Best Free Credit Reports – Both Accurate and Free
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Whether you’re getting ready to take out a loan, know that you have some derogatory marks on your credit report, or only just discovered that you have a credit report (actually, you have three!) You need to check your credit report regularly. You should take advantage of the fact that Federal law allows you to get one report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus each year.
But since having access to your credit reports is relatively new, and scams abound in the financial world, where can you get the best credit report that’s really free? There are several places where you can access one or two reports, but you can also request reports from the credit reporting bureaus. In this guide, you’ll find out which websites offer free credit reports, and from which bureaus.
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Overview of the best credit reports
Credit Report | Best For |
AnnualCreditReport.com | Overall access to credit reports |
Credit Karma | Free credit monitoring |
Credit Sesame | Easy sign up |
Credit Wise | Credit score simulator |
Equifax | Family credit monitoring |
Experian | Boosting your credit score |
TransUnion | Freezing credit |
Use Experian To Get Your Free Credit Score
- Free Credit Score, Credit Report & Identity Protection
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Best credit reports
AnnualCreditReport.com
At AnnualCreditReport.com you can get a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus. This was created in response to federal law and the site gives you access to all three of your credit reports. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, each person may request three credit reports per year: one each from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
You don’t have to create an account to access your credit reports, but you do need to fill out a simple form and answer some security questions before you’re given access to the reports. You may have to fill out the information for each credit report you requested, but it takes less than five minutes.
The information you’ll need in order to get your credit report includes your name and address, date of birth, Social Security number, and any addresses you’ve lived at within the last two years. The multiple-choice security questions are related to information that may be on your credit report. Alternatively, you can request a mailed copy of your credit reports by calling 1-877-322-8228.
Since you only get free access to your credit report once a year (under normal circumstances) you should save it to your computer so you can look over it thoroughly and have it in case you need to dispute an error or discover suspicious activity on it. One way to monitor your credit year-round, and absolutely free, is to check one of your three credit reports every four months.
Credit Karma
With Credit Karma you can get daily monitoring of your credit report and credit score. Credit Karma uses data from two credit bureaus: Equifax and TransUnion. Data is updated weekly and you can access it as often as you like. You will also be shown various financial products that their algorithm deems a good fit for you. I was shown a few credit cards and information on home and auto loans.
When you create an account with Credit Karma, there’s no credit card information required. For verification purposes, you do have to input your Social Security number. The credit score that Credit Karma gives is the Vantage 3.0 score. This is the credit score that’s created by the three credit bureaus.
I like Credit Karma because you can see the different areas that make up your credit score and how you rank in each one. They use green, yellow, and red to help visualize it. My credit usage and repayment is green (good) but my credit age is yellow (fair) and my total account is red (poor) because I only have a few credit cards. My student loans are finally paid off, and I don’t have a car loan or mortgage.
As part of Credit Karma’s credit monitoring, you can also discover whether or not your information has been exposed as part of a data breach. I found out that my information was a part of two such events. Credit Karma lets you know what data may have been shared and how to place a freeze on your credit report so that no new credit accounts can be opened.
Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame offers both free and paid online credit monitoring services by simply creating an account. Anyone can have a free account (no credit card info required), though the 7-day free trial automatically extends into a subscription (at a rate of $15.99 per month) if you don’t cancel it.
Like Credit Karma, Credit Sesame uses data from TransUnion for your free credit report. The information is updated monthly, but you have access to the information in your account 24/7. The mobile app makes it easy to stay up-to-date on your credit history.
The website is easy to navigate, though there are many recommendations of financial products for which you can apply. I appreciated the financial analysis, which gave me letter scores (A through F) for each of the five factors that impact your credit score. Not surprisingly, I have a D for account mix because I only have one type of credit. It explains the reason for the score plus helpful tips on how to improve it, if necessary. In my case, it suggested a few personal loans to diversify my credit mix.
The premium version offers some neat features, but unless you have a compelling reason for it, I think there are better ways to spend $192 a year. I think the rent reporting could be helpful for young people who are just getting started on their credit history. It would also be good for someone who is trying to repair their credit. Rent reporting allows up to 24 months of rent payments to be included in your credit history. Advanced credit monitoring is great if you suspect, or have been, the victim of identity theft.
Use Experian To Get Your Free Credit Score
- Free Credit Score, Credit Report & Identity Protection
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CreditWise
CreditWise is the free credit tool from Capital One, which is free to everyone. Capital One customers can use their online banking credentials to log in and access CreditWise. For new users, creating an account takes just a few minutes and is totally free. You’ll be asked for basic personal information to ensure they pull the correct credit report.
CreditWise uses TransUnion credit reports and the VantageScore 3.0 for your credit score. You can see your current credit score as well as historical data about it. You can sign up for email and push notifications about changes to your credit report. Additional features of CreditWise include dark web surveillance and Social Security number tracking.
The credit simulator helps you see how various personal finance decisions will impact your credit. Using it will not impact your credit score in any way, nor should you put all of your decision-making into the data you receive through the simulator. Since it’s run by an algorithm, it can only make generic assumptions.
