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FREE CREDIT CHECK

John E. Pytte July 5, 2017

Get your credit checked

Your credit report is one of the most important documents in your name, and it’s imperative you check your report regularly. Each of the major credit bureaus allows you one free credit check each year, and the best way to take advantage of this is to check one at a time every three months. You’ll get four free credit checks each year this way, and you’ll be able to monitor your score carefully and accurately as a result. There is much to know about your credit and your credit report, and this information is going to help you stay on top of what’s important.

What Happens If I Don’t Check My Credit?

Nothing good comes from not checking your credit. It’s imperative to do it several times a year, because anything could happen. If you don’t check your credit report using a free credit check application every few months, you’ll end up regretting it. Not checking your report means someone else could steal your identity or other credit information and run up large debts in your name without your knowledge, and in the case of identity theft, time is of the essence. Instead of halting the problem quickly, it cost you thousands. Another problem with not checking your report is failing to detect credit-impacting mistakes. If you’re not regularly having a look, you have no idea if there are mistakes on your report. Mistakes can lower your score and cost you a lot of money in the future. If you always make your payments on time, you might not know someone misreported this information and you have late payments listed on your report. You may also have erroneous entries from someone with a similar name or credit card number. When you apply for your next mortgage, the interest rate might be higher than expected, which could cost you thousands over the years, and it means you’re paying far more than you would if you’d checked your score and fixed any mistakes.

How Do Credit Checks Work?

It’s a simple process. You’re doing nothing but verifying your identity to the credit bureaus, and they give you a copy of your information. You can see what credit accounts you have open right now, accounts you closed or paid off in the past, and even the applications you’ve submitted for additional credit in the past 12 to 24 months. Your payment history, your available credit, and total credit issued are all on your credit report. The report is sent to you immediately online, and it’s detailed down to the very first day you opened a credit account that’s still open.

There is no real difference between the credit report you receive yourself and the report seen by a creditor or landlord. You’ll fill out a rental application, an employment application, or another credit application depending on where you are. This serves as written permission for the creditor, employer, or landlord to check your report. They simply enter your personal information the same way you do, they send the fee to you in most instances, and they see your score.

There are some people who perform a soft credit check, which means they don’t affect your score when they check. They get a general overview of your credit profile with a score to tell them how much you’re actually paying and what you owe, when you’re paying, and whether your payments are on time.

Credit checks are important, and you must perform them yourself. When others do it on your behalf, they might not provide you with the information they receive. When you check your own report, you’re going to see every last detail. Doing this allows you to check for mistakes, to see what you might be missing, and now you have a chance to fix your credit issues, and know what to expect. Georgia Debt Relief is here to help you with your credit questions! If you believe that you are in trouble with your debt and are struggling to stay afloat, contact us! John Pytte and his staff are ready to assist you.