How to Get Free Credit Scores

How to get free credit scores! You have probably seen the commercials "Free Credit Report Dot Com" with the guys singing the catchy little tune. What they do not tell you is after the first month they will start to charge you. If you are looking for your once a year free credit scores, this is how to get them. I will also include some tips on improving your score.

Instructions

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Before you head to the website to get your free credit scores, be advised they will ask questions about family members, or people whom you are associated with or have been, sometimes they will even ask questions and you will not know any of the people or businesses listed, answer honestly "I am not familiar with any of these" etc. You might want to think about previous addresses you have lived at, get the address, and zip codes, as they use these questions along with your social security number to verify you are who you say you are.

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Now that you know what sort of questions they will be asking, and you are prepared, head on over to http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ to get your free credit scores. You will want to select all 3 credit bureaus (Equifax, Transunion, and Experian). They will have options that you can purchase, unless you really think you need them, do not choose any options, you are looking to get free creit scores. Just follow the step by step directions, that's all there is to it, you now have your free credit scores.

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Here are some tips on how to improve your credit scores.
1. Report any wrong information on your credit report immediately to the reporting credit bureau.
2. Set up your bank online so you can pay bills quickly and easily
3. Pay your bills on time each month, use a spreadsheet to keep track of due dates and due amounts, then each month as you pay the bills put the amount paid under the month it was paid. That way you know what bills you have paid and have not paid for that month, and know the due date you need to have it paid.
4. Top priority over high interest credit cards is paying down cards that have a balance higher than 50% of max allowed. So if you have a $300 dollar card that has a $200 dollar balance, get that below $150 dollars as fast as possible. Credit accounts that have higher than 50% of allowed credit used have a negative impact on your credit score. You might pay a little more in interest on higher interest cards over some time, however negative credit scores can impact many other things that effect how much you pay, like car insurance.
5. Once you have balances below the 50% threshold, you will want to take out the highest interest rate with the smallest balance. This will help give you the sense of accomplishment, and allow you to then put those funds to use on the next biggest balance.
6. If balances are paid, and you are trying to build your credit score and history, use your cards, just pay them off monthly, best yet is just pay the balance as soon as it shows up on the account.

Remember there is no magic bullet to give you an instant excellent credit score, nor one to remove bad credit. Obtaining a good to excellent credit score takes time, 2 to 3 years if there is nothing negative showing on your current report. If you have negative items on your report it will take longer and more effort on your part. That being said, you can dig out and go from a bad score to good/excellent in 3 to 5 years, I know because I did. Hope this helps, and always remember your personal credit scores are nothing to joke about, they effect you in so many ways.