Direct Reports

• Experian, TransUnion and Equifax all sell credit report copies directly through their websites for varying fees, including special offers for free reports. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that the bureaus and third party vendors that also sell credit reports may not make their terms clear. Their ads often downplay the fact that you must buy something or sign up for a membership to get a free report, or the actual cost of the required purchase is buried in the fine print. Carefully read the agreement before ordering supposedly free reports directly from credit bureau sites. You may need to cancel a service or membership within a certain time period to avoid ongoing charges.
  
  

Government Option

• The Fair Credit Reporting Act mandates that the credit bureaus make free credit reports available to all consumers. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion set up a special website, annualcreditreport.com, to comply with this law. This site acts as a portal to the three bureaus. You must initiate your credit report order through the site, which redirects you to the selected bureaus to complete the request. You may get offers for paid services, but you still get your reports even if you refuse them, and you are never required to enter a credit card number or other payment information to get the reports.
  
  

Time Frame

• You are allowed to order credit reports from the credit bureaus as often as you wish, as long as you pay the required fee. The government mandated website places a limit of one no-cost report from each bureau every 12 months. Your request is denied if you try to order another report through the site too soon. The "Wall Street Journal" website recommends staggering the free reports throughout the year if you use them to monitor your information for signs of identity theft. Get a report from a different bureau every four months, and repeat this pattern each year.
  
  

Considerations

• The credit bureaus are obligated to directly give you free credit reports under certain circumstances, even if you already got copies through annualcreditreport.com within the past year. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse website, explains that you are entitled to corrected report copies after you dispute mistaken information. The bureaus investigate your claims and make any necessary corrections. Then they send you updated credit reports.