How to Get a Free Credit Report Through Experian

Experian is one of the nation's major consumer credit reporting agencies, the other two being Equifax and TransUnion. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the credit reporting agencies to provide a free copy of your credit report every 12 months. Your credit report includes personal information and details of your financial behavior. This information is used by employers, credit card companies, insurance companies and businesses to evaluate your application for buying or renting property, insurance, employment and credit. It's therefore a good idea to know what your credit report contains.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Understand that there are two main ways of getting your credit report: directly from Experian or from the Annual Credit Report website (see Resources below).

2. Log onto the Experian website (see Resources below). You will be required to fill out a two-stage application. Input valid credit card details in order to validate and establish your account. By submitting your order, you will be enrolling into a trial membership of Triple Advantage Credit Monitoring. Although your initial report will be free, you will need to cancel your membership within the first 9 days to avoid further billing.
   You can also order your report via phone by calling [phone].

3. Log onto the Annual Credit Report website (see Resources) and fill out the application to request your report. You can also call the Annual Credit Report phone system at [phone]. Your report will be mailed to you within 15 days.

4. Print and fill out the Annual Credit Report Request Form from the Fair Trade Commission website (see Resources below). Mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You'll receive your report within 15 days of receipt of the form.

Tips & Warnings

• The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to obtain a free credit report every 12 months. According to Federal law, you are allowed another free copy of your credit report if a company takes adverse action against you, such as an application for credit being refused, if you're on welfare or are a victim of identity theft. Check your report thoroughly for any errors. Have your personal details on hand, as well as any bank or loan details. If you request the report online from The Annual Credit Report website, it won't be mailed to you, so make sure you print a copy.
• Don't press the "back" button when navigating the website, as it's quite easy to navigate away from the website before you access the report. Dispose of your reports with care, as they contain a lot of personal information.

Resources

• Experian
• Annual Credit Report
• Annual Credit Report Request Form

Who Can Help Sponsored

• How strong is your score?  Did you know checking your own credit won’t affect your score? Click here to see yours in two easy steps from Experian.