Comments on: Your Take: How Often Do You Check Your Credit Score?

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:30:42 +0000

annualcreditreport.com

By: Aroon

Aroon — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:09:20 +0000

where do you subscribe to get the annual free credit report?

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:09:24 +0000

(Long delay) Thank you for the reply.

By: Meg

Meg — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:33:00 +0000

I check mine with each bureau once a year via annualcreditreport.com. I stagger it so that I check one report every 4 months. It costs $5 or so to get the score, but getting the report is free (every consumer is legally entitled to one free credit report a year from each credit bureau, as I’m sure most of you know).

By: Millie

Millie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:38:50 +0000

I check my CreditKarma score once per month. I also use annualcreditreport.com every six months (always have problems pulling the free Experian report, otherwise I’d be on the every four months plan).

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:27:27 +0000

a) No it won’t, b) No, it’s a soft pull.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:40:33 +0000

If Credit Karma is using your TransUnion report, does it a) affect your ability to receive one free report per year, or b) affect your very own credit score (soft pull only?)

Thanks, this is the first time I have heard of Credit Karma.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:45:22 +0000

What are the guidelines for determining poor, good, average, or high credit scores? I just signed up for CreditKarma to find out what my credit score is. I don’t plan on getting a loan, but my house and vehicle insurance just came up for renewal and I know that they use the credit score to determine what my rates will be.

By: Lucy

Lucy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:10:56 +0000

I was able to jump on one of those Experian free credit monitoring offers a few months ago. So I pretty much pull my credit report every month or so.

By: paystolivegreen

paystolivegreen — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:12:48 +0000

I just check my credit report on regular intervals throughout the year. I don’t see much of a point my score as long as everything looks good on my report.

By: TStrump

TStrump — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:16:16 +0000

I check mine at least once per year.
You can never be too careful.

By: Hogan

Hogan — Sat, 30 May 2009 14:28:37 +0000

I have never checked my FICO score nor do I hear the professionals I work with or friends ever talk about their FICO score and I am very intereste in PF. Must be a coastal thing because housing is cheaper here in the Midwest and everything used to be more expensive on the coasts which requires larger loans.

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:56:17 +0000

I check it quarterly or more frequently if I am trying to get an error removed.

By: hustler

hustler — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:50:41 +0000

Your credit score can be used to determine your house and car insurance premiums. Even if you don’t plan on using any credit, it is still important to take care of your credit score. Retired people with a limited income (and everyone else) could really benefit from lower house and life insurance premiums.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:02:10 +0000

I am with you on this one. I check our reports about once a year. Beyond that, our credit is frozen and I plan on not thawing it (that’s the goal anyway).

I am in agreement that the credit scores are abused. I think the use of them for insurance and other indicators is overboard. But it is used because in the end it works.

I recently wrote a blog entry on ways to reduce our reliance on the credit bureaus and scores. But of course a big part of it requires a national shift toward less debt. But if we as individuals rely less on credit, eventually it will become difficult for businesses that use credit scores to ignore and “punish” the debt free population. That’s my theory anyway