Free Credit Report Online

We live in a society where the Internet nearly rules our lives which is great for people who want to get their free credit report online. Everyone in the United States is entitled to get a free copy of their credit report and the best part is that it is almost instantaneously available online with just a few keystrokes and patience.

Getting your free credit report online is easy and can be done in less time than it takes to cook a hot dog. There are three major credit reporting agencies that compile your credit information and put it into one report for you, as well as your creditors, to see and peruse. They are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

Businesses and creditors can report to one, two, all three or none if they so choose. Most will report to at least one. That actually is bad news for the consumer because what is contained in one report may not be on the other two.

In 2003, the Federal Government passed the FACT Act which allows all Americans the opportunity to view their credit report for free online or by mail. That means that you can get your credit report online from any one of the agencies for free, but not all three. If you want to get the other two, you will have to pay a fee – usually ranging from $10 - $15.

There are two ways you can get your free credit report online although they are intertwined. You can go directly to one of the credit bureau sites if you choose. They can be found at www.experian.com, www.equifax.com, and www.transunion.com. Once there, they will direct you to the place you need to be to get your free credit report online.

You can also go to www.freecreditreport.com or www.annualcreditreport.com and do the same thing. These places will re-direct you to one of the credit reporting agencies’ websites where you will enter in personal information as well as data that is included on the credit report that will identify you as – well, you.

After you answer the questions correctly, your free credit report will appear online on your computer screen. From there, you can download it to your computer or print it out so you have a hard copy. Whichever way you choose to save your free credit report that you got online, you’ll need to check it closely for errors and takes steps to correct those errors. These websites can help you with that as well.