Annual Free Credit Report

Q: I read your article about repairing bad credit and to get all three credit reports free.

I went out to one of the sites that was listed near your story and that is not free! One has to sign up for their site starting at $1.00 charged on a credit card and if not cancelled within 30 days will be automatically charged $19.95 a month.

To me this is not free. I did sign up but then nothing I put in was accepted so now I have wait on some sort of code they will send me through the mail. I could have contacted the 3 credit companies on my own and only spent about $15.00.

I think you led everyone a bit astray on your information. Sounded good but was not.

Q: As I write regularly, the only place to get your credit report is to go to www.annualcreditreport.com. You'll have to pay around $7 for your credit score, if you want it.

There's a lot of confusion in the marketplace about all the other sites that claim to provide free credit information. But, none of them are actually free, as you've discovered. They all ask for a credit card number.

Here’s the bottom line: If you get asked for a credit card number, your report isn't free. End of story.

AnnualCreditReport.com doesn't ask for a credit card number. It is co-sponsored by the 3 credit reporting bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You are entitled to get one credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus for free each year. Try it.

As a final note, sometimes my columns appear on different web sites and there may be advertising placed next to the columns. If you go to any other site than www.annualcreditreport.com, you will probably be charged for your credit history. Please don’t make this mistake.

NOTE: Ilyce R. Glink's latest ebooks are "Credit Scoring Secrets" and "How to Find a Great Real Estate Agent," which are available at her website, www.thinkglink.com.If you have questions, you can call her radio show toll-free (800-972-8255) any Sunday, from 11a-1p EST. You can also write to Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, IL 60022 or contact her through her website, www.thinkglink.com © 2007 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Tribune Media Services