Experian's free Credit Score Service: what you get and how to join

Experian's free Credit Score Service is a free online account from Experian, one of the UK's three main credit reference agencies. It shows you your Experian Credit Score and a monthly copy of your Experian Credit Report through the Experian app, along with eligibility ratings that show your chances of approval for credit cards, loans and mortgages before you apply¹. Checking your own score counts as a soft search, so it will not affect your score or your chances of getting credit, however often you look³.

The account costs nothing and there is no monthly fee⁴. The main thing it does not give you is daily updates: with the free account your score and report refresh every 30 days when you log in, while the paid CreditExpert subscription updates them every day⁵. The free account also does not include the extra services that come with paid plans, such as daily report access⁶.

What the free Experian account includes

A free Experian account gives you your Experian Credit Score and Credit Report monthly in the Experian app, the ability to compare credit cards, loans and mortgages with your approval chances shown before you apply, Experian Boost, and your score history¹. Which? confirms that all you need to do is download the Experian app to see both your credit report and your credit score for free¹⁰.

The score itself is free to check, and Experian says you can check it as often as you like without harming it or your chances of getting credit¹¹. Alongside the score, the free account includes a monthly credit report, so you can see what is affecting your score and try to fix any issues¹². Experian's app also shows a breakdown of the factors influencing your score and lets you monitor changes over time².

One point worth knowing: the free account is not the only free way to see your Experian data. You can also order a free statutory credit report, a one-off copy of your credit file, but that does not include your Experian Credit Score or the other benefits of a free account¹. The differences between the two are covered below.

How the Experian Credit Score works and what the bands mean

The Experian Credit Score is a number that summarises the information in your Experian credit report. Experian says a higher score means a better chance of being accepted for credit, often at better rates². The score is built from things like your payment history, including on-time and late payments, amounts owed, credit utilisation, credit applications, and public records such as bankruptcy or county court judgments¹³.

The score sits in bands, and each band carries a broad indication of what lenders are likely to offer:

Two cautions on these bands. First, the ranges above mix the new 1,250 scale for the top bands with older figures for the middle and lower ones: the old scale ran to 999, with 961 to 999 for Excellent and 881 to 960 for Good¹⁵, while StepChange gives Good as between 861 and 1,000⁸. Second, a band is only an indication. Experian itself says that even in the Excellent band there are no guarantees, because every lender applies its own criteria¹⁴. The lowest possible Experian Credit Score is 0, and a score cannot be a negative number¹⁶.

The score scale has changed: what it means for your score

At the end of 2025, Experian changed its score system from out of 999 to out of 1,250⁸. Which? reported that around 42% of customers would see a positive change, either an increase in score or an improved band⁷. The new system also takes into account more everyday financial data, such as regular rental payments, mortgage overpayments, reduced overdraft use, and using a credit card to take out cash⁷. You will now also see a percentage breakdown showing how different factors influence your score⁷.

If your score appears to have moved overnight, the change of scale is the most likely reason rather than a change in your circumstances. Experian's own guidance on an unchanged score notes that the free Experian Credit Score gives you an idea of how lenders may see you, and that Experian can raise a dispute with a provider on your behalf if something on your report looks wrong¹⁷.

The wider context is that the other agencies have moved too. TransUnion expanded its consumer score range from 0 to 710 to a maximum of 999, with a phased rollout from late September 2026 until June 2027 during which some consumers may temporarily see two different TransUnion scores¹⁸. This is one reason a score in one app can differ from a score in another, a point covered in the FAQ below. Our page on credit score ranges at Experian, Equifax and TransUnion sets the scales side by side.

Comparing cards, loans and mortgages with eligibility ratings

The free account includes Experian's comparison services. When you compare credit cards and personal loans, your eligibility rating appears as a percentage next to each result, and Experian states it is free and will not affect your credit score⁹. For credit cards, Experian's card search covers cards from over 25 leading brands¹⁶, while its comparison service lists over 80 credit cards from over 20 leading brands¹⁹. For loans, Experian says it compares over 60 lenders²⁰.

