Credit Bureau Comparisons - Experian Equifax and Transunion side-by-side
So, you want to get your credit report, right?
We help you decide which service is best for you!
- Summary - the information you need to figure out what credit service you need
- Credit Bureau Comparison - See the most popular sites that offer your online credit information side-by-side
What are the 3 major credit bureaus?
Experian (formerly TRW), Equifax and Transunion. Each credit agency holds
different information for you, so if you're one of those people who like
to check their credit once a year, I'd suggest a 3-bureau report, which
provides all three credit reports at one low price.
How can I get a free credit report?
There are two ways (and only 2 ways) to get a free credit report. So,
when you see an advertisement for a FREE credit report, here's the catch.
- You have been denied for credit.
If you've been denied for credit recently, you are entitled to a free credit report from the agency that denied you.
- Signing up for a credit monitoring service.
Credit Monitoring services usually provide a 30-day free, unlimited access to their service, which includes a free credit report, credit score, and credit monitoring. The great thing about this is that they usually don't charge your card until after the 30-day trial is over. So, if you find that the monitoring service isn't useful for you, you still get free access to your credit report and score.
What is a credit score?
A credit score is a number that reflects your credit risk level. Your
credit score is a fluid number, and it changes as the elements in your
credit report change. A credit score is a leading indicator of one's basic
creditworthiness.
Below is a comparison of products and services that the major credit
bureaus offer. You may also want to Compare
Credit Services by Credit Bureau.
| FREE Credit Report with Credit Monitoring | |||||
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Experian | FreeCreditReport.com | Free Experian Credit Report and Experian Credit Score | ||
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TransUnion | Credit.com | Free Transunion Credit Report and Free Credit Score | ||
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Equifax | Equifax.com | Free Equifax Credit Report and Free Fico Credit Score with Equifax Credit Watch Gold | ||
Of course, I'd recommend all three. They usually don't charge you until after the 30 days are over. By that time, if you don't want the monitoring service, you may have already canceled. And, I always check all three credit bureaus since the reports always have different discrepancies.
If you have to choose only one, I recommend Equifax only because the
other two bureaus bought out some third party company to handle their
services. I prefer to go to the source to get my report. And, Equifax
seems like the only bureau that doesn't focus on the FREE part. I feel
safer with a company that will tell you the truth upfront, and doesn't
compromise their integrity to make a buck.
| 3-Bureau Credit Reports | |||||
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ConsumerInfo.com | $ 34.95 (w/ a free score) | Free Experian Credit Score | ||
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TrueCredit.com | $ 29.95 (3 free scores) | 3 Credit Scores | ||
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Equifax.com | $ 29.95 | No free Score | ||
This service is good for busy people who don't want to fuss with credit monitoring services. And, it's easy to compare your information because each credit bureau shows your credit information side by side so you don't have to sit there and try to line up your information.
My choice here is pretty simple. I'd, of course choose the best deal,
which is from True Credit. How can you beat that price, and all three
offer basically the same information.
| Single Credit Report | |||||||
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Equifax | $ 9.00 | Equifax.com | ||||
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Experian | $ 9.00 | ConsumerInfo.com | ||||
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TransUnion | Not Offered Anymore | |||||
This service is for people who just need one credit report from a major credit bureau. Well, it's so difficult to find this link (Credit bureaus are always wanting to sell you more, so they never promote just a plain credit report anymore) but we have the links here for you. For $9.00, you get an online credit report.
My choice is Equifax, for the same reasons I mention in the credit monitoring.
In addition, they allow you to view your credit report online for 30 days.
On the Experian Credit Bureau, you had better make sure you printed it
because once you close your browser... poof, it's gone and you have to
buy another one.
| Single Credit Report and Credit Score | ||||
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Equifax | $ 14.95 | Fico Score | |
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Experian | $ 14.95 | Experian | |
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TransUnion | $ 14.95 | CreditXpert | |