AnnualCreditReport.com Review – The Official Free Report
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You can use AnnualCreditReport.com to request your free credit reports from all three major credit bureaus.
9/10
Cost
9/10
Ease of use
8/10
Services
9/10
Features
8/10
Adulting is hard. There are so many things to do and keep track of, and sometimes it seems like it never ends. Personal finance is one of those adult things we all have to deal with, and checking your credit reports regularly is important. Fortunately, there’s a website that you can use to access all of your free credit reports regularly — AnnualCreditReport.com
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What is AnnualCreditReport.com?
AnnualCreditReport.com is authorized by federal law and is a website that gives consumers access to their free annual credit reports. The site is maintained by Central Source, LLC, a company sponsored by the three major credit bureaus (also known as credit reporting agencies) — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. All three of the major credit bureaus reports can be accessed using AnnualCreditReport.com. You can access your credit report weekly free of cost.
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How does AnnualCreditReport.com work?
Accessing your credit reports using AnnualCreditReport.com is simple. All you have to do is go to their website and make your request. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are scam websites out there, so you have to make sure you’re on the correct website. It’s a good idea to visit the website directly instead of clicking a link from a third-party website. This is what the website looks like:
From here, you can click on the red button that says “Request your free credit reports” or on the red text that says “Request yours now!” to get started. Both of these links will take you to a page where you can review the three steps to getting your free credit report(s).
After you’ve reviewed the steps, you can click on the red button that says “Request your credit reports” to start filling out your credit report request form.
You must provide personal identifying information to receive your credit report(s). This includes your birthday, social security number, and current physical address. You have to provide a United States (U.S.) address to gain access to your reports.
If you’ve lived at your current address for less than two years, you must also provide your previous address. The credit bureaus may be unable to access your credit reports without this.
After entering your information, you can proceed to the next step. This is where you choose the credit reports you want to request. I decided to request all three reports.
Next, you’ll be redirected to one of the credit bureaus' websites to confirm your identity. I was first taken to the Experian website. You only have a few minutes to complete the multi-choice questionnaire, so make sure you don’t get distracted by something else!
After you complete the questionnaire, you’ll be taken to your credit report. It includes your previous addresses, open credit cards and loans, and employers. If you see anything on the report that looks incorrect, you can dispute it.
Here’s an example:
Once you’ve finished reviewing your credit report, you can move on to your next report if you requested more than one. You’ll find the button to click at the very top of the page.
Clicking on the “Get your next report or finish” button will trigger a pop-up. You need to click “Back to AnnualCreditReport.com” to continue.
Once there, you must click another button to get your next credit report.
I was taken to Equifax, where I was asked to provide my mobile phone number and email address to verify my identity.
Equifax uses this information to send you a code to either your phone via text or your email address (you can choose which option you prefer). You need to enter the code sent to you to verify your identity. The code expires after 30 minutes, so it’s important not to request your code until you’re ready to enter it and review your report.
Equifax will take you to your credit report if you enter your code correctly. When you’re finished, you can click to go back to AnnualCreditReport.com the same way you did before.
TransUnion’s identity verification is a bit different. It will show you the name, birth date, social security number (last four digits only), and address it has on file. You can enter your email address and phone number to continue if the information is accurate. Like Equifax, TransUnion sends you a code to verify your identity. You can receive the code via text message or phone call.
After you’ve verified your identity, you’ll be taken to this page. You can click on “Continue” to review your TransUnion credit report.
When you return to AnnualCreditReport.com, you’ll see this page after you've reviewed all of the reports you requested.
How much does AnnualCreditReport.com cost?
It’s completely free to use AnnualCreditReport.com. Federal law gives you one free credit report from each bureau per week.
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AnnualCreditReport.com features
AnnualCreditReport.com is meant to be your source for free credit reports, and there aren’t many extra features. However, the website does offer useful information that consumers should be aware of.
Information about credit reports
In addition to helping you get your free credit reports, AnnualCreditReport.com has important information about credit reports. This includes links to both the Federal Trade Commission’s and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s websites for further information about your rights and the laws that guarantee your rights. You can visit those sources to learn more about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Accurate Credit Transaction Act, among other things.
What to look for
You’ll also find information about what to look for when reviewing your credit report. This includes your credit history, late payments, credit file, and new credit inquiries. AnnualCreditReport.com also guides you on what to do if you find inaccurate credit information on your credit report.
