Free and Instant Credit Reports Online

So, you want to review your credit instantly online?  Thanks to enterprising businesses and the Internet, credit reports are now available immediately.  In case you would rather obtain your report by mail, we have included the addresses of the major reporting bureaus in this article.  As to the instant credit reports, some will cost you money; others are free.

Instant Online Credit Reports 

For a nominal fee, one of the best online credit report packages to look for are the 3-in-1 credit reports.  By "3-in-1," your credit report actually consists of reports from the three major credit agencies:

Equifax Information Services, LLC
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1-800-685-1111 - Website (new window)

Trans Union, LLC
Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
(800) 888-4213 - Website (new window)

Experian (Formerly TRW)
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
toll free (866) 200-6020 - Deaf or Hearing Impaired: (800) 972-0322  - Website (new window)

You might be surprised to see the differences in credit scores reported by each of the three major credit bureaus. 

In addition to the instant online 3-in-1 credit reports, some of the online agencies offer memberships where you can receive updates to your credit reports every month.

Free Credit Reports Online

It is possible to get a free credit report online. However, if you run a quick search for free credit report online services, you'll find that you are taken to a bunch of sites that actually aren’t free at all.

If you watch what you're doing, you can actually get a free credit report online without having to pay any sneaky fees or catches.One site, called freecreditreportonline.com is a pretty good credit report services that is, for the most part, free of charge.  The catch with getting a free credit report online with them is that you have to sign up for membership with an additional service that will eventually cost you a repeating monthly fee. However, the first month does not have a fee, and the membership can be canceled at any time. So, assuming you remember to cancel the recurring membership, you can get a free credit report online that truly is free of charge. There are a few other sites like ‘freecreditreport.com’ that offer similar arrangements.  Just remember to calendar the renewal date for the monthly membership and cancel the membership a day or two before you are charged. 

A free credit report online is generally going to be a limited report. If you are simply curious as to what your credit score is, these reports will be sufficient. However, if you want a detailed record of your credit history and the types of queries that are showing up on your report, you will need to pay some money. Most sites that offer a free credit report online also offer the more detailed version that is immediately available when you sign up with a paid membership to the site.

Conclusion

It's a good idea to keep an eye on your credit score so that you can spot any unusual activity.  If you are working on your credit repair, you will be able to mark your progress regularly.  Having regular access to an instant online credit report will help you meet your credit repair goals.