So, as mentioned in another thread elsewhere that I posted, I realized recently (don’t know why this didn’t sink in before) that the address on my credit report is different than that of my main home mailing address.
This is because most of my current credit history comes from a credit card whose bills (due to circumstances I won’t go into now) go to an address in another state. I don’t expect this to change anytime soon.
So which address SHOULD be on my credit report: the one I’m living at, or the one the bill goes to? If I change it to my living address, will the continual mailing of the bills to the other address cause it to change back again? (Any non-credit card mail that goes to that other address can and will get to me eventually.)
I have no idea what the implications are for having the billing address in another state, but I have a PO Box for my billing address and use that for virtually everything so that’s what’s on my credit report too. In fact I don’t even think they have my current street address in my credit monitoring service and no one seems to mind. Of course it’s not like I’m planning on taking out any loans or anything so I’m not really worried if would be an issue.
Like deltasigma, I also live in a different P. O. Box than my mailing address. Never been a problem so far.
How does your credit report get an address different from your address? I mean, doesn’t it by definition get mailed to whatever address is on your credit report, that being the address on the envelope? Or are your talking about the list of known addresses that’s buried on one of the inner pages of the report?
I mean, the address that I need to enter to establish proof of identity. Apparently, it’s the “main” address in the credit companies’ minds, because that’s where the credit card bill gets mailed.
What do you mean by proof of ID. I have my PO Box on my driver’s license as well, but in your case I have to believe it should be your state of residence. The thing is that a) that may not in fact be the case and b) what counts as ‘residence’ might be tricky and might even be different for different purposes.
One’s permanent address, defined by that where you’ve been lodging for the most part in the last 3 years (definitions can change among banks.) This can be either owned, mortgaged, or rented. Not valid is where you work, or where you simply choose to have your mail sent (for whatever reason.)
The reason for the above is simply to make eventual collection easier. Banks that accept your place of work or mailing address are lax. Some even require one’s parents’ address, or the clan homestead, which is a likely recourse when vacating one’s permanent home.
I meant, I gave my SSN and address as part of the “identity check” process to the credit agencies. I believe one reason it was failing to acknowledge me as me is because I was entering, at first, my actual residence instead of where the credit card bill went.
ETA: Relevant, because all the agencies, of course, have a process by which I can send proof to get the address changed. But as I said in my OP, is there any risk that it’ll switch right back to the mailing address for the bill?
In my bank it’s simple: bill notices not sent to one’s permanent address are not valid. That’s the only reason for billing statement samples: further proof of one’s permanent residence.
Never been a problem so far.