Identity protection
One of the main reasons to keep up with credit monitoring is to look for any signs of identity theft. AnnualCreditReport.com points out the common warning signs of identity theft and how identity theft happens. You can also learn ways to protect yourself from identity theft on the website.
Who is AnnualCreditReport.com best for?
U.S. residents
You can get your free weekly credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com if you reside in the United States.
Adults with loans or credit cards
Your credit report will reflect if you’ve ever taken out student loans or opened a credit card account. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your credit report to make sure that your payment history and other information are accurate.
Who shouldn’t use AnnualCreditReport.com?
People looking for their credit score
It’s important to understand the difference between your credit report and your credit score. Your credit score will take your credit report into account. However, you won’t automatically get your free credit score by using AnnualCreditReport.com. To get your FICO Score, you need to use products that specifically state that your FICO Score is included. When reviewing your free copy of your credit report, you will probably see an option to get your FICO score with a different product from the credit agencies.
Pros and cons
Pros
- AnnualCreditReport.com allows you to get a free copy of your credit report from all credit reporting agencies in one place.
- You can also find other important information about credit reports on the website.
Cons
- You won’t get all of your credit reports in the same place; you have to be redirected to each credit bureau’s website to review your credit reports. This means you’ll have to go through security questions and identity verification a few times if you want to review all of your credit reports.
- You won’t get your credit score by using this free service.
- If you dispute information on your credit report, the credit reporting agency will have 45 days to investigate the dispute instead of the usual 30.
AnnualCreditReport.com vs. Credit Karma
Company | Credit Reports Offered | Frequency Allowed | Credit Score? |
AnnualCreditReport.com | Equifax, Experian, TransUnion | Weekly | Not included |
Credit Karma | Equifax, TransUnion | As often as you want | Included |
Credit Sesame | Equifax, Experian, TransUnion | As often as you want | Included |
Credit Karma
Like AnnualCreditReport.com, Credit Karma is a free service that you can use to get access to your credit reports. It also gives you access to your credit scores. However, Credit Karma only works with Equifax and TransUnion, so you can’t access your credit report from Experian with this service.
Credit Karma offers some features that AnnualCreditReport.com does not. It makes product recommendations based on your credit profile, and if you get a product from its recommendations, Credit Karma makes a commission from the bank or lender you used. Credit Karma offers free credit monitoring and will send you alerts if anything important changes on your TransUnion credit report.
Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame is similar to AnnualCreditReport but its free version only offers a Transunion credit report. If you want access to all the three reports, you will have to pay a fee of $9.57 and open a premium account. The free account might come with advertisements and promotions.
Its features include free credit score, free credit monitoring and saving recommendations to help you save while you spend. It offers a detailed credit report analysis to help you understand the areas that may need an improvement and offers recommendations on the different ways you can improve your credit score.
FAQs
What’s included in a credit report?
Credit reports keep track of your credit history. Your credit report will have a list of businesses that have given you credit cards or loans as well as the amount due for each account. Your payment history is also included on your credit report.
Why is it important to check your credit reports?
It’s important to check your credit reports at least once per year to make sure that the information on your account is accurate. If you become a victim of identity theft, someone could open accounts in your name without your knowledge. This can hurt your credit history and make it difficult for you to take out new loans or credit cards in the future. It can also leave you responsible for unpaid debts that are inaccurately associated with you.
What’s the difference between a credit report and a credit score?
A credit report has all of the information about your credit activity and credit history. Credit scores are calculated based on the information that is in your credit report. Both are equally important when you apply for a credit product because they are used by lenders to determine whether you qualify for a product and what your interest rate will be.
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Is AnnualCreditReport.com legit?
AnnualCreditReport.com is an important free service that every U.S. resident has access to. You can use the website to request free credit reports from all three major credit bureaus. The website can also be a starting point for learning more about credit reports, identity theft, etc.
While AnnualCreditReport.com is legit, it’s important to keep in mind that there are scam websites out there that try to impersonate the real website. As always, you should be careful about where you enter your personal information. To gain access to your credit reports, you need to provide sensitive personal information such as your social security number. You want to make sure that you’re only providing that information to the appropriate website to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
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Ashley Hart is a lead copywriter and digital marketing expert covering finance, law, real estate, music, entertainment, health and wellness.
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