How to Get Free Credit Reports From AnnualCreditReport.com

By Pinyo, on July 8, 2009

I recently came across a video by FTC that advertise AnnualCreditReport.com in a manner that mocks the more familiar commercials by FreeCreditReport.com. I had mentioned in the past that credit report from FreeCreditReport.com is not free because you have to sign up for one of their paid services to get it.

FTC AnnualCreditReport.com Restaurant Video

If you are interested in the video, here it is:

How To Get Your Free Copy Of Credit Report

The legitimate and absolutely free way to get your credit reports from all three reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) is through AnnualCreditReport.com. To get your report:

1. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com
2. Select your state and click “Request Report”
3. Enter your information and click “Continue”
4. Pick one of the credit bureaus — I strongly suggest picking only one (see below) and click “Next”
5. Read the instruction and click “Next”
6. From this point the instruction may varies depending on the credit bureau (I’m using Experian):
   • Enter the last 4-digit of your Social Security Number and click “Submit”
   • Skip all the marketing stuff, go to “No thanks, I just want my free…”, and click “Annual Credit Report”
   • Check the Terms and Conditions box and click “Submit”
   • Answer questions to verify that you are you and click “Submit”
   • If you pass the verification, your free credit report will be show to you. You can print your report and keep it for your record.
     
7. That’s it!
   

Why should you get only one report at a time?

Although the credit reports are free, you can only get one report per year from each credit bureau. A strategy to help you monitor your credit more evenly is to order only one credit report at a time, wait 4 months, then order a new credit report from another bureau. For example, you can use the following pattern:

That was easy wasn’t it? Now you can sit down and review your credit report at your own pace. Additionally, you can also check your credit score for free and take actions to improve your credit score.

Do you know your credit scores? Get instant access to your 3 credit scores with a 7-day free credit monitoring trial: click here for details.

Pinyo is the owner of Moolanomy Personal Finance and an entrepreneur with over 20 years of business experience. He is interested in business management, investing and wealth management. He has written for many online publications, including American Express Currency and U.S. News Money. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.