Experian Boost is offered by the largest credit bureau in the nation, Experian, to help consumers improve their credit score effortlessly. The tool enables you to raise your credit score instantly by giving your credit for on-time payments made to qualifying phone, utility and streaming service providers. You won’t have to meet eligibility requirements to enroll, and it’s easy to get started.
How Does Experian Boost Work?
Experian Boost focuses on payment history from participating service providers, like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Hulu, Spectrum and AT&T, to boost your score. Payment history accounts for 35 percent of your FICO score, so the more positive payments being reported each month on your behalf, the better.
If you pay late or miss a payment on any of these accounts, it won’t be reported through Experian Boost. However, your creditor can still report late payments to the credit bureaus, possibly lowering your credit score.
Does Experian Boost Really Work?
Experian Boost has helped millions of consumers around the U.S. improve their credit score. Credit newbies generally benefit the most from the service. And if you’re working on repairing your credit, the influx of timely monthly payments could also lend a helping hand. But if you have a lengthy credit history and good or excellent credit history, you may not see much of an impact, if any at all.
Quick note: Not all lenders and creditors use the credit score used by Experian that includes payments to service providers. So, the score they see when evaluating your credit application could be lower.
How Much Can Experian Boost Raise Your Credit Score?
On average, Experian Boost users see an increase of 12 points in their FICO Score 8. However, it varies by credit profile, and some users don’t see any improvement.
Should You Use Experian Boost?
Experian Boost can be beneficial for your credit health. Ultimately, deciding if it’s a good fit is a personal decision, but it doesn’t hurt to give the credit-boosting tool a try.
How Much Does Experian Boost Cost?
It’s free to use Experian Boost, and you won’t have to put a credit card on file to sign up. The tool is a part of the CreditWorks℠ Basic membership that also includes your free Experian FICO® Score and credit report with monthly updates, Experian alerts and credit monitoring, FICO score monitoring of Experian data, a loan and credit card matching tool, and dark web surveillance.
Other Features Experian Can Offer You Aside from Experian Boost
Advertisements for premium Experian services could appear when you sign up to Experian Boost. These services, which are available for a fee, are as follows:
- CreditWorksSM Premium: includes three-bureau (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) credit-report monitoring, daily Experian credit report and FICO score updates, monthly three-bureau credit report and FICO score updates, industry-specific FICO scores (auto, bankcard and mortgage), credit score tracking and alerts, access to the FICO Score Simulator, Experian Boost, Experian CreditLock, dark web surveillance, up to $1,00,000 in identity theft insurance, lost wallet assistance, identity theft monitoring and alerts, and support from a fraud resolution specialist in the U.S. (if your identity is compromised) (Cost: free 7-day trial, then $24.99 per month)
- IdentityWorksSM Plus: includes dark web surveillance, identity theft insurance up to $500,000, U.S.-based fraud resolution support, lost wallet assistance, identity theft monitoring and alerts, Experian CreditLock, Experian credit-report monitoring, Experian FICO score alerts, daily credit score tracking, the FICO score simulator and industry-specific scores (auto, mortgage and bankcard) (Cost: free 7-day trial, then $9.99 per month for one adult, $14.99 per month for one adult and up to 10 children or $19.99 for two adults and up to 10 children)
- IdentityWorksSM Premium: includes everything that’s offered with IdentityWorksSM Plus along with up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance, three-bureau credit-monitoring and quarterly FICO scores from the three credit bureaus (Cost: free 30-day trial, then $19.99 per month for one adult, $24.99 per month for one adult and up to 10 children or $29.99 per month for two adults and up to 10 children
Would you prefer to purchase your credit reports and scores for a one-time fee? You can get your Experian report and FICO score for $19.99, or purchase three-bureau reports and FICO scores for $39.99.
Experian also offers these small business services:
- Business Credit Advantage: includes access to business credit data for one business (Cost: $189 per year)
- Business CreditScore Pro: includes access to business credit data for 30 businesses per month (Cost: $1,495 per year)
- ProfilePlus Report: covers one business and available for a one-time fee of $49.95
- CreditScore Report: covers one business and available for a one-time fee of $39.95
- International Business Credit Report: available for a one-time fee of $59.95 for a single business
- Business Valuation Report: available for a one-time fee of $99 per report
How to Sign Up for Experian Boost
Get started with Experian Boost by visiting the webpage or downloading the mobile app and selecting “Start Your Boost.” You’ll first need to enroll in the free Experian CreditWorks℠ Basic membership program to move forward. Enter your name, address and email to set up your account.
Once you’re logged in, connect any bank accounts you use to pay monthly bills to the platform. Experian Boost will review your account activity and display qualifying payments. Select the accounts you wish to use for Experian Boost, and you’re all set. The tool will boost your credit score instantly and display the results in real-time.
If you decide to disconnect select accounts or stop using Experian Boost, you can unenroll at any time.
