What is the best way to order free credit reports?

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) consumers are entitled to one free credit report annually from Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.  The right to a free credit report gives consumers the ability to review and make sure that the information in their credit reports is accurate and complete. Reviewing your credit reports is important to do before you apply for a loan for house or car or apply for a job. Under the federal law, you may request a free credit report once every 12 months by mail, telephone or online.

What is the best way to order free credit reports?

  1. Order your free credit report by mail.

We recommend ordering your free credit reports by mail from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.  To order the free credit reports, complete a one page form with your personal identifying information, including name. address, date of birth and social security number.  The form was created by Congress as a model for the credit bureaus to use for consumers to order their free annual credit reports from a central source.  Once completed, the form should be mailed to the address on the form, which is the central source for free credit report requests by mail.

Click Free Annual Disclosure Request Form to download a free form to order your free credit reports from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.  The free credit report request form should be mailed to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta GA 30348-5281.

Pros

  • All 3 credit reports will be delivered to you by mail.
  • You don’t have to print the reports.
  • You don’t have to answer security questions before the credit bureaus will mail your reports.
  • The reports received by mail can be easier to read than the online reports. Online reports contain duplicative.

Cons

  • You will not be able to get your reports immediately. The credit bureaus have 15 days to mail you your credit reports.  That means you may not receive your reports for at least a couple of weeks.
  • The mail copies of the credit reports are printed double sided. Double sided pages can be more difficult to scan and save to your computer or to fax to someone.
  1. Order your free credit report by telephone.

Free credit reports mail be ordered by telephone from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.  The telephone number to call is 1-877-322-8228.  Once you call the number, you will be prompted to enter your identifying information, including your date of birth and social security number. You may also select which credit reports you want to be sent to you. The credit reports should be mailed to you within 15 days of your phone call.

Pros

  • All 3 credit reports will be delivered to you by mail.
  • You don’t have to print the reports.
  • You don’t have to answer security questions before the credit bureaus will mail your reports.
  • The reports received by mail can be easier to read than the online reports. Online reports contain duplicative.

Cons

  • You will not be able to get your reports immediately. It may take as much as two weeks (or longer) before you receive your credit reports.
  • The mail copies of the credit reports are printed double sided. Double sided pages can be more difficult to scan and save to your computer or to fax to someone.
  1. Order your free credit report online.

You can also order your free credit reports online from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.  Here is the official website to order your free credit reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

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Annualcreditreport.com is the only website authorized to fill orders or the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law. Consumers should be wary of impostor websites.

Impostor websites often charge a fee after a trial period.  If the website asks for a credit or debit card number, then you are on the wrong website.  The AnnualCreditReport.com website requires users to select which credit agencies they want credit reports from, such as Equifax, Experian or Trans Union.  Users may select 1, 2 or all 3 of the bureaus.

Once the selection is made, consumers are redirected to the credit bureaus websites where the credit bureaus require users to answer additional questions.  The credit bureaus say the additional questions are needed to verify the identity of the person making the request for the report.  For example, the bureaus may ask, have you ever lived at X or do you have an account with Y.  If you answer correctly, but the credit bureaus may have false information in the consumer’s file.  As a result, the consumer will NOT be able to get their report!

Pros

  • Credit reports should be made available to you immediately.
  • You can save the reports as PDFs for future reference.
  • You don’t have to print the reports. The reports online are often longer and require more paper for you to print the reports.
  • Online reports contain duplicative information and can be more difficult to read.

Cons

  • Security questions may not be accurate based on your true credit history or personal information.
  • You may obtain one credit report without being redirected
  • Too many impostor websites.

Consumers may be entitled to free credit reports for other reasons.  Identity theft victims are entitled to free credit reports.  Consumers who have been denied for credit are entitled to free credit reports.  Consumers who are unemployed and seeking employment have the right to a free credit report.  For more information, click Free Credit Reports to read about your right to a free credit report under federal law.

The Adkins Firm represents identity theft victims and consumers with credit report or background report errors.  We maintain offices across the South, including Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.  We also have represented consumers in federal court in southern states, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Virginia.

Are you a victim of identity theft?  Do you have credit report errors?  Do you have background report errors?  Contact The Adkins Firm to schedule a free case review.