Free Weekly Credit Reports Are Now Available Permanently

Americans will permanently have access to free weekly online credit reports from the three major credit reporting agencies, the companies announced Monday.

Before the pandemic, you were only entitled to get a free copy of your credit report once per year from each of the credit bureaus Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Spacing out those three requests, you could view an official credit report at most once every four months.

But in April 2020, the credit bureaus announced weekly access to free online credit reports, citing the fact that many people were missing credit card, utilities and rent payments due to high unemployment early in the COVID-19 crisis. Now, that pandemic policy is permanent.

Why the credit bureaus are changing their policy

When it was first announced, the free weekly credit reports policy was set to end in April 2021. The date for its expiration was pushed back repeatedly, most recently to the end of 2023, until it was finally made indefinite on Monday.

In their announcement, executives from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion said they are reinforcing their commitment to the financial health of U.S. consumers with this move. The idea is that with the ability to access credit reports more regularly, Americans can keep better track of whats going on with their credit.