In today’s day and age, we hear of new hacks and new identity theft stories on a daily basis. By now, everyone knows how important it is to properly monitor your credit report to make sure no thieves are able to open any credit cards or loans in your name.

There are many websites that allow you to view your credit report for a monthly fee, but my advice to you is, don’t waste your money on it. You can do it just as well for free. Here in this post, I will list some great websites where you can get a free copy of your credit report or view the information on your credit report online for free. 

1. Annualcreditreport.com

The three credit bureaus; Experian, Equifax, and Transunion, have set up a one-stop-shop where you can request your annual free credit report from all three bureaus. You can request the report in a choice of three ways:

• Online: Visit annualcreditreport.com and fill out the form found there.
• Phone: Call 1-877-322-8228 and follow the prompts.
• Mail: Mail a letter to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O Box 105281

Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Pros

• Free credit report from all three credit bureaus
• You get the most comprehensive and real report 

Cons

• It’s petty hard to navigate the website
• Only one free copy per year (now during the pandemic they are offering a free copy every week). 
• No credit scores.
• If you order a free copy of your credit report the credit bureaus get 45 days to investigate a dispute. More on this here. 

2. Credit Karma

With over 60 million users, Credit Karma is for sure the “Kleenex tissues” when it comes to viewing and monitoring your credit report for free. They also provide you with great personal tips and tools for how you can improve your credit.

Pros

• Free credit report from two of the three credit bureaus (some users only get one).
• Updates every 7 days (some users get updates every day)
• They will send you an email with real-time alerts when there are changes to your credit report.

Cons

• The free credit score is Vantage 3.0 which is rarely used in credit decisions.
• You don’t get your Experian credit report.

3. Wallet Hub

Wallet Hub provides free updates on your credit report every single day. They will also give you personal tips and tools on how to improve your credit score.

Pros

• Updates every day.
• They will send you email alerts and text message alerts when there are changes on your Transunion credit report.

Cons

• You can only view your Transunion credit report.
• The free credit score is Vantage 3.0 which is rarely used in credit decisions.

4. Freecreditscore.com

Freecreditscore.com is part of the Experian Company and allows you to view your Experian credit report every 30 days, for free.

Pros

• You will get email alerts whenever there is a change to your Experian credit report, for free.
• Free Fico 8 score.

Cons

• It’s only updated once in 30 days.
• You can only view your Experian credit report.

5. Chase Credit Journey

Chase Credit Journey is owned by Chase but you do not need to be a Chase customer to sign up (free). Chase Credit Journey recently transitioned from showing your Transunion credit report and is now showing your Experian credit report (for most users, this already changed. If it did not yet change for your account then it should change shortly).

Pros

• You will get email alerts whenever there is a change to your Experian credit report.
• Comes along with some nice tools and whistles.
• Updates every 7 days.

Cons

• The free credit score is Vantage 3.0 which is rarely used in credit decisions.
• You can only view your Experian credit report.

6. Credit wise

CreditWise is owned by Capital One but you do not need to be a Capital One customer to sign up (free). They show you your Transunion credit report. 

Pros

• You will get email alerts whenever there is a change to your Transunion credit report.
• Comes along with some nice tools and whistles.

Cons

• The free credit score is Vantage 3.0 which is rarely used in credit decisions.
• You can only view your Transunion credit report.
• Only updates once in 30 days.