How to Obtain a Free Copy of Your Credit Report Online
You are not alone in your confusion. We get this question often, and we are always happy to help. Yours is really a two-part question. So let's start by answering your last question first.
1. How can you obtain your free credit report online?
There are three credit reporting agencies that maintain data on consumers within the United States. They do not share data between them, so you actually have three separate reports (one each from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). Thus, when you obtain your credit reports online, you'll need to obtain all three of them to see the full picture.
By federal law, you are entitled to one free report per year, for all three of the companies mentioned above. Fortunately, you don't have to submit a request three times. You can obtain all three of your credit reports from one website -- AnnualCreditReport.com. This website is owned by the three reporting agencies, and it's the only site endorsed by the federal government. You can do this once a year for free, in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
So that answers the latter part of your question (how to obtain your reports online). Now let's discuss the second part of your inquiry.
2. Why do some websites require you to sign up for something?
It sounds like you've encountered some of the websites that offer credit monitoring and/or identity theft prevention services. Many times, these sites will offer free credit reports and scores, with the caveat that you sign up for their monitoring services. In most cases, these websites are completely legal and legitimate, but their business model does create some confusion among consumers (at least in my experience).
Here's what to take away from all of this. If you want to obtain a copy of your free credit reports online, from all three of the reporting agencies, then I recommend visiting www.AnnualCreditReport.com and starting there.
Once you have obtained your information, read through it for errors. Start with your personal information (name, address, social security number) to take make sure it's all correct. Then review your list of accounts to see if there are any strange items that don't belong there. Check for duplicate entries as well, particularly as it applies to negative information on your report. For example, if you had an account sent to collections in the past and it shows up more than once, it's a duplicate entry -- and it can affect your credit score.
I know that's probably more information than you were looking for, but that's what we do here. Hope it helps you out.
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Labels: reports
posted by Brandon at
5:37 AM
