Security Freeze on My Credit Report Thwarted My Free Credit Check

Some time in early November, I took a 0% credit card offer to work. Mindlessly, I either misplaced the offer or I threw it away without shredding it. I became concerned enough that I placed an initial 90 day fraud alert on my credit report.

All good, but when I tried checking my free credit report from www.annualcreditreport.com this morning, I was thwarted.

I now have to fill in a written form, include a copy of an i.d. that shows my mailing address, and submit via snail mail. I'll also have to wait to receive a copy of my credit report via snail mail as well.

Sigh... I guess the price of security is convenience.

I think I'll wait to order my free credit report since I want to purchase my FICO score at the same time. According to this MSN Money article, the newly revamped FICO 08 won't be available until next year anyways:

TransUnion will offer the new score to lenders starting in late January, with Equifax introducing it in the spring, said Craig Watts, a Fair Isaac spokesman. (Experian, the third bureau, hasn't yet announced when it will offer the score.)

While I'm on the topic of free credit reports, did you know as a member of AAA, you can get free credit monitoring service? (Note: I'm not sure if this benefit is limited to Southern California AAA members only. Please check with your local branch of AAA to verify.)

As a AAA member, you can enroll in Experian's CreditCheckSelect for free and get:

• One free online Experian Credit Report;


• Free daily credit report monitoring;


• Free email alerts;


• Free fraud resolution support.

You'll need to go AAA's website to enroll. Also note that the fine print says that after you enroll, if for any reason you decide to cancel your CreditCheck Select benefit, you may not re-enroll in this free benefit at a later date. And of course, the benefit is subject to change or termination at any time without notice. (There's never a free lunch.)