If you have ever applied for a car loan, a mortgage, or even a credit card, you know how important it is to maintain a good credit record and a high credit score. One of the best tools at your disposal when cleaning up your credit is your credit report from each of the major credit agencies – Experian, Equifax and Transunion. Each of these three credit bureaus maintains its own separate files on your credit history and generates its own credit report accordingly.
You may have heard of a “three in one” credit report, which is often offered by some independent companies. This type of report combines the three credit reports from Experian, Equifax and Transunion into one document, which is then delivered to you, usually for a fee. The advantage of this type of three in one credit report is that it may be more convenient for you to read one document instead of three separate documents from each credit bureau. However, there are a few reasons why you might prefer to go directly to the three credit bureaus to get the original documents yourself.
First, if you get a 3 in 1 credit report, you may not know which item has been reported to which credit bureau. If you decide to dispute an inaccurate item on your credit report, you must file your dispute with the agency that reported it. Unless the company that sold you the three-in-one credit report provides dispute services – and many don’t – you will need to request information from the credit bureau anyway in order to dispute the item.
Secondly, if you contact the three credit bureaus directly, you are entitled to receive your three credit reports for free. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com and request your three free credit reports online or, if you prefer, call 1-877-322-8228. You may also want to try monitoring your credit score and credit report as well on Go Free Credit.
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