Credit reporting agencies extended free weekly credit reports for another year—here's where to get yours

The three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — have announced that they will continue to offer free credit reports to all Americans weekly through April 20, 2022.

The additional year extension comes after the bureaus first offered weekly free credit reports at the start of the pandemic. The free credit reports are available on AnnualCreditReport.com.

"Access to financial information and records on a more frequent basis helps people plan for their future while also taking care of the present during these challenging times. We strive to make credit more accessible and available to people every day, and we hope continuing to make free credit reports available each week is helpful to consumers," said Mark Begor, CEO at Equifax; Brian Cassin, CEO at Experian; and Chris Cartwright, CEO at TransUnion in a joint statement.

Before the pandemic, consumers were only entitled to one free credit report from each bureau per year. Now with the extension, you have increased access to check your credit report for free as many as 156 times (3 free credit reports per week x 52 weeks in one year = 156) over the next 12 months.

Here is how to get your free credit report from each bureau, plus why your credit report is important.

To get your free credit reports from each bureau, follow these steps:

1. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com.
2. Click on "Request your free credit reports."
3. Fill out one form to request up to three copies of your credit report.
4. Choose which reports you want (Experian, Equifax and/or TransUnion).
5. Answer questions to verify you're the correct person to be accessing your report (and not a fraudster), then submit your request (you'll need to do step this for each credit report).
6. Review your report(s).

Your credit report serves as a good snapshot of what your overall financial health looks like. On it, you can find your personal information, current and historical credit accounts from the past seven to 10 years (including their statuses, balances and payment histories), inquiries and public records.

Lenders and credit card issuers look at your credit report to determine whether or not you are eligible for loans, credit cards and housing. In addition to looking at your credit report to see if you meet their qualifications, lenders and issuers also like to use it when deciding what interest rates and terms to give you.

To get help monitoring your credit reports, consider signing up for a credit monitoring service. One like CreditWise® from Capital One alerts you in real-time of any changes to your Experian and TransUnion credit reports, plus it's free to use.