Monitoring your credit report is a simple way to be proactive about your finances. Besides showing you where you could make improvements, it can help you spot fraud early and ensure the correct information is reported to the credit bureaus.
There are three main credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — and each has its own version of your credit report.
There are several resources available that offer free credit reports. And while none provide all three, you can get them all with a little ingenuity.
How to get a free credit report
You're entitled to one free credit report from each of the three main credit bureaus once a year by visiting annualcreditreport.com.
We recommend you avoid requesting all three at once, and space one report out every four months instead.
Offers in this section are from affiliate partners and selected based on a combination of engagement, product relevance, compensation, and consistent availability.
Plans from $9 to $25 per month, billed annually
Protects against identity theft, financial fraud, spam calls, online theft, scam websites, viruses and malware. Offers VPN, 3-credit bureau monitoring, password manager and instant credit lock.
On Aura's site
From $6.67 to $17.99 per month, billed annually on individual plans and $10.00 to $23.99 per month, billed annually on family plans
Up to $1 million in insurance for eligible losses from identity theft
On Identity Guard's site
In addition, CreditWise from Capital One provides free access to your TransUnion credit report and you can get a free credit report from Experian every 30 days.
Equifax offers two free credit reports per year with myEquifax.
Credit monitoring services
If you want all regular updates on all three reports, you'll have to subscribe to a paid credit monitoring service or identity theft protection service.
Experian IdentityWorks℠
Cost
Basic: Free, Premium: $24.99 per month, Family: $34.99 per month (7-day free trial with paid plans)
Credit bureaus monitored
Basic plan monitors Experian and FICO score and scans dark web. Premium plan comes with three-bureau (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) credit monitoring and alerts and social media reports. Family plan adds two adults and up to 10 children.
Credit scoring model used
FICO® Score 8 with all plans
Dark web scan
With all plans
Identity theft insurance
Up to $1 million with paid plans
Terms apply.
Pros
- Free version available and free trial with paid plans
- 3-bureau credit monitoring, alerts and reports
- Free FICO® Score 8
- Dark web scanning
- Up to $1 million identity theft insurance coverage
Cons
- Advanced features cost extra
- Free version is very basic
*Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
Experian IdentityWorks offers credit monitoring, dark web surveillance, Social Security number alerts and identity theft insurance.
PrivacyGuard®
Cost
$9.99 to $24.99 per month
Identity theft insurance
Up to $1 million for Identity Protection and Total Protection plans; none for Credit Protection plan
Credit monitoring
Total Protection and Credit Protection plans both monitor your Experian, Equifax and TransUnion credit reports; Identity Protection doesn't offer credit monitoring.
Mobile app
Yes
Family plan
No
Terms apply.
Pros
- Option to choose the plan that suits you: Credit Protection, Identity Protection or Total Protection
- New users can try any plan for $1 for the first 14 days
Cons
- No family plan
- No identity theft insurance with Credit Protection plan
- Identity Protection plan doesn't offer triple-bureau credit monitoring
PrivacyGuard's top plan combines the best of credit monitoring and identity theft protection, including daily three-bureau monitoring, monthly credit score tracking, dark web scanning and identity theft insurance.
Credit report FAQs
Does checking my credit report hurt my credit?
No, checking your credit report does not hurt your credit. And checking your credit score doesn't hurt your credit either. These actions are considered "soft pulls" which don't affect your credit score. Actions, such as applying for a credit card, which requires a "hard pull," temporarily ding your credit score.
Do I have to pay for my credit report?
There are many free credit report resources available, but most only provide information from one or two credit bureaus. If you want three-bureau monitoring, you'll likely have to subscribe to a paid credit monitoring service.
What are the three credit reporting agencies?
There are three main credit reporting bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. A lender may work with any one of them or all three — and your score might vary slightly among them — so It's important to track all three
how long do hard inquiries stay on your credit report?
Hard inquiries may stay on your credit report for up to two years, although they usually only affect your credit score for one year. One individual hard pull — say, for a credit card application — will probably have a minimal impact on your score. Numerous queries in a short period can affect your number more significantly, however.
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