How Do I Get My Free Experian Credit Report and Monitoring Alert?

Keeping track of your credit is an essential part of presenting yourself in a positive light to potential employers, landlords, insurers and lenders, who may use this information to examine your money management habits and overall debt liability. Under federal law, all consumers are entitled to a free annual report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to visit AnnualCreditReport.com, a government-sponsored website and the only source guaranteed to offer free credit reports without requiring consumers to buy products or pay for unwanted membership fees.

Instructions

1

Visit AnnualCreditReport.com. Make sure the website address is spelled correctly to prevent your browser from redirecting you to a different site. Select the state you live in.

2

Fill out the online form with your personal information, including name, date of birth, address and Social Security number. If you want, check the box to hide the first five digits of your Social Security number before moving on.

3

Select the reporting agency you want to receive a credit report from. You can choose Experian, Equifax, TransUnion or all three.

4

Provide the last four digits of your Social Security number to transfer to the reporting agency's website.

5

Choose either to continue directly to your free credit report or follow the directions to enroll in a trial membership for credit monitoring. If you opt for a trial membership, you will be prompted to enter payment information--for credit monitoring--before proceeding to the free credit report.

6

Verify your identity by answering the provided questions.

7

View and print your credit report. Write down the report number to access it online in future. You can also use the credit monitoring and credit score membership option at this stage.