A friend of mine asked if she could really get a free credit report. I sensed the embarrassment in her voice. But it’s a great question. Yes, you can get a free credit report! And I mean completely free without any strings attached.

I don’t blame her for doubting it. Every time you turn around companies are telling you about free stuff.

Like you’ll get a free $20 gift card (BIG PRINT) when you purchase a $100 gift card (small print). Or how about Free Shipping (you’d better read the fine print because it’s only when you spend $99 or more)?

You see more “when you” attached to free offers than ever.

And there are a lot of companies out there pitching you a free credit report. Once you try to get it, there’s a catch. They may require you to sign up for some type of credit monitoring service that you never even wanted. In this scenario, you’ll have to give them your credit/debit card, so they can charge you every month for monitoring (when you forget to cancel).

That’s exactly why my friend told me she pays for her credit report. She doesn’t want to deal with any antics that come along with those so-called “free credit report” offers.

The good news is that — friends don’t let friends pay for a credit report that they can get for FREE. Without any strings attached. Just keep on reading my friend.

Get Your Free Credit Report:

By law you’re entitled to get a free copy of your credit report from each credit reporting company (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) every 12 months. Ideally, you want to check your credit report at least once a year.

Check out my blog post “Pull your credit for FREE in 5 minutes or less”. And I’ll show you how to get your free credit report step-by-step.

It doesn’t take long. If you’re not convinced it’s worth the time. Check out my video Uncover the Truth: 5 Reasons to Check Your Credit Report.

Need Your Credit Score:

Credit scores are not free. For real! You usually have to pay for your credit score. Credit reporting companies typically charge around $15. If you want to get your score from each reporting company it could cost you $45.

Beware of any company that offers you a free credit score. Because it’s not free when you have to pay a monthly fee for credit monitoring services just to get your free credit score. If you’re not careful you could find yourself paying every month for that ‘free credit score’.

A cheaper way to get your credit score is to ask for it when the lender pulls your credit report.

Have you ever gotten a free copy of your credit report? Please share your experience.