Grab Your Free Weekly Credit Report
For the ominous dark cloud that is the pandemic, unexpected silver linings have emerged from the gloom. Take for instance, the normalization of Zoom calls in glorious sweatpants or the long-overdue collective improvement of personal space in otherwise crowded public areas. Another bright side is the three major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and Transunion—are offering free weekly credit reports through the end of 2022.
Before life was disrupted by Covid-19, Americans were entitled to only one free annual credit report from each of the credit bureaus thanks to a federal law known as the Fair Credit Report Act. Now, you can check your credit reports practically as often as you take out the trash: every seven days. To get your free credit reports from each bureau, follow these steps:
Head to AnnualCreditReport.com.
Click the “Request your free credit reports” button.
Complete the online form, which allows you to request up to three copies of your credit report.
Select which credit reports you want (Experian, Equifax, and/or TransUnion). We suggest you check them ALL.
Answer questions to verify that you’re the correct person to be accessing your credit report(s) and then submit your request.
Once you receive your free credit report(s), review each one separately for inaccuracies. Pay careful attention to the following:
Your name and address. An incorrect variation of your name or an address where you’ve never lived could be a sign of identity theft.
Your accounts. An account that you don't recognize under your name could also indicate that your identity has been stolen.
The payment history on your accounts. Even though the CARES Act mandates that a loan forbearance or deferred payment plan must be reported as current on your credit reports, verify that the credit agencies have not included derogatory information if you’ve missed payments under those circumstances.
If you discover a mistake, contact the credit bureau that reported the information and the creditor for the account. You will have to contact each credit bureau separately to dispute information in your credit report. We take you step-by-step through the process here.
Who would have thought that improved credit could be your personal pandemic bright spot!?