How to Obtain All Three Credit Reports

Credit is one of the most important financial aspects of adulthood. Credit worthiness determines whether someone can obtain a loan, travel or receive a good rate on auto insurance. One way that lenders and financial institutions determine someone's credit rating is to pull a credit report. For the consumer, obtaining all three credit reports from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax before obtaining a loan will prevent any uncertainty when a lender pulls the report.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Credit or debit card (for online or over the phone ordering)
• Social Security numbers
• W-2 forms
• Pay stub information

1. Gather your personal information and be prepared to enter into a computer or present it over the phone to request a report. Make sure that your Social Security number, prior addresses, employers and salary information is accurate and up to date.

2. Visit the Equifax website and choose from a variety of options based on need. Here you can obtain a three-in-one report---this pulls information from all three reports, including Experian and TransUnion, for around $30. The report also contains a credit score. In addition, Equifax offers services such as ID Patrol, which, for around $15, notifies the member if his credit information is showing up on the Internet or elsewhere. There is also a Credit Watch Gold service for around $10 a month that alerts a member of any changes on his report and offers unlimited credit reports all year. In addition, a score watch, for around $10, sends a free FICO score to the member's email and suggests the best time to apply for a new loan when rates are at their lowest.

3. Visit the Experian website. Here you can pull your credit report at any time. This site offers a combination of all three reports, FICO scores and fraud protection alerts. Prices start around $10 for just an Experian report or around $40 for all three reports.

4. Inquire at TransUnion to obtain a credit report through its website. Here you can pull all three national credit bureaus, or just the TransUnion report. One beneficial service TransUnion offers is credit monitoring. This ongoing service is around $15 a month and gives you unlimited access to your credit report and score, as well as notification of changes and new account openings. TransUnion also delivers a financial analysis using charts and graphs.

5. Obtain all three credit reports for free once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only location that offers 100-percent free credit reports for consumers once every 12 months. Be sure to have personal information ready before filling out forms.

Tips & Warnings

• If a credit application was rejected by a lender, a rejection letter from the lender allows the borrower a free copy of her credit report from the credit agency that provided the information, such as Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. Keep track of changes on all reports by monitoring information reported annually. Report misinformation to each credit agency individually.
• Never give out personal information to an unsecured or unfamiliar website---this could be a scam.

References

• Equifax
• TransUnion
• Experian

Resources

• Free Annual Credit Report

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.