Overall CreditWise is a good tool for being totally free and available to anyone. Since I have had a Capital One account for several years, I’ve used CreditWise to check my credit score. The main downside is that it uses the VantageScore rather than the FICO® credit score. The majority of lenders still use FICO® and I’ve found that my FICO® score can be 20 to 30 points lower than my VantageScore.
Equifax credit report
The Equifax website makes it easy to get your free report directly from their website by creating a MyEquifax account. This service is free, but there are also paid services, so read carefully so you understand what you’re signing up for.
Equifax offers premium services for individuals or families with up to two adults and four children. These services start at $19.95 per month and include monthly credit report updates, credit monitoring, and alerts.
With the free MyEquifax account, you can also freeze your credit, dispute an error, or manage fraud alerts. It’s simple to do any of these actions. Just click the button and follow the directions.
Experian credit report
Another place where you can get a free copy of your credit report is the Experian website. Of course, they will only give you access to their bureau's data, but by creating a free account, you can have access to it all year long.
Creating an account takes less than five minutes and doesn’t require a credit card. Your credit report is updated monthly and you can get your FICO score (Model 8) with an analysis of your score. You can also lock and unlock your credit easily via the Experian website.
The Experian Boost feature allows you to add payment information from your phone and utility bills. This puts more positive data on your credit report and could be very helpful when you’re trying to build your credit. Unlike credit repair services which could cost hundreds of dollars, this may help boost your score for free.
The paid version, which costs $24.99 per month, includes up to $1 million in insurance with three-bureau FICO scores and monitoring. Dark web surveillance, as well as access to fraud resolution specialists, are included as well.
TransUnion credit report
Like the other two bureaus, you can access your TransUnion credit report for free via their website. The link actually redirects you to the AnnualCreditReport.com site. On the TransUnion site, you can select from their premium credit monitoring tools, request additional copies of your credit report, or place a freeze on your credit.
The premium products start at $24.95 per month and include credit monitoring and unlimited access to your TransUnion credit report. You receive email updates when there are changes to any of your three reports and you’ll get an instant alert if they detect you’ve signed up for new accounts. There are up to $1 million dollars in ID theft insurance and you'll have unlimited access to ID theft specialists.
Along with your credit report, you can also see your Vantage 3.0 credit score. Again, this is not the same as your FICO score, so if you’re planning to open new accounts that will do a hard inquiry, it’s good to know which credit score the lender will use so that you can be sure you have optimal creditworthiness before applying.
Use Experian To Get Your Free Credit Score
- Free Credit Score, Credit Report & Identity Protection
- Simple & Secure. Sign Up In Less Than 90 Seconds
Best free credit reports summary
Credit Report | Report | Credit Score Included? | Cost of monitoring services |
AnnualCreditReport.com | Equifax, Experian, TransUnion | No | N/A |
Credit Karma | Equifax, TransUnion | Yes | Free |
Credit Sesame | TransUnion | Yes | $15.99/month |
Credit Wise | TransUnion | Yes | Free |
Equifax | Equifax | Yes | $19.95/month |
Experian | Experian | Yes | $24.99/month |
TransUnion | TransUnion | Yes | $24.95/month |
FAQs
Should I pay for more access to my credit reports?
This depends on the complexity of your financial situation and how at-risk you believe you are of ID theft. For a person with a single credit card and mortgage who regularly checks their accounts, you may not find the same value in a paid service as a couple with two auto loans, a mortgage, and a few credit cards.
How often should I get a free credit report?
At a minimum, you should get a credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus each year. You can stagger your requests in order to monitor your credit report throughout the year.
Why are my credit reports showing different data?
Not all lenders report your payment history to all three credit reporting bureaus. The small local bank that holds your car loan may only report to one while your Discover credit card reports to all three. A “missing” account is nothing to worry about. It’s accounts that are incorrect or wrong that need to be disputed.
Why everyone should get a free credit report
I think everyone should, at minimum, use AnnualCreditReport.com to get reports from each of the three credit bureaus. Do it once a year on a set day, like your birthday, or put a reminder on your calendar to get a different report every four months. Getting them at intervals, you’re able to check up on your credit report throughout the year without spending a dime.
For victims of identity theft, the paid credit report and monitoring services may provide extra value. However, as a victim of ID theft, you are entitled to additional free credit reports. I also believe if you feel you’re too busy to keep tabs on your financial accounts on a regular basis, these paid services would be valuable to you.
Use Experian To Get Your Free Credit Score
- Free Credit Score, Credit Report & Identity Protection
- Simple & Secure. Sign Up In Less Than 90 Seconds
The bottom line
You definitely need to take advantage of your ability to get a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus. The easiest way to do this is by using AnnualCreditReport.com to get your free reports.
If you desire to know your credit score, and if your bank or credit card doesn't easily allow you to check from their website, Credit Karma is useful. Since it pulls data from two of the three bureaus, it’s likely to be more representative of your actual score.
Finally, if you feel the benefits from the paid services are worth it to you, do so with confidence. However with a bit of attention to your financial accounts, safe storage of your personal information, and quick actions if you lose your wallet, your identity will be quite safe.
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Writer
Charlotte Edwards is an educator-turned-freelance writer based in Beijing, China. She writes personal finance and parenting content for both digital and print publications around the world.
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