How to Get Your Beacon Score for Free
It's harder to get your Equifax beacon score for free than to get a free credit report. "Beacon" is the proprietary name for Equifax's credit score and is calculated based on information in your credit report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires Equifax, Experian and TransUnion--the three nationwide consumer reporting companies--to provide you a free credit report once every twelve months; however, your Equifax credit report does not contain your beacon score. Typically, you have to pay Equifax a $15.95 fee to obtain your credit score. However, if you sign up on Equifax's website for a free credit monitoring trial subscription or have applied for a car or home loan with a lender that orders a credit report and score from Equifax, you can obtain your beacon score for free.
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Instructions
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Visit Equifax's website and sign up for Equifax's free trial credit monitoring service. Enter your name, gender, current street address, whether you have lived at your current address more than six months, Social Security number, date of birth and phone number.
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Create an Equifax account after entering your personal information. Enter your email address, create a user name and password and choose a security question and answer. Enter your credit card information for billing after the 30-day trial period. You will not be billed until after the expiration of the trial period, but you must enter your payment information before receiving the trial subscription. Once your credit card and personal information are processed, you will have immediate access to your beacon score online.
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Cancel your subscription before the 30-day trial period expires. Log into the Equifax Member Center with your user name and password and contact customer service to cancel. If you don't cancel your subscription within the initial 30-day period, Equifax will bill your credit card a monthly fee of $14.95 to $16.95, as of January 2011.
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Ask your lender for a copy of your credit report and score if you are applying for a home mortgage or car loan. Because lenders use different credit bureaus and reporting services, your lender might order your credit report and score from Experian or TransUnion. If your lender orders a report from Equifax, you are entitled to a free copy of the report and your beacon score. Typically, you can make a verbal request to your loan representative. If the lender asks for a written request, ask where and to whom to send it and mail your written request. Include your full name and loan number in the letter.
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