Yesterday, we mentioned that everyone can receive a free credit report from each of the bureaus every 12 months. Reader Nicole emailed us wanting some more details:
What's that website for my free credit report? Do you get it the same day?
The website is www.annualcreditreport.com. Don't confuse it with retail sites like www.freecreditreport.com that offer free credit reports in exchange for a trial of credit monitoring.
AnnualCreditReport.com is a joint project of all three of the major credit bureaus developed in order to comply with the 2003 FACT Act. When you visit the site, you have to order your credit reports from each bureau individually. You can choose to order either single reports or all three. Some people like to order one every 4 months to keep an eye on their credit all year long.
The order process with each bureau can be complicated. You'll need to provide your Social Security number and personal information before answering some security questions to verify your identity. During the process, you'll also be offered an upgrade for $6-$8 to receive a credit score. I recommend only upgrading with Equifax to get a FICO score. The other two bureaus only offer VantageScores through AnnualCreditReport.com.
Once you finish the order, your credit report will appear online. You should print a copy right away as some bureaus don't let you return to it online. If there was a problem with your order, you may be prompted to call a customer service number to complete the request and have a report mailed to you.
You can get step-by-step illustrated instructions, customer service phone numbers and more tips for ordering from AnnualCreditReport.com in this free guide.
Emily Davidson – A former TransUnion insider and a member of Credit.com's expert team. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.
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