I’m sure you’re familiar with the odd commercials done by FreeCreditReport.com, I try to resist the urge to watch them because they are so annoying, but yet, they are entertaining. What’s not completely apparent is that the free credit report isn’t entirely free. I wouldn’t call it false advertising, but it is just a tad misleading. The commercials are powered by Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, and while you do receive a free credit report, do be careful about the strings attached to the offer.

Requesting the free credit report through FreeCreditReport.com actually enrolls you in their Triple Advantage Credit Monitoring program. If you don’t request to cancel your free 7-day trial membership, you will be billed $14.95 for each month that you continue in the program. Their monitoring program watches the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) for any key changes that occur in your credit, while allowing you unfettered access to your Experian credit report any time you want.

Save yourself $15 every month and do the monitoring yourself. The federal government allows by law a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus each year at http://annualcreditreport.com. You can spread these three reports out through the year. You can do it yourself! Monitor your credit yourself and don’t fall for the sales pitches.