An Important Resource - Free Credit Report Online

Whether you are considering filing for bankruptcy or pursuing a bankruptcy alternative, one of the tools that you will probably rely upon is a credit report.

It is possible to get a free credit report online, although many web sites advertising free credit reports are misleading.

Caution:  Many Free Credit Reports Are Not Actually Free

Conduct a quick search for supposed free credit report online services.  Without a doubt, your search results will yield dozens of web sites offering free credit reports that actually aren’t free at all. The sites have tricky wording leading you to believe the credit report is free, when in fact, another service is being offered for free. 

Don’t get discouraged.  You can actually get a free credit report online without any sneaky fees or catches if you know where to look. Well, okay, there’s no such thing as a free lunch and there's usually at least one catch, but on some sites the catch isn’t so bad. One site that you might want to use to get a free credit report online is in fact called "freecreditreportonline.com." This is decent credit report service that is, for the most part, free of charge.

The catch with getting a free credit report online with them is that you have to sign up for membership with an additional service that will eventually cost you a recurring monthly fee.  The first month does not have a fee, and the membership can be canceled at any time. So, assuming you remember to cancel it (write it down on your calendar!), you can get a free credit report online that actually is free of charge. There are a few other sites like ‘freecreditreport.com’ that offer similar arrangements.

Free Credit Report Limitations

When obtaining a free credit report, another thing to be aware of is that a free credit report online is always going to be a very limited report. If you are just curious as to what your credit score is, these reports will be sufficient. However, if you want a detailed record of your credit history, you are going to pay some money. Most Internet sites that offer a free credit report online also offer the more detailed version that becomes available when you sign up with a paid membership to the site.

Conclusion

While it can be a challenge to find a free credit report online that is actually free, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your credit score and well worth the effort. Identity theft and false reporting can be curtailed if you check your credit report on a regular basis.