You have a regular or instant credit report

So what is the difference between instant credit report and regular credit report? When I try to find out the answer for this question, I found certain websites offering instant credit report. When I check more, I found that most of credit reports are instant. The main difference between instant and regular credit report is time and how you are planning to receive your credit report.

Our credit history is monitored by three credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. By law, we are provided with a free copy of credit report from all of three major bureaus on request. Your credit report will be instant or regular depends upon how you order it and how you choose to receive it.

1. In case you chose to get your credit report online and then have mail to you, then your credit report is instant or quick. The information about your credit history is available to all of major credit agencies. So whether you chose to go for one or 3 in 1 credit report, that information is instantly available and can be easily tracked by your social security number, name and address. Once this info is provided to these agencies, their database can do it quickly or instantly. So this way you will have instant credit report.


2. Second way of getting your credit report is mailing to FTC (Federal Trade commission). This way you mail to the Government and get your free credit report. In this case the information about your credit report will be processed and then mailed to you. This is a slow process and can take few to many weeks for completion. So this way you will get your annual free credit report and will not be considered as instant credit report. But getting your credit report via mail will make you feel safe as getting it using internet.


3. Third way of getting credit report is making a call to Federal trade commission or any of credit agencies you are willing to get report from. Every year you are entitled with a free copy of credit report. And how you go about it, it is up to you. Getting credit report by calling is faster than mailing. But it will still take some time and you will need to submit your personal information like your name, address and social security number. Once you have made the call for a copy of your credit report, they will mail you the copy of your credit report. So this will not be instant credit report as it will take some days for the report to approach to you.