Free Weekly Credit Reports Extended Through April 2022

Some good news regarding the pandemic, the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion said in a joint statement this week that they will continue to offer consumers free credit reports on a weekly basis until April 20, 2022, because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Before the pandemic, credit bureaus by law had to provide a single free report annually, and could charge you about $20 each additional time you needed one. Credit card fraud and identify theft has exploded over the past year, which prompted the free weekly reporting to be extended and has many watchdog organizations wanting the weekly reports to be free permanently. Albeit fraud is an ongoing theme in offering free credit reports to consumers, it has also sparked a wave of complaints about errors reported from creditors. About 2/3 of all complaints last year were about errors. That's actually a good sign that people are taking advantage of the free credit reports and fixing errors that could impact their credit scores, which are used for an ever-growing list of necessities from obtaining lines of credit to employment. Remember you can get a free credit report, from all three credit reporting agencies, on a weekly basis, until April 20, 2022. Simply request it online at annualcreditreport.com.  

SOURCE: Consumer Reports