There aren’t crystal balls that will help you determine with 100-percent certainty what a bank or credit card company might say to an application. Still, a free credit report can come close. If you want a decent idea of your chances at receiving low interest rates versus bad credit loans, looking over your own history can reveal a lot.

You have the right to pull your own credit report at no charge at least once a year. This means once from each of the three major credit bureaus. There are also other locations that offer free credit reports, which enable you to get a clear picture of your standing on a more frequent basis.

If you’re tired of not knowing why you only get offers for secured credit cards, bad credit loans or credit cards for bad credit, it’s time to take a peek. When you have a report in hand, you’ll be able to see what lenders see. The information includes:

All outstanding accounts – A credit report will show you exactly what has been reported that you owe and to whom. It will also enable you to see all outstanding balances and the amount of credit allotted to your account. Even if your payment history is excellent on all accounts, having too much credit available in your name versus your income can actually hurt you.

Payment history – You will also be able to see how your payment history has been reported. This is an important area to review for any mistakes. You might, for example, have an account that you paid off a long time ago still showing as unpaid. A few phone calls will probably clear this up, but until they’re made, your credit will suffer.

When you pull free credit reports, you can see what lenders will learn about you. The knowledge can, in turn, be used to help you map out a plan for fixing any issues that appear. Take the right steps and you’ll soon find yourself having to compare credit cards for the sweetest deal.

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