Here at NextAdvisor.com, we often receive emails from readers who know they are entitled to a free credit report per bureau credit per year, but are not sure where or how to access their free credit reports.
These free credit reports required by law are available at AnnualCreditReport.com. This site allows you to request a report from Equifax, one of Experian, and TransUnion once every 12 months. You can choose to request all three reports at once, or you can space out over the year. If you ask your reports online, you will be able to view them on your computer as soon as AnnualCreditReport.com verified your identity by asking some personal questions. If you ask your reports by telephone or mail, they will be sent to your address within 15 days.
AnnualCreditReport.com is not a credit monitoring service, and they do not provide free credit scores of any kind. It is possible to buy a credit score of one or more offices when you request your free reports or credit report. If you wish to request a fraud alert or correct erroneous information on your report, you must contact the credit bureaus as AnnualCreditReport.com will be unable to help.
While a free credit report per year from each of the three offices can be useful in some situations selection, in general, we do not think that is enough. If you ask all three reports at once, you will not be able to access all the free reports again for the next 12 months. This leaves open all year in which identity thieves could open new accounts in your name without your knowledge. And if you space the reports during the year, you will have no way of knowing if any fraudulent or erroneous account information contained in the reports of two other offices at one time. When new information appears on your reports, it is essential to be aware that as soon as possible, as time is of the essence when it comes to the prevention of fraud and ensure that your reports and credit scores reflect the best possible impression of your overall credit history.
If you want more information on the credit report monitoring services, check our reviews and comparison chart.