Reader Question: Why do I Need a Credit Card for a Free Credit Report Order?

This is a pretty common question that we get at CreditBloggers.com. It can be hard to sort through the myriad of free, supposedly free and not really free credit report offers out there. Reader, Lela T, asked last week:

With free credit report and score offers, why do you need a credit card number to get the score?

Lela's question could be referring to two different types of free credit report offers. Let's break it down:

Free Credit Report & Score Offers with a 30-Day Trial - These are the offers you see advertised all over television, radio and the internet. Every credit bureau and credit report retailer offers some version of this "free" product. It usually includes one credit report, one credit score and a 30-day trial of a credit monitoring service. These offers always ask for a credit card with the order because they need to be able to bill you if you don't cancel in time. They're misleading, but can be a great deal if you are good at remembering to cancel. You can compare the features and prices of free offers like these in this chart.

Free Credit Report Disclosure - All three credit bureaus are obligated to provide you with a free credit report once every 12 months. They do this online at www.annualcreditreport.com. You don't need a credit card to get your report, but you will need to enter it if you want to add on your credit scores for about $6 each. This system can be complicated so we've created a step-by-step ordering guide complete with screenshots.

So, that is why you are asked for a credit card number in either type of free credit report offer. Don't forget that a credit card isn't necessarily required. Every retailer I've seen allows you to use a debit card instead with your order. TransUnion and TrueCredit even let you pay online by check.

Next question! Send your credit, debt, personal finance and loan questions to our team of credit experts at tidbits@credit.com.