Experian offers many services to help you stay on top of your credit health and boost your credit scores. Let’s take a closer look at their free and premium services in more detail for you to determine if it’s worth paying for Experian services to boost your credit score.
What Services Does Experian Offer?
Experian is the largest provider of consumer and business credit reporting in the world. They offer free and paid solutions to help you boost your credit health. If you’re a small business owner, you use Experian’s business services to strengthen your company’s credit profile and get access to the capital you need to expand.
This detailed guide explores the free and premium services offered by Experian. You will also learn more about the key benefits of each and if the premium services are worth the investment.
Experian Free Services
Consumers can take advantage of many of the free services offered by Experian.
CreditWorksSM Basic
The CreditWorksSM Basic plan allows you to view your Experian credit report and FICO Score for free without putting a credit card on file. Updates are posted monthly, but you will receive alerts any time activity occurs in your credit profile or your credit score changes. This plan also includes Experian Boost, a free service that helps raise your credit score by giving you credit for timely payments to service providers and subscription service providers, like utilities or TV streaming accounts.
Experian CreditMatch
Experian CreditMatch™ is another free service you can use to gauge what debt products you may qualify for based on your FICO score. Simply input your name, home address, last four digits of your Social Security number, and email address to view your potential credit card and loan offers.
Credit Support Services
Beyond credit reports, scores, and monitoring, Experian offers a host of other credit support services, including:
- Free credit reports due to denials: Were you denied credit, insurance, or employment due to your credit profile in the last 60 days? You have a right to a free copy of your credit report and can request it on Experian’s website.
- Online disputes: Does your credit report contain errors or outdated information? File a dispute online, access instructions to file a dispute by mail, or check the status of an existing dispute through the online portal.
- Fraud alerts: You can add a temporary, active duty, or extended fraud alert to your credit profile if you are a victim of identity theft. Doing so prompts potential creditors to verify your identity when you apply for credit. There’s also an option to remove a fraud alert online.
- Security freezes: When you add a security freeze, applications for new credit cannot be approved in your name without your consent.
- Experian IDNotify Active Military Account: This service is available exclusively for active military members and includes a free Experian credit report every 30 days and credit monitoring.
Credit Education
Experian’s education center provides all the answers to your most pressing credit questions. You can also find guidance on fraud and identity theft, credit cards, insurance, finance, loans, small-business-related topics, and the latest news and trends.
Experian Premium Services
Experian also offers premium services for a fee.
CreditWorksSM Premium
This plan includes all the features of CreditWorksSM Basic, but you also get a daily credit report, and FICO score updates for your Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax profiles. You will also have access to additional credit scores used by auto lenders, mortgage lenders, and credit card companies, along with real-time score tracking. Another perk of this plan is the FICO Score Simulator, a tool you can use to input potential action and get an idea of how it’ll impact your credit score.
You can also lock and unlock your Experian credit file, get instant alerts whenever a credit inquiry appears and take advantage of identity theft monitoring and protection. Coverage entails dark web surveillance, lost wallet assistance, and up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance.
IdentityWorksSM Plus
When you enroll in the IdentityWorksSM Plus plan, you will receive up to $500,000 in identity theft insurance and access to a U.S.-based fraud resolution specialist if you are ever victimized by identity theft. The plan also includes:
- Identity theft monitoring and alerts.
- Dark web surveillance.
- Experian credit lock.
- Experian credit monitoring.
- Real-time alerts.
- Daily Experian credit score updates.
Members can also view their auto, home, and bankcard FICO Scores and use the FICO Score Simulator to determine how their actions can potentially impact their credit score.
IdentityWorksSM Premium
This plan affords you and your family additional benefits not afforded with the IdentityWorksSM Plus membership, including up to $1,000 in identity theft insurance, three-bureau credit monitoring. You will also get quarterly FICO Score updates from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
Small Business Services
You can access your business credit report through one of the following products:
- Business Credit Advantage: subscription available for one business
- Business CreditScore Pro: subscription available for 30 businesses per month
- ProfilePlus Report: a single report for one business
- CreditScore Report: a single report for one business
How Much Do Experian Services Cost?
Below is a fee schedule for Experian’s premium services:
- CreditWorksSM Premium: $24.99 per month following a free 7-day trial
- IdentityWorksSM Plus: $9.99 per month following a free 30-day trial (one adult), $14.99 per month (one adult and up to 10 children), $24.99 per month (one adult and up to 10 children)
- IdentityWorksSM Premium: $19.99 per month following a free 30-day trial (one adult), $24.99 per month (one adult and up to children), $29.99 per month (two adults and up to 10 children)
- Business Credit Advantage: $189 per year
- Business CreditScore Pro: $1,495 per year
- ProfilePlus Report: $49.95 (one-time fee)
- CreditScore Report: $39.95 (one-time fee)
The Benefits of Paying for Experian Services
If you are wondering if you should pay for premium services from Experian, consider the key benefits each has to offer before you decide.
CreditWorksSM Premium
CreditWorksSM Premium provides a more in-depth view of your credit health across the three bureaus – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Plus, you will receive more frequent updates as your credit profile changes to make quicker, more informed decisions. And you’ll receive identity theft monitoring and protection as a bonus.
Identity WorksSM Plus and Premium
You can protect yourself and your family from identity thieves with one of these plans. And if you are victimized, you’ll get help from a dedicated fraud resolution support representative without incurring any additional fees. Plus, you’ll get access to tools to help you improve your score.
Small Business Services
If you have no idea how potential creditors perceive your business, the small business services from Experian can lend a helping hand. You can pay a one-time fee to get a detailed report that reflects your business credit history, or you can enroll in a monthly subscription plan to stay on top of your profile as you continue to build your business credit.
The Bottom Line: Is It Worth It to Pay for Experian Services?
Ultimately, it depends on your needs and credit goals. If your credit is in good standing, the free CreditWorksSM basic plan and other credit support services may be adequate to help you maintain your credit health. But if you want to work toward improving your credit, the premium plan may be a better fit.
You also want to consider how much of a threat identity theft poses to you and your immediate family. Online theft is at an all-time high, and it pays to protect yourself from headaches that could arise in the long run.