Mortgage comparison works the same way. You can compare home-mover, first-time buyer and remortgage offers with Experian, which states the service is completely free and will not affect your credit score²¹. Experian notes that the better your credit score, the more chance you have of being accepted for a mortgage, and at better rates²². Experian is a credit broker, not a lender, for these services²¹.

An eligibility rating is a guide, not a promise. It is worked out from a soft search of your credit file, so it does not harm your score, but the lender makes the final decision when you apply, and a full application involves a hard search. A lower credit score means fewer offers are open to you, such as introductory offers and 0% balance transfers, and it can mean a smaller credit limit or a rejection²³. Our pages on credit eligibility checkers and hard and soft credit searches explain the mechanics.

Free account or paid subscription: what the difference is

Experian offers the free account alongside a paid subscription, CreditExpert. The core difference is frequency and access:

Which? notes that CreditExpert offers a 30-day free trial, after which you need to pay a monthly subscription²⁴, and that you can access your Experian report through either a CreditExpert free trial or one of Experian's free accounts²⁵. The free online account keeps your score free to access but, unlike the app and the paid-for CreditExpert service, it does not show you your credit report¹⁵. Experian's own comparison of its accounts states the free account carries no monthly fee⁴.

The free account covers ongoing score tracking and eligibility ratings at no cost. Paid monitoring offers daily visibility, which tends to matter to someone actively rebuilding a credit file or checking a file after identity fraud. Our page on credit monitoring and paid report services weighs the options.

How to join, and how to get your statutory credit report instead

Joining the free account means signing up online or in the Experian app. Experian describes the route simply: sign up online for a Free Experian Account, or order a free Experian statutory report²⁶. Once signed up, your score is free to access on an ongoing basis¹⁵.

The statutory credit report is a separate, free entitlement. It is a one-off copy of your credit file, available in print or online, giving a basic view of your credit history²⁷. The Information Commissioner's Office confirms you can make a request verbally or in writing, and that credit reference agencies usually provide an online form you can use to apply²⁸. Surviving Economic Abuse similarly notes you can apply for your credit report either online or through a statutory application from the three main credit reference agencies²⁹.

The statutory report does not include your Experian Credit Score, or any other benefits you get with a free Experian account¹. So the two serve different purposes: the statutory report is a one-off look at your file, while the free account is for ongoing score tracking and eligibility ratings. Our page on how to check your credit report for free covers all the free routes, including the other two agencies.

Fixing mistakes and getting help with identity fraud

If something on your Experian credit report looks wrong, Experian can raise a dispute with the provider on your behalf¹⁷. It is free to check your Experian Credit Report and Score using the Experian app, so reviewing your file costs nothing³⁰. Because lenders update Experian at different times, it can take up to eight weeks to see new information on your credit report³⁰. Our page on correcting wrong information on your credit report sets out the process and timescales.

For identity fraud, the first steps Experian advises are to contact your bank as soon as possible to ensure your accounts are safe, contact organisations you did not open accounts with, report the matter to Action Fraud, and get a copy of your Experian Credit Report³¹. Experian has a dedicated support team to help victims of ID fraud, and you can ask Experian to query any fraudulent information on your credit report with lenders on your behalf; once information is confirmed as fraudulent, the lender will remove it from your report³¹.

The Information Commissioner's Office advises identity theft victims to request a copy of their credit file to check for any suspicious credit applications, and to regularly check credit card and bank statements for suspicious activity and monitor your credit report³². Our page on identity fraud and your credit file goes further into protective registration and Cifas markers.

Complaints and accessible formats

Experian offers its credit report in audio, braille or large print for customers with a visual impairment³³. The free Experian Credit Score, updated every 30 days when you log in, is also available through this route³³.

If a complaint to Experian cannot be resolved, the Financial Ombudsman Service is the next step. Its published data shows the scale of complaints in this market: 934 complaints about credit records were opened in 2025/26³⁴, and in the first quarter of 2026/27 it recorded 5,783 complaints about credit cards and 33 about credit broking³⁵. The ombudsman is free to use and binding on the firm if you accept its decision.

For free, impartial help with money problems that show up on a credit file, StepChange and the Debt Advice Foundation publish guidance on credit scores and debt⁸, and our debt section sets out the options, including debt solutions and how they affect your credit file.