What is a TransUnion® credit report?

TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus. Like the other major credit bureaus, it gathers information on credit history and activity, among other things, to generate credit reports. 

Checking your TransUnion credit report can help you understand what lenders may see if they check your credit. And that can help prevent any surprises when you apply for a new loan or credit card. 

Key takeaways

• TransUnion is a major credit bureau that produces credit reports. 
• Lenders and other businesses use credit reports to inform lending decisions.
• Monitoring your credit reports can give you an idea of where your credit stands and ensure your reports are free of errors.

Lenders like banks and credit card issuers use the information in credit reports to make decisions about whether they should extend credit or approve loans. Landlords, property management companies and even employers might review credit reports.

Knowing what’s in your credit reports can help you understand what people or companies reviewing your credit might see.

For example, reviewing your TransUnion credit report and your credit scores might help you figure out if you meet the minimum requirements to qualify for a mortgage.

Ready to buy your first car? You might want to check out your credit report before you head to the dealership and investigate auto loans. Interest rates can be determined, in part, by the information in credit reports.

According to federal law, TransUnion must provide a free copy of your credit report annually. You can visit AnnualCreditReport.com to learn more.

You can also use CreditWise from Capital One to access your TransUnion credit report for free anytime—without negatively impacting your credit scores. 

The three major credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian, all use financial information to compile credit reports. Those reports are then used by credit-scoring companies to calculate credit scores. 

But depending on the credit bureau, your report might look slightly different. One reason? Not all lenders report credit information to all three bureaus. Some may provide information to TransUnion only, Equifax only or Experian only—or some combination. 

That means that each bureau might be using slightly different information in reports. And those differences in credit reports are one reason you might see differences in your credit scores.

Federal law restricts access to your credit report information.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires “any prospective user of a consumer report, for example, a lender, insurer, landlord, or employer, among others, to have a legally permissible purpose to obtain a report.”

This restricts the number of people who can access your report. But it also means your credit reports aren’t totally confidential. 

Find out what’s in your credit reports.

What Is a good TransUnion credit score?

TransUnion isn’t a credit scoring company, but the bureau says a good credit score falls between 720 and 780. That’s for VantageScore® 3.0 scores. Remember, you have multiple scores. 

Typical credit scores range from 300 to 850. And knowing your credit scores can help you know where you stand before you apply for a loan. But even a good credit score might not automatically qualify you for some credit cards or loans. Those decisions are ultimately up to lenders.

If you’re not happy with your credit scores, you can learn how to build credit or improve your credit.

Is TransUnion legitimate? 

Yes. TransUnion is a legitimate credit bureau, and its credit reports are used by lenders to judge things like loan and credit applications.

Remember, there are different kinds of credit scores. Regularly checking your credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus, including TransUnion, may be a helpful way to keep tabs on your credit. 

And with CreditWise, you can get email alerts whenever your TransUnion credit report changes. Even better, using CreditWise won’t hurt your credit scores.