When I was a little younger and studying in college I needed to take out a loan to buy a car. I applied for a loan with a large, reputable lender and was turned down almost immediately. I'd missed some payments on a credit card a couple of years earlier, and apparently I had a poor credit history. I wanted to know exactly how bad my credit was, so I logged onto the Internet to find out. I was surprised to learn that finding out my credit score wasn't nearly as difficult as I had expected.

I discovered that there are places on the Internet where you can find your credit score quickly. I also discovered that my credit score wasn't just made up of a single number ? it was actually three different credit scores, each compiled by one of the three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. However, I can find all three of these credit scores on the Internet, and use them to assess my own credit. Furthermore, I found a few places where I could get a credit report cheap!

To find my credit score I typed the term ?FICO? into a search engine. FICO is the name of the most widely known scoring system in the US (but not the only one). That search led me to sites such as www.myfico.com and www.fico.com. Using these sites you can buy a copy of your credit report for as little as around $15.

All I had to do to get hold of my cheap credit score report was to enter a few details ? such as my name, address and social security number, and then make my payment. Once I'd done that I had instant access to my credit score. However, if you'd prefer to get a free credit report you can also sign up for a free trial. That way you can get access to your credit score without having to go through the hassle of using your credit card.

Now I can get access to my report whenever I want, so I can keep an eye on my credit score and be informed as soon as it gets better so I can start looking for low interest rate loans and credit cards.