Photograph Credit: Flickr (Dan Eriksson)
Having missed the July date I scheduled during the Planning for Success series, I ordered our credit reports upon returning from our family vacation. Since I order our reports over the phone, I wanted to use our home phone for security verification.
We are still receiving monthly updates from our year of free monitoring (thanks to the SC Department of Revenue’s Security breech).
Though I get an e-mail listing any activity, I still request a copy of credit reports to stay on schedule and look over all the activity on our accounts.
If you are following my recommended schedule for requesting your credit reports or are just beginning, then check the date on your previous year’s credit report before requesting a new report.
Wait at least one full year from the processing of your last request for a free report to prevent incurring a fee. For example, my Experian report printed on July 27, 2012, so I can request another this year for FREE anytime after July 28, 2013.
In using time wisely, I request our reports every 4 (or 5) months. For this second credit report update, I requested Paul’s Equifax report and my Experian report. When the reports arrive, I will follow this plan:
3. Run a FREE Experian credit score for Tracy,
4. Replace last year’s reports with the new reports and credit score in the first file slot of Box 1 of my important documents, and
5. Put file box away until October’s credit check.
The first time we ordered our credit reports, they were filled with errors from wrong information to incorrect credit limits. I spent months corresponding via mail and on-line forms getting the information corrected.
It took time. But in using time wisely then, I typically spend 5 minutes or less now reviewing our credit reports. The process is simple because I spent so much time getting it right the first time.
The lesson I learned from that experience was to fix errors as soon as possible. The longer you wait the more time and research it takes the company to fix it. Nipping inaccuracies early will save you frustrations later.
Keep using time wisely. Rest easy knowing your accounts are accurate by requesting your credit reports throughout the year. Finding an error early can save you money, energy, and time. Happy checking!
Question: How often do you request your annual credit reports?