During the pandemic, the big three credit reporting bureaus offered free weekly credit reports through April 21, 2021. Normally each of the bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – would give you one free credit report each year. The pandemic changed that.
And continues to change it: The bureaus have committed to making a free weekly credit report through April 21, 2022.
While the extension is a response to the continuing financial issues caused by the pandemic, you don’t have to be in dire money straits to check your report. It’s a good idea to make sure there’s nothing on there that shouldn’t be.
Recently I checked my Experian credit report and found an error. According to the report, I’d had a certain card since 1976. Except that no, I didn’t have a credit card at that time. I didn’t get my first card until about five years later.
I challenged the information and Experian was all over it. I got an immediate note saying, “We’re looking into this, sit tight.” Soon after, I was notified that the incorrect info had been removed* and they were sorry it happened.
Mistakes happen – and sometimes they can be very bad for your credit.
An error on your credit report might be due to incorrectly entered information, such as a Social Security number in which a couple of digits were transposed. But it might also be a sign of identity theft – and if it is, the faster you address it, the better.
How do I get a free credit report?
It’s about as simple as it can be. Visit a site called AnnualCreditReport.com, which was created by the big three credit bureaus. Ask for your report. That’s it.
If you decide not to use the above link, make sure you type the address correctly. It’s “AnnualCreditReport.com.” A slew of copycat sites are out there, trying to make money off you.
This is important: Your credit report will not contain your credit score. However, several methods exist for getting your score (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) for free:
- Experian offers a free FICO score.
- Equifax offers a free VantageScore 3.
- Sites such as Self Lender or Credit Karma will share your score – but it will be your VantageScore, not your FICO score. The scoring models are similar enough that it doesn’t matter which one you see.
- Many credit card issuers, banks and loan companies provide credit scores for customers. Among them: Barclaycard U.S., Capital One, Citi, American Express, Chase, Discover, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.
- Not a customer of the companies listed above? American Express, Capital One, Chase and Discover will give a credit score anyway if you’re willing to provide your information.
You could also buy your credit score directly from the big three bureaus, or from FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation). But a free score should suffice for most people.
Readers: When was the last time you checked your credit score? Did you find anything, uh, interesting at that time?
*Of course I checked, to be sure. Wouldn’t you?
Related reading:
- How are credit scores calculated?
- Credit score myths that will. not. die.
- 7 free financial resources
Thank you for this information Donna!
I hope it helps you, and everyone else.
Just curious, wouldn’t a longer credit history help your credit score/rating?
Kinda like the Monopoly “Bank Error in Your Favor” card?
A couple of my credit cards provide credit scores. I check them every time I log into their websites; I figure any change more than the normal month to month fluctuation might be a sign of something nefarious that I should investigate.
It would have helped slightly — length of credit history is good for 15% of your FICO score — but it wasn’t mine. Didn’t want it attached to my account.
And yes, a major change should be of some concern.
Thanks for the info and reminder. One of my sisters was notified 2 weeks ago by her company that someone tried to file for unemployment using her name and info. She’s lucky she works for a large company that has a person who walked her through all the steps she needed to do to check on and fend off further id theft. Now every time she gets me on the phone she asks “check your credit report yet?” And now your blog has given me another nudge!
I’m sorry to hear about that. The husband of a woman I know was sent actual unemployment checks during the pandemic even though (a) he wasn’t unemployed and (b) he did not work and had never worked in Pennsylvania. I guess whoever filed in his name neglected to specify their own address. I wonder how much money was scammed in this fashion. Sigh.