The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that each of the nationwide consumer reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union, allow you a free copy of your credit report every 12 months. You must request this report so they aren’t going to just send you one in the mail. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act created the free annual credit report program.
There really is only ONE legally mandated website on the entire internet that offers “free credit reports”; annualcreditreport.com.
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Phone number: 1-877-322-8228
3 Bureau Credit Report
Get a complete credit report from all 3 Credit Bureaus!
Remember, checking your own credit CANNOT lower your score.
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The three credit reporting agencies offer free reports through annualcreditreport.com. Sometimes other websites try to combine other products with their offer of a “free credit report”. For instance, they may give you a trial period for credit monitoring but then start charging your credit card if you don’t cancel. They may offer you a free credit report from ONE credit agency but charge you for the other two. Or they may give you a free credit report but then charge you to see the credit score. Some of these offers may be valuable but just be aware of what you are signing up for and whether or not you are truly getting a free credit score and free credit report.
How Long Does It Take?
Most of the online credit companies can deliver your credit report within minutes. If you wish to get a hard copy of your credit report by mail, you may have to wait up to 15 days for processing and delivery.
Should I Get Free FICO Scores From All Three Credit Bureaus?
It is recommended to get your free credit reports from all three credit bureaus because an error on one may not be seen by another. If they offer free FICO scores with their reports then you should definitely take advantage of it. Many times creditors will look at the “middle” score so knowing all three is important. Because you only get one free credit report every 12 months, some people like to stagger their reports from each credit reporting agency so they can check their information every 3-4 months.