How to check your credit report for free
Get your file and check your score for free
Checking your credit report is in good shape is VITAL if you want to get a mortgage, credit card, loan and much more. And with the cost of living eating into people's budgets and perceived 'affordability' for credit, having a good history has only grown in importance. Thankfully, there's no need to pay to access your credit report. In fact, some newbies can even earn money for doing so. Here's how to check your credit reports.
You can easily check your credit report – and it's totally free. Here's a quick lowdown if you know what you're doing and just want to get on with it, or check out our Credit scores guide for tips on how to improve your score.
There are three credit agencies which hold credit reports on you: TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. It's best to check all three reports at least once a year, because they all have an impact. Here are our quick and FREE ways to do so:
TransUnion: use the MoneySavingExpert Credit Club, which gives you free access to your TransUnion report (among a lot of other things).
Experian: use Experian's CreditExpert* free 30-day trial, but you'll have to cancel before the end of the trial to avoid the ongoing £14.99/month fee. If you've already had the free trial, you can get Experian's free statutory credit report.
Equifax: use Clearscore* which provides free ongoing access to your Equifax report. Alternatively, you can go direct via Equifax's Credit Report and Score, though this is only available for free for the first 30 days and then costs £14.95/month thereafter (includes access to Equifax rewards).
Get paid to check your report...
Newbies to Experian can get PAID to check their credit rating or report via cashback sites.
Why and what you should check
There are three credit reference agencies; Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. They all hold information on you and your payment history which lenders use. Even small errors can cause problems, so it's important you check through your credit history. Most of this is explained in detail in our How to boost your credit scores guide, but below is a quick checklist:
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Check addresses on old accounts.
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Fight unfair defaults on your file to boost your score.
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Ensure you financially de-link (in other words, separate) if you no longer have joint accounts with someone.
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Rejected? Always check your credit reports when you're not approved.
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Cancel unused credit and store cards. Find out why unused cards can count against you.
Should I check all three credit reports?
If you're doing a specific application for a company (for example for car finance) and you know which credit reference agency it uses, it's obviously a priority to check that one. But as a general housekeeping rule we suggest you check all three credit reports at least once a year, because they all have an impact.
Don't worry about over-checking your credit file. Your checks are only recorded on your report as soft searches, which lenders either don't see, or if they do they can't use them in making lending decisions.
When you do check your reports, make sure you check EVERY detail and do it regularly. PLUS always check before making any big applications to minimise your risk of rejection when lenders do a credit check on you. Even if you are accepted, your score could affect the interest rate or credit limit you are offered.
How to check your full credit report for FREE
It used to be that the only way you could check your full report for free was to sign up to 30-day free trials with the credit agencies, and then cancel before the time's up so you don't get charged. Yet these days there is more choice out there, and even the chance to earn money for checking.
Which way you choose to check your report will depend on what's most important to you – a full bells and whistles credit-monitoring service free for 30 days, or a more basic, but free-for-life service.
Here's how to do it, broken down by agency:
TransUnion
Here's how to view your TransUnion credit report for free:
MSE Credit Club – free access to your TransUnion report (full details in the box below)
MSE's Credit Club shows your real-world credit power – which translates to acceptance for credit cards, loans & more – and explains how to improve things.
MSE's Credit Club uses a new Credit Eligibility Rating which combines the THREE crucial factors that dictate whether a lender will accept you, to show a far bigger picture...
1) Your credit score
2) Your affordability score (which, crucially, includes income)
3) Current market conditions
Once logged in, it'll show your TransUnion credit report and score (updated in real-time every time you log in).
Plus, it’ll give you access to our eligibility calculators for credit cards, loans and mortgages, allowing you to see the deals you'll most likely be accepted for, without impacting your ability to get future credit.
It's easy. Just log in to your account, go to 'Settings' then click the big red 'Delete My Account' button. But if you're leaving we'd like to know why – please email us so we can fix any issues.
How to cancel a Credit Club account?
Or alternatively...
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Credit Karma. Your TransUnion credit report information will be updated every seven days. Apply online or via Credit Karma's app.
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Credit Monitor – free access to your TransUnion report. Credit Monitor is powered by MoneySupermarket.com, and also offers completely free access to your TransUnion credit report and score.
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TransUnion's statutory credit report. A free credit report that you've got a legal entitlement to. A statutory credit report is done online, so it's quick and easy to access, but it won't usually include any 'extras' you get with some subscription services, such as a guide credit score.
Experian
It's a bit harder to be able to view your Experian credit report for free. Here's how:
Experian CreditExpert*– free 30-day trial
What you get: Experian's CreditExpert* offers new customers a "free 30-day trial, then £14.99 a month" service. It gives you real-time access to your credit report, and offers an eligibility checker. You can only do the free trial once.
A new customer is somebody who's never used CreditExpert before (though you can have been a member of Experian in the past).
Get PAID to use CreditExpert: If you're new to both Experian and CreditExpert, you can earn £5 cashback for signing up to CreditExpert via this Topcashback* link.
How to cancel your CreditExpert account: To cancel your subscription, log into your account and go to 'My Subscriptions'.
Or alternatively...
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Experian's statutory credit report. A free credit report that you've got a legal entitlement to. A statutory credit report is done online, so it's quick and easy to access, but it won't usually include any 'extras' you get with some subscription services, such as a guide credit score.
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Experian's Credit Score – free subscription to your score ONLY. If you don't want to pay a subscription to see your credit report, you can sign up for free to see your Experian Credit Score. You won't have to pay anything, but the information is limited to seeing your credit score, as opposed to credit report. The score updates every 30 days.
Equifax
Here's how to view your Equifax credit report for free:
Clearscore* – free access to your monthly Equifax Credit Report
What you get: Clearscore* provides free Equifax credit scores and reports, updated once a month, and also has an eligibility checker. Clearscore's basic services are free for life.
Clearscore sometimes needs basic details about which bank you're with in order for you to sign up. For instance, Clearscore might ask you to confirm the first two digits of your banking sort code and last six digits of your account number. These details are only used to match you to your credit report and are not saved.
How to cancel your Clearscore account: Go to your 'My Account' page, and click on 'Delete My Account'. You'll be sent an email to confirm your request has been processed.
Or alternatively...
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Equifax's Credit Report and Score – free 30-day trial. Equifax offers a 30-day free trial, then £14.95 a month. The paid-for service gives you access to your real-time credit report as well as daily email alerts whenever there are changes to your account, like a new search. To avoid being charged, you'll need to cancel your subscription at least 24 hours before the free trial is up. You can do this by going through 'My Account' and then 'Product Management' – alternatively you can cancel by calling 0800 014 2955.
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Equifax's statutory credit report. A free credit report that you've got a legal entitlement to. A statutory credit report is done online, so it's quick and easy to access, but it won't usually include any 'extras' you get with some subscription services, such as a guide credit score.
How to check all three in one go
CheckMyFile gives you a 30-day trial to see your Experian, TransUnion and Equifax reports in one place. After that, it's £14.99 a month.
To cancel, either call 0800 086 9360 or log into your account, then click through 'Expert Help', 'I need help with my account' and then 'I'd like to stop my subscription'.
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