Thanks to a new 5-day Free Trial offer, you can now get a free credit report from SmartCredit.com. In addition to a rundown on your credit history, SmartCredit.com offers you tools for monitoring your credit, such as SMART Credit Report Lock, SMART Alerts and SMART Action Button, which helps you dispute inaccurate items on your report. Your free trial gives you access to these features for 5 days – after that, you’ll be charged $19.95 a month. But if all you want to do is view your credit report, you can cancel within the first 5 days without paying a penny. Here’s how:

1. Visit SmartCredit.com

Click here to sign up for the free trial at SmartCredit.com. You will be prompted to enter your name and e-mail address, as well as your zip code. Click “Start Free Trial” after you have done so.

2. Enter Your Information

Next, you’ll be asked to enter some additional basic personal information. Do so and click “CONTINUE WITH FREE TRIAL.”

3. Enter Your Billing Information

After you click through, you will be presented with additional fields to set up your login information. Enter your desired username and password and click “CONTINUE WITH FREE TRIAL.” Finally, you’ll also be asked to enter your credit card information, but don’t worry. This will only be charged if you fail to cancel within 5 days. They will, however, send a $1.00 authorization through just to make sure that the card information is correct. Before clicking “ACTIVATE FREE TRIAL” make sure you check that you agree to the terms. IMPORTANT: Leave “upgrade to enhanced membership” unchecked. Checking this box will immediately sign you up for the premium membership, thus skipping your free trial.

4. Click “ACTIVATE”

On the next screen, you’ll be given your registration confirmation. Click “ACTIVATE” to activate your membership. Note that you’ll also be asked to add do-not-reply@SmartCredit.com to you spam exceptions. Do so – most e-mail services, such as Gmail, will place messages from SmartCredit.com in your spam filter.

5. Enter your Social Security Number

You’ll next be asked to confirm your personal details again and enter your Social Security number and date of birth. Don’t worry – this information is necessary to retrieve your report and verify your identity. Take comfort in the McAfee Secure and GeoTrust logos at the bottom of the screen. Click “CONTINUE” to go on.

6. Verify Your Identity

Next you’ll be given a little quiz about your credit history. They will ask you questions about previous addresses and accounts you’ve opened. Oftentimes, the answer is “none of the above,” so don’t be thrown when none of the options look familiar. Click “SUBMIT” when you are done.

7. Click “CONTINUE”

The next screen merely tells you that you’ve activated your account. It will also tell you about Credit Report Lock, which alerts you whenever new credit is opened in your account. Sign up for it if you like, but it is not free.

8. Click “VIEW YOUR SMART CREDIT REPORT”

The next screen gives you a tutorial on how to navigate your SMART credit report. The navigation is pretty self explanatory, but if you’d like a rundown, feel free to peruse it here. If you are ready to go on, click “VIEW YOUR SMART CREDIT REPORT.”

9.  View Your SMART Credit Report

Congratulations! You are now viewing your SMART credit report. The first screen is your summary, which gives you an overview of your credit report. You can filter the view using the buttons on top. Or you can simply cycle through the pages in order by clicking the arrow on the right.

10. View Your Credit Score

One feature that isn’t included on most free reports is the Credit Score view. By clicking “Credit Scores” you can see a breakdown of your credit score, your auto score, your insurance score and your employment score.

11. View your Credit Accounts

You can view specific information on your accounts by clicking the name of the creditor at the top. This shows you information such as account status, creditor remarks and your payment history.

12. View Inquiries

This section is also of particular interest. Inquiries show you when companies or lenders pull your credit report. These credit inquiries can affect your score and may be indicative of identity theft, if you do not recognize them.

There you have it – a free credit report and credit score! Don’t forget to cancel your account within the 5 day period or you’ll be charged.

Instant Free SMART Credit Report

Photo by me and the sysop

Related posts:

1. Guide to Getting Your Free Credit Report from GoFreeCredit.com
2. A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Your (Actually) Free Credit Report without Accidentally Signing Up For Extras: Part Three Equifax
3. A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Your (Actually) Free Credit Report without Accidentally Signing Up For Extras: Part Two – Experian
4. A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Your (Actually) Free Credit Report without Accidentally Signing Up For Extras: Part One – TransUnion
5. TrueCredit – Free TransUnion Credit Monitoring