Everyone knows your credit score matters. Any time you want a new place to live, a new car, or helpful credit tools, the lender will pull your credit file to check if you’re a credit-worthy borrower. And the higher your score, the better your chances of getting approved at the most preferred rates.
What if there was a free way to instantly boost your credit score* based on bills you’ve already paid? You’d go for it, right? The good news is such a tool already exists – and it’s called Experian Boost™.
Use Experian Boost™ to, well, boost your credit score* for free
Experian is one of the three major credit bureaus that aggregates your credit data and determines your credit score. They’ve developed a free tool called Boost™ that can help you boost your credit score* instantly, and for free. You also get access to your full credit report and FICO credit score*.
How does Experian Boost™ work?
- Link: Experian Boost™
First, sign-up for a free account. There is no impact to your credit score to start using the service.
After you enter the required information, you’ll see a dashboard of your information, including your credit score*. Under the “Reports & Scores” tab at the top, click “Experian Boost™.”
To start, you’ll need to link your existing bank accounts. You’ll want to link the ones that show payment activity for utilities, cable, water, or any other monthly recurring charge – because your boost is based on your payment history.
For example, I linked the account I use to pay my monthly internet bill. Then, Experian will scan your accounts to determine your payment history. After the scan, Experian quickly told me I’ve made 22 months (nearly two years) of on-time payments and added them to my credit file.
After you’re done linking and scanning your accounts (which only takes a few minutes), you can see the immediate impact to your credit score*.
It’s important to note Experian only uses positive data that raises your credit score*. So, your score* will never go down by using this tool, it can only go up. Plus, you can add or remove your accounts at any time.
If you show a long on-time payment history, your Experian score* can go up instantly and remain on your credit file for as long as you wish.
You can also use your account to monitor your credit score*, verify the accuracy of your file, and add new boosts as you open new accounts. Best of all, it’s completely free!
Who should use Experian Boost™?
Because it’s a free tool, and only reports positive data, nearly anyone can benefit from Experian Boost™. Even if your lender doesn’t pull your credit file from Experian, you can still use other tools to track and monitor your credit score. I’d recommend anyone to sign-up for Experian Boost™. And if it helps you down the road, you’ll be glad you took the time to set it up!
Bottom line
Experian Boost™ is a free credit monitoring tool that can increase your credit score* by reporting your on-time payments from accounts you already have. It’s a free tool that also includes access to your credit score* and credit file, and gives you tips on ways to raise your score* even more.
Lots of folks report instant increases in their credit score* from spending a few minutes to set it up. There’s nothing to lose, and a lot of points to potentially gain. Plus, knowing your credit information empowers you to seek the best terms for your credit rating.
For all these reasons, setting up a free account and potentially boosting your credit score* at zero cost may be the right choice for you.
*Credit score calculated based on FICO® Score 8 model. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO® Score than FICO® Score 8, or another type of credit score altogether. Learn more. Average users boosted their FICO® Score 8 based on Experian data by 13 points. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use credit information impacted by Experian Boost™.