Experian, Equifax and TransUnion are now offering free credit reports to all Americans on a weekly basis for the next year so you can protect your financial health during hardships from the coronavirus.
Checking your credit report on a regular basis is a simple way to be proactive about your financial standing — and it just got easier
The three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — announced they are offering free credit reports to all Americans on a weekly basis so you can protect your financial health during hardships from the coronavirus. These free credit reports will be available on AnnualCreditReport.com through April 2021.
Previously, you were entitled to one free credit report from each bureau per year, but that’s been substantially increased to as many as 156 over the next 12 months, if you so choose.
Below are the steps on how you can get free credit reports from each bureau and what to look for when reviewing your credit.
How to get a free credit report
To get your free credit reports from each bureau, follow these steps:
- Go to AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Click on “Request your free credit reports.”
- Fill out one form to request up to three copies of your credit report.
- Choose which reports you want (Experian, Equifax and/or TransUnion).
- Answer several questions to verify you’re the correct person to be accessing your report (and not a fraudster), then submit your request (you’ll need to do step this for each credit report).
- Review your report(s).
Your free annual credit report includes all accounts opened under your name as well as the actions you have taken, such as balances and payment history. However, it doesn’t include your credit score. If you want access to your free credit score, consider alternative services provided by credit card issuers.
What to look for when you review your credit report
Monitoring your credit report is even more important during uncertain economic times since fraudsters like to take advantage of these situations.
You should keep an eye out for common credit report errors and signs of fraud when checking your credit report, such as:
- New accounts that you didn’t open
- Identity errors (wrong name, phone number or address)
- Incorrect reporting of account status (late payments when you’ve paid on time, closed accounts reported as open or being listed as the owner of an account when you’re just an authorized user)
- Data management errors (reinsertion of incorrect information after it was corrected)
- Balance errors (incorrect current balance or credit limit)
If you notice any errors, dispute them as soon as possible with each of the three major credit bureaus.
How to contact the credit bureaus to dispute errors
Equifax
Online: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-dispute/
By mail: Download the dispute form
Mail the dispute form with your letter to:
Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30348
By phone: (866) 349-5191
Experian
Online: experian.com/disputes/main.html
By mail: Download the dispute form
Mail the dispute form with your letter to:
Experian
P.O. Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013
By phone: (888) 397-3742
TransUnion
Online: dispute.transunion.com
By mail: Download the dispute form
Mail the dispute form with your letter to:
TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016-2000
By phone: (800) 916-8800
You may also want to dispute the error with the company that provided the information to the credit bureau, known as the “furnisher.” This may be a credit card issuer or bank. You can send a letter to the furnisher or contact them by phone.