There are companies out there that will allow you to view your credit report for a small fee. Just do a search for "credit reporting agency" or "view credit report." You'll get millions of hits. Take your pick, make sure they're reputable and go for it.
I would recommend a Visa card. MasterCards, typically, from experience in the past, must be paid off every month otherwise heavy fees are levied. Visa allows you to "carry" a balance from month to month with little penalty, as long as you're making the minimum payments every month (your credit card statements will tell you what the minimum amount to pay is -- the more debt you have, the higher the minimum).