Amanda Barroso is a personal finance writer who joined NerdWallet in 2021, covering credit scoring. She has also written data studies and contributed to NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast. Before joining the team, Amanda spent more than a decade covering issues facing many Americans, which includes her work as a writer at the Pew Research Center, a policy analyst at the National Women's Law Center and a college professor. Amanda earned a doctorate from The Ohio State University.
Lead Assigning Editor Kathy Hinson
Lead Assigning Editor | Personal finance, credit scoring, debt and money management
Kathy Hinson is a former Lead Assigning Editor for the Core Personal Finance team at NerdWallet. Previously, she spent 18 years at The Oregonian in Portland in roles including copy desk chief and team leader for design and editing. Prior experience includes news and copy editing for several Southern California newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Iowa.
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The three major credit bureaus in the U.S. are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. There are plenty of reasons why you might need to contact one of them, including disputing an item on your credit report, freezing your credit, or reporting fraud or identity theft.
While the major credit bureau websites offer the ability to do some of this online or by mail, sometimes talking to a customer service representative might be the best choice, especially if you need to talk through a complex problem or want the extra peace of mind knowing that your issue is in the hands of an actual human.
Each major credit bureau has a main customer service support phone number:
Experian: 888-397-3742. Equifax: 888-378-4329. TransUnion: 888-909-8872.Once you call, you will either be prompted to answer a few questions or will be directly connected to an agent who can route your call based on the action you’d like to take.
Each of the credit bureaus has a self-service page on its website dedicated to common customer questions and popular services. Experian , Equifax and TransUnion offer users the ability to:
Request a credit report. Dispute an item or issue on a credit report. Freeze and unfreeze your credit (or the credit of a minor or incapacitated person you're helping). Report or monitor fraudulent activity or identity theft.These self-service pages also allow you to complete these actions online and by mail. Many contain downloadable and printable forms for mailing as well as secure portals where you can submit requests virtually.
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When initiating a phone call with one or more of the credit bureaus, be prepared to answer questions designed to verify your identity.
You'll likely be asked for your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current and former addresses. Having this information accessible will ensure the call goes smoothly and prevent you from having to call back later.
In most cases, you will need to contact all three credit bureaus separately if you have an error to dispute or want to freeze (or unfreeze) your credit. There is only one exception: fraud. If you call one of the credit bureaus to ask for a fraud alert, that bureau will report it to the other two bureaus.
On the other hand, if you find an error in one credit report, you should request and view your credit reports from the other bureaus to see if that error is there, too, and make a separate dispute, if applicable.
If you need more information about any of these potential actions or want to decide which form of communication — phone, mail or online — best suits your needs, check out our detailed guides:
Regularly reviewing your credit reports to check for mistakes or fraudulent activity is a good habit to set. Errors in your credit report could negatively impact your credit score, so disputing them could pay off.
See our guides on how to dispute errors on your credit report for more details:
Fraud and identity theft are issues that you want to handle swiftly. To report identity theft , you need to call one of the credit bureaus, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and any companies involved. You should also place a freeze on your credit to further protect it.
Once you notify one bureau of identity theft, it will notify the two remaining credit bureaus. This way, you only need to make one call to get extra scrutiny to any applications opened in your name. However, to freeze your credit you will need to call all three bureaus separately.
Get more financial clarity with NerdWallet Monitor your credit, track your spending and see all of your finances together in a single place.Freezing your credit simply prevents you — or others — from opening credit accounts in your name. Don’t worry: You’ll still be able to use your existing credit as you normally do. Placing a freeze is free, as is temporarily unfreezing when you want to apply for credit, and it won’t affect your credit score.
See our guides on how to request a credit freeze from each of the bureaus:
Your credit report is a detailed history of your credit usage. You can request a copy of your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus.
Note that credit reports don’t include your credit score. You can check your credit score for free with NerdWallet, personal finance websites or some banks and credit card issuers.
You can request your credit report in Spanish directly from each of the three major credit bureaus: · TransUnion : Call 800-916-8800. · Equifax : Visit the link or call 888-378-4329. · Experian : Click on the link or call 888-397-3742.
🤓 Consejo Nerdy Usted puede solicitar una copia de su informe crediticio (gratis y en español) de cada una de las tres principales agencias de crédito: · TransUnion : Llame al 800-916-8800. · Equifax : Visite el enlace o llame al 888-378-4329. · Experian : Haga clic en el enlace o llame al 888-397-3742.
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Amanda covers consumer credit and debt at NerdWallet. She previously worked at the Pew Research Center and earned a doctorate at The Ohio State University. See full bio.
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