What’s the best site to get a free credit report?
The best site to get a free credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com.
This website is supported by government agencies and authorized by Federal law to provide you with free credit reports on a regular basis.
Not only is AnnualCreditReport.com free to use and secured through advanced encryption technology, but this site lets you get a copy of each of your credit reports from the major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
While there were once stricter limits on how often a consumer could use this site to get a free copy of their credit reports, AnnualCreditReport.com has allowed weekly access with all three credit bureaus since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Text Tip: While you can get a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com, this website doesn’t let you take a look at whether you have a good or bad credit score. If you want to see your actual credit score, which is an important factor that represents your overall financial health, you should check your credit score out on sites like Credit Sesame, Credit Karma, Capital One CreditWise, and Chase Credit Journey.
The AnnualCreditReport.com website is secured through encryption. This means you can safely and securely get a free report from each of the credit bureaus through this website, which you can opt to save on your computer, print at home, or receive in the regular mail.
Also keep in mind that, when it comes to your credit reports from the three credit reporting agencies, you have rights through the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
For example, the FCRA gives you the legal right to:
- Be informed if information in your credit file is used against you
- Request a copy of your credit reports
- Ask for a credit score
- Dispute information that is incomplete or inaccurate
- Have false or unverifiable information deleted from your credit reports
- Not have any outdated information on your credit file
- Keep your credit profile private other than for those with a valid need
- Approve any inquiries into your credit history from employers
- Place a security freeze on any of your credit reports
- Seek damages from violators
Important: While AnnualCreditReport.com is a safe and secure portal for getting a free credit report, you should note that individual credit bureaus have the right to sell your data for promotional purposes. You can opt out of receiving prescreened credit offers by calling 1-888-567-8688.
Do other places offer free credit reports?
There are some other sources you can use to get a free credit report, including your bank. However, some “free credit reports” aren’t actually free, and you have to be careful to avoid using websites that might aim to steal your identity or cause you financial harm.
The AnnualCreditReport.com website even says the following:
“Don’t be fooled by look-alike sites. You can be sure that you are on the right site if you type www.AnnualCreditReport.com in your browser address line. Don’t come to this site by clicking on a link in another site or in an email.”
How to get a free credit report
If you want to get a free TransUnion credit report or a similar report from Experian or Equifax, there are a handful of steps you can take to expedite the process.
Head directly to the AnnualCreditReport.com website to start the process. You can also verify you’re using the right website by clicking through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website first.
Keep in mind that you can access your credit reports from all three credit bureaus once per week for free. This means you can get a report from all three bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — every time, or you can just access them one at a time over the course of a year.
2. Decide how you want to receive your report
Determine how exactly you want to receive your credit reports, and note that you have a few different options at your disposal:
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Online: You can fill out the required details to receive your credit reports online and at home.
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Phone: You can speak with a representative by calling (877) 322-8228.
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Mail: You can also download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request form and then mail it to the following address: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
Prepare yourself to offer a range of personal information about your identity, including your full name, date of birth, mailing address, Social Security number (SSN), current address, and previous addresses.
4. Answer security questions
AnnualCreditReport.com will also ask you some very detailed security questions in order to verify your identity. These questions can be on nearly any type of information that pertains to your past, from a school you once attended to a car you drove.
5. View your credit reports
Once you answer all the required questions to verify who you are, you can view your credit reports online or receive them in the mail. Once you have access to this information, you should take the time to read over your credit reports with all three bureaus from beginning to end.
Make sure to check for common credit reporting errors, which could include incorrect balances, incorrect payment information, or credit accounts listed more than once.
If you notice credit accounts on your reports that are not yours, they could easily be an early sign of identity theft.
In any case, you’ll want to take steps to dispute any false information on your credit reports so the credit bureaus can remove it and update your file.
Are all credit reports free?
While other websites and even the credit bureaus themselves make it possible to see your credit reports for free, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says you should “be cautious” of websites that claim to offer free reports from the national bureaus.
“Some of these websites will only give you a free report if you buy other products or services,” they write. Not only that, but other websites “give you a free report and then bill you for services you have to cancel.”
Text Tip: While each consumer could normally get a free credit report once per year, AnnualCreditReport.com has let consumers access weekly free reports since the beginning of the pandemic, and will continue to until December of 2023.
Should I pay for a credit report?
Since AnnualCreditReport.com is offering free credit reports on a weekly basis, there’s no reason to pay for this information. The fact is, you can get your Experian credit report, as well as your Equifax and TransUnion reports, without paying a dime.
Are free credit reports the same as the ones lenders use?
The good news about the credit reports you get through AnnualCreditReport.com is that they list the exact same information a lender or creditor sees if they check your credit.
This means you have the option to see all your information laid bare, including all credit accounts you have, all balances you owe, your payment history, and more.
Should I get all my free credit reports at once?
Because each of your reports can list different information, it’s crucial to check them from each of the credit reporting agencies throughout the year.
You can opt to check all of them at once just to make sure nothing seems “off,” but you can also check one of your reports every few weeks or months in order to find errors quickly.
How often should I check my credit reports?
At the bare minimum, you should check your credit reports once every quarter or every three months. This is often enough that you should be able to fix reporting errors or spot early signs of fraud before they make a significant impact.
Which free credit report is best to request?
If you’re wondering which credit reporting company you should get a report from first, that really depends on your individual circumstances.
For example, you could easily have more reporting on one of your reports than the others, and it all depends on which credit bureau lenders and other creditors you have worked with.
Ultimately, this is why you need to check your report with each credit reporting company throughout the year. Checking your credit reports results in a soft pull on your credit history, but does not hurt or raise your credit score.
The information can be slightly different on each one, and all of your reports are equally vulnerable to errors.
Tips for safely getting a free credit report online
Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), each consumer is legally entitled to receive a free copy of their credit reports.
The tips below can make this process as safe and convenient as possible:
- Use the AnnualCreditReport.com website to get a free report.
- You can verify you’re using the right website by clicking through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website first.
- Only enter your personal information, including your date of birth and Social Security number, on a secure internet connection.
- If you print your credit reports for safekeeping, put them in a place where no one can access them.
- Add passwords and multi-factor authentication to your computer and other devices so no one can access your credit reports or other sensitive data.