If you are planning on making a large purchase such as a vehicle or a home, it will be necessary for you to have a credit check. If you are curious as to what your credit score is before making the final decision to purchase, it is possible to access your personal credit score through a free credit report. Knowing your credit score upfront before entering a car dealership will boost your confidence or let you know that you may need to wait on this purchase. If you are not contemplating a large purchase, you may like to access your credit report for your personal use. If you’d like to learn more about the importance of your credit score, check out www.myfico.com.
I checked my credit report and found many credit cards that I no longer used that were still active. In the past, I had applied for multiple credit cards in order to get a certain promotion. For example, by getting a Disney Visa Credit Card, I was able to use it for theme park savings and access to private Disney Meet and Greet Character Locations. There had also been a credit card promotion at the time of our trip, that gave interest free financing on my travel package if I were to pay in advance with my Disney Visa Credit Card. The interest free credit card promotion was more than enough incentive for me to apply for the Disney Visa Credit Card. Now that the trip is over, I have no interest in earning Disney Rewards, so it is time to do away with this credit card like all the rest of my “promotional” credit cards. I’m sure you’ve been tempted by these promotional credit card sign ups in stores such as Old Navy, Sears, Walmart and Victoria Secret where they offer an upfront discount if you apply for their credit card at the time of your purchase.
In the past, when I was finished with one of my promotional credit cards, I had simply cut them up and did not cancel the credit cards. After assessing my credit report, I was able to use the report to call all the inactive credit cards and get them canceled. If you haven’t “updated” your credit report in a while, odds are, that you will find credit cards on there that you don’t even remember applying for. It is also good to know whose credit score is the highest in your household. Sometimes, even though the wife is not employed, her score can be higher than her husband who brings in all the money. In this instance, it may be beneficial to your family if you apply for credit in the wife’s name instead.