There are many places where you might obtain free credit reports. Credit Karma offers free Equifax and TransUnion credit reports, while Experian provides your Experian report, free of charge. Discover, Capital One, and American Express, like many other banks and credit card issuers, also offer free credit reports and score products. 

Of course, under federal law, you’re entitled to free copies of your credit reports, once every 12 months. You can obtain your Experian, Equifax and TransUnion reports, by visiting Annual Credit Report. You might also use the Annual Credit Report mail in form. Annual Credit Report does not offer any credit reports (and remember), there is no single credit score anyways.

Here is something that is less widely known: You can access free credit reports, directly from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, every single day of the year. Yes, you read that right.

This strategy was pioneered by Matt Listro. Matt is a leading credit expert, and the founder of the Credit Admiral software, as well as the Credit Con credit conference. Let’s take a look at what Matt figured out.

Accessing Your TransUnion Reports 

TransUnion offers a dispute portal, where you can check your credit reports, pretty much any time you want. To do so, you should visit this page, which TransUnion has created, for the purpose of disputing information on credit reports. Click the button which says “Start dispute.” This is circled in the graphic below, which is a screenshot from the TransUnion website.

Once you’ve clicked that button, you’ll be taken to the page below. Here, you’ll be offered the option of either signing in (if you already have an account), or otherwise, signing up for a new account. Now, you’ll want to click the link which says “Create an account.” We’ve circled the exact button, on the screenshot below.

 You’ll now be taken to a page, where you’re asked for some of your personal identifying information, such as your name, address, date of birth, phone number, email, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. See the form below.

After that, you’ll be asked for your email, phone number, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. With this information, TransUnion will try to locate your credit file.

After submitting all of this information, you will need to create a username, password, and choose a secret question – such as the name of your first grade teacher, or your favorite car. Here is a screenshot of what that page will look like.

You’re almost there! You still need to complete one more step, by answering a few identifying questions, which will allow TransUnion to confirm that you are indeed the person who is attempting to login to the account. 

These questions might involve previous addresses that you were associated with, or the amount you’re paying on a particular account (say, your student loans) each month. TransUnion wants to confirm that you are indeed the person who is trying to access the account. We haven’t included a screenshot of that page, since it will be something specific to you.

If you have trouble answering any of these questions, you might want to refer to your records, or to other free credit monitoring apps you use. You might be able to find the information to answers on one of your other credit reports. 

If for some reason you’re unable to answer these questions, you might be denied access to the website. However, don’t worry too much. You can simply try again the next day. If you’re answering the questions while reviewing your existing credit reports, then your chances of properly answering should be quite good. 

Once you’re logged in, you’ll see two tabs, on the top left. One is for freezing your credit. A credit freeze essentially locks your credit report, so that no applications for new credit can be submitted through your name. 

A credit freeze stops you from applying for credit (unless you lift the freeze), and it also stops anyone else from applying for credit in your name. This reduces your risk of identity theft. 

We typically don’t recommend a credit freeze. In most cases, simply monitoring your credit reports is more than enough. A credit freeze can create needless complications down the line. 

Instead of clicking on the left tab, you’ll want to click the tab on the right, which might say something like “Dispute Credit Items” or “Items on Credit Report.” This field will then typically include a number of fields you might dispute, including personal information (names and addresses), as well as accounts on your credit reports.

You should not dispute information on your credit reports online. That is not the goal here. By doing so, you might end up waiving some of your legal rights. 

Rather, you’re looking to enjoy regular access to your credit reports, directly from TransUnion. That’s what you get here. 

Details on the various accounts on your reports, including payment history, the date your account was opened or closed, as well as any negative history on the accounts, can be found here. If you’re looking to better understand your credit, and potentially resolve negative items on your credit reports, this is a great place to start. 

Please note that you won’t find credit scores here. Of course, as mentioned earlier, there are lots of other places to access free credit reports and scores. 

Experian

You can access your Experian reports by clicking here. When you open the page, you’ll first see two boxes. Below is the first one. 

You’ll want to skip over this box. Instead,you should scroll down to the second box, which is displayed below. This is the information you’ll want to fill out.

You’ll now be taken to the Identity Verification page. Here, you’ll be asked questions about specific accounts on your credit reports, or your personal information (i.e. places where you lived, phone numbers, or relatives). 

You’ll want to answer each of these questions as accurately as possible. Remember, you can refer to your existing credit reports (from Credit Karma, or somewhere else), to get this information. We have not included a full screenshot of the page, since the answers to these questions will be specific to you.

You’re now able to access your Experian credit reports. You’ll first see a field for your name (or variations of your name), followed by your known addresses. Next, you’ll notice a filed which lists your personal statements (if you filed any). 

Below that, will be any potentially negative items. These include accounts with late payments, as well as repossessions, foreclosures, collections, bankruptcies, and so on. These are the sorts of things which damage your credit score, and which you might seek to remove through the credit repair process.

As we’ve mentioned, you should not dispute information on your reports, using the dispute buttons in the portal. Rather, you’re using the Experian online portal to keep track of what’s happening on your credit reports. 

Equifax

Equifax might be the credit bureau you’re most familiar with, due to the 2017 data breach. Equifax was hacked, and the personal information of more than 147 million people was exposed.

To access your Equifax reports, click here. You’ll want to click on the box which says “Submit A Dispute.”

 Now, you’ll be taken to another page, which asks for your personal information (name and address) as well as your current address. You’ll want to fill these fields out.

Next, you’ll submit your address information. This helps Equifax verify who you really are. After this, you’ll enter the details to create your account, i.e. your name and password. 

You’re almost there. Just as with TransUnion and Experian, you’ll need to answer some  questions about your identity. Equifax might want to know about addresses where you have previously lived, payment amounts on your credit accounts, and other individuals whom you’re somehow tied to or associated with.

After you’ve completed this part, you’ll be taken to a main page, which offers a series of options. You’ll want to select the field which is labeled as “Dispute Center.” This will take you to your credit reports. Remember, you don’t want to dispute information on your credit reports, by use of this website. Rather, you’re simply trying to gain access to your official credit reports, so you can review them whenever you want.

         The Final Word

 By following the steps above, you’ve gained continuous access to some of the most detailed credit reports out there. While Credit Karma and others are useful, there are few substitutes for reviewing credit reports which come straight from the source. 

Remember, you don’t want to dispute information on your credit reports online. However, by checking your credit reports through these apps, you might be able to spot information on your credit reports which is somehow erroneous or incomplete. You can then address those errors, through the credit repair process.