The government’s program to give a free credit report annually to every American just opened up in the mid-west states this week.
Now residents of 25 states can get access to a free credit report from each of the bureaus.
I went through the process today. You get “instant” access to your reports online.
You have to get a user name and password with Transunion, and slog through a series of upsells, but eventually, you get access. I never did get to see my full report. I don’t know what happened with that. However, I got tired of looking and used the handy banner that freecreditreport placed at the top of my window to go back to their site and continue the process with the next bureau
At Experian, I was asked for the last 4 digits of my social security number, the lender for my last mortgage, the range of payment, a previous address and type of car I own. Thankfully, these were multiple choice questions or I’m not sure I would have passed that test.
I was then quickly granted access to my credit report, with a very nice useable navigation to potentially negative items, accounts in good standing and requests for my file. While Experian, too, had upsells, they only reared their head if you clicked on a link to something like Credit Alert or Credit Score…then that service was offered to you.
Equifax also asked for the mortgage company and payment, and forced me to say no to an upsell. They also asked if I’d like to see credit offers that I qualify for based on my score, which I thought was an interesting touch, and in retrospect, I wish I had said “yes”.
Overall, the process was harmless, and takes no longer than purchasing the report from the vendors. Actually, it may even take less time, because you get some benefit of only entering your personal information once on the main website. It’s a nice service. Uncle Sam did well on this one.
