When the coronavirus pandemic hit, credit reporting companies gave Americans free access to their credit report every week. And the COVID-19 Free Credit Report Every Week was supposed to expire this month. However, the credit reporting companies have decided to extend this benefit to you again.
All three of the credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) have agreed to extend FREE credit reports every week through April 22, 2022. So you can continue to monitor your credit report weekly for another year without any cost to you.
How do you get your free credit report every week?
Visit AnnualCreditReport.com – the official place to get your free credit report. AnnualCreditReport.com is “the only source for your free credit reports. Authorized by federal law.”
Before coronavirus, on the official website, you were entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report every year from each of the credit reporting companies.
Why should you monitor your credit report?
Monitoring your credit report gives you more insight into your credit file. When you review your credit report, you can verify the information that’s being reported about you is accurate. If you find something that is incorrect on your credit report, contact the company to resolve it. Each credit reporting company has also outlined their process/procedures to dispute errors on your credit report.
Reviewing your credit report regularly could help to prevent fraud, especially if you’ve been a victim of identity theft.
And if you’re working on rebuilding your credit, you can check your credit report to see your progress.
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Your Credit Matters
Not only does your credit impact whether you’re approved for a financial product (loan, mortgage, credit card), it could determine whether you get a new job or new place to live. Insurance companies may use your credit report to set your premiums too.