your Access to Free Credit Reports,” that explains why it is important for consumers to monitor their credit history, how to request a report, and how to dispute any errors. The report can be found by searching the FTC’s site for that title.

Keep in mind the source of this information. You can be sure that (when reading this) there won’t be any secrets techniques exposed that would give you an advantage over the bureaus during your credit restoration process. Learning some of these insider tactics requires a different thought process.

By law you are also entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report if you have been denied or turned down for credit. The company you applied for credit through must provide you with the name and contact information of the credit bureau they obtained your information from. You can then contact this credit bureau within 60 days using the information provided to obtain your free credit report. You may be able to fax a copy of your denial letter and get access to your credit files quicker than sending them via snail mail.

Franklin

lkgdse76 asked:

How to get your free credit bureau report and free credit rating report. Allows free credit rating check online, free credit reports instantly as well as credit report and scores.

Christian

Harry J. Andersohn asked:




Ever since consumers started to be aware of their credit score and how it affects everything from your ability to get a loan for a house, to rent an apartment, to buy a car and even to get insurance for that car, the number of sites that are claiming to offer free instant credit reports has been on the rise. But now here’s the issue – many of these sites that say they offer free credit reports really only do that as a front to get you hooked on a list that will allow them to spam you for years with all sorts of offers that you didn’t really agree to accept.

So when you’re looking for truly free credit reports, and you don’t want to wait weeks for them to arrive in the mail, you need to find a site that is legitimate, trustworthy, and can deliver on its promise to instantly show you your report and the score that lenders are using to evaluate your credit worthiness.

Here are some things to look out for…

Is the company behind the free credit report site trustworthy? Admittedly this can be a little bit difficult to evaluate on your own. Still, you should recognize a fly-by-night operation from one that has been established for a long time and that has a long list of satisfied clients.

Look for names you know, and look to see how long they’ve been in business as well as how many customers they’ve served. The best sites will be able to point to thousands of happy customers and several years in business. This can be a good indication of a site that delivers on its promise.

What are the hidden fees? Most sites that offer free credit reports will do so as part of a bundle or package that includes some kind of credit monitoring service. This is fine, and can actually be quite helpful. But what you need to make sure is that if you don’t want this monitoring service that you’ll be able to cancel it before you’re ever charged.

Again, the simple fact that the site offering a free instant credit report also puts you in to a trial for a credit monitoring service shouldn’t automatically disqualify it. As long as you’re offered a grace period during which you can cancel and not pay, this should be fine.

Is the information accurate? Now I’m not talking here about whether or not the information on your credit report is accurate. What I mean is, is the credit report coming from a reputable agency? It does you no good to go with a service that offers an “estimate” of your credit score when it’s not coming from an actual credit reporting agency.

What you need is the information that actual lenders are going to be using when evaluating whether or not they can extend credit. For this, you should be going with a brand name service – one that will offer you a true picture of how lenders see you and your ability to borrow money.

Gladys

Tomas Loden asked:




Can you trust online credit report services? That is the question that consumers are asking today, especially with the hundreds of offers that flood your e-mail in-box promising accurate credit reporting scores with just the click of a mouse.

The good news is that most, if not all of these companies, are legitimate and do in fact provide you the necessary information that is directly related to your credit report and your overall score, which depends on whatever particular credit bureau system the company uses to check your background with.

Free credit report services

Just about every credit report organization will offer you some type of “free” background check of your credit score. While this free report may not entail every detail that you would like to know in terms of your debts, there is some valuable information that can be obtained. However, you should know that these introductory offers are merely just to give you a taste of their product so that you can upgrade to the paid credit reporting services they offer.

Is it safe to submit your personal information for a free credit report service?

If you stick with the most popular credit reporting agencies then you should have absolutely no problem worrying about your personal information being delivered over the Internet such as your Social Security number, driver’s license, etc. This information is typically handled by a secure server and there is little need to worry about the credit form being hacked and stolen by an unauthorized user.

What credit bureaus are checked when using a free credit report service?

Since there are three main credit bureaus that most agencies use to locate and filter your debts and credit score information, this free reporting service may use one of these entities or a combination of all three.

The three national credit reporting organizations used by most businesses is Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Remember, the most accurate scoring for your credit and history can only be obtained by having a combination of all three major credit bureaus. In other words, let’s say for example you sign up with a free reporting service and the information comes back only partially accurate. This means that you would need to upgrade to the paid service in order to get 100% up-to-date credit information.

Is it possible to contact the three national credit reporting agencies on your own, instead of relying on a paid service?

While utilizing a credit reporting service is the most efficient way of compiling your information into one easy-to-read scoring system, you can in fact request your credit history from the three major national credit bureaus. Below is the contact information for Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax:

1. Experian: The phone number is 1-888-397-3742 and Experian will send you your report by mail within seven to ten business days.

2. TransUnion: The contact number for TransUnion is 1-800-916-8800 and in most cases you will receive your credit report within seven business days.

3. Equifax: The phone number is 1-800-685-1111. Equifax is faster than most services and usually sends your credit report out to you within 48 hours.

Franklin

Tena asked:


I have been trying to find a credit reporting site that is actually free. No credit card required but even if the site says free it’s not. They always ask for a credit card.And I don’t have one.

Stacy