Experian is one of the three major credit bureaus in the U.S., producing credit reports for millions of people and businesses. Experian also offers free credit reports, credit scores and credit monitoring to consumers. A variety of paid identity theft protection plans are available from Experian, too. You can learn more about Experian below.
1.2/5 rating among users on WalletHub
Offers free credit reports, scores and monitoring
Experian Boost can use monthly bill payments to improve your FICO 8 credit score
Experian is based in Dublin, Ireland and was founded in 1996. To reach Experian customer service, call 800-831-5614.
Experian Reviews
The WalletHub rating is comprised of reviews from both WalletHub users and ratings on other reputable websites. The rating was last updated on 09/16/2025.
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2,961 reviews
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2,961 reviews from WalletHub and across the web
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Experian
Grace Hiner @grace_hiner21
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1 Star Rating
On June 11th, 2025, I tried signing into my account at Experian. I am trying to apply for a new credit card, and they check Experian, so I was trying to unfreeze my credit. However, when I tried signing into my account, the phone number they used to verify my account was not mine, and the email they gave me to verify the account ended in @experian.com, which is not my email either. In 2023, I had received a notification through my bank that someone had added their name and address to my social security number, but at the time, I thought I had resolved it. It seems that the fraudulent name, address, phone number, and email were added to my account at Experian. So, I called Experian on June 11th but could not get through to a live agent to discuss what had happened. The phone menu hung up on me at least three times. I tried again to call that weekend, but again, there were a ridiculous number of hoops and specific phrases you needed to say to even get the chance to talk to an agent. It seems virtually impossible to talk to a live agent if you have a specific problem. I read online that one of the only ways to get someone to respond to you was to leave a review for Experian online. So I went online and left a review with some of the facts of the case. I tried calling again the next week. I could only get through to the claims department because, as I said, it is almost impossible to seek customer service of any kind at Experian. The agent there told me that there was already a case report generated for my case. I had not been contacted by anyone at that point about this. They had left instructions for me to send in information to verify my account. So, I asked the agent to repeat the instructions and then the case number. I sent over all my documents for the first time on June 17th. However, the agent repeated the wrong case number, so I faxed over all of my personal identity documents and heard nothing back. I waited a week to give them time to check. I went back on to see if there was something updated, only to find out they had given me the wrong reference number, so I sent over my information again. Unfortunately, I don't own a fax machine, so I had to pay twice to fax these documents. I called again, had to wait over an hour to talk to someone because of the numerous times the phone menu hung up on me and the 40 minutes wait to talk to an agent. The agent could do nothing for me; no one I talked to could transfer me to the correct department or to a live agent, and none of the agents could tell me what I needed to say to the phone menu in order to talk to a live agent. I asked to talk to a manager. There was no manager available. They told me the manager would call me back sometime in the next 72 hours, which is a wild timeframe considering I work, and sent me to another phone menu. I finally got through to the correct department, and he told me I should upload my information to a separate link. Why they did not give me this link in the first place, I don't know. I uploaded my information to that link using the correct case number and documents. The manager called back right in the middle of an important meeting at work, so I was not able to pick up. I called again and got a phone menu again. I waited a couple of days to give them the chance to review the information. I signed back on the week of July 1st, only to find out they don't accept credit card statements. It would've been nice to know that only bank statements would be accepted before I uploaded the documents for the third time. They also could've allowed me to send in a copy of my bills or insurance, but I don't pay the bills because I live with my parents. Therefore, a bank statement was my only option. I uploaded the documents again with a bank statement from April 2025, a scanned copy of my social security card, my driver's license, my passport, a letter that explained the situation, and the correct case number. I uploaded all those things for the fourth time the week of July 7th. Has any single person from this organization contacted me to let me know what was happening or that I had the wrong documents? No. Has anyone given me a direct line of who to contact with questions about the case? No. It has been over a month now since I tried to correct something that wasn't my fault in the first place. This company plays a pivotal role in me finding a job, securing a loan, buying a house/car, and opening a credit card or bank account. Their customer service is the worst I have ever experienced. They allowed someone to fraudulently add their information to an account with my social security number, and then they can't even work with me to correct the mistake. I have sent my information in four times now, and nothing has changed. I am at my limit. This is the most frustrating and pointless experience of my life. I even submitted this complaint to try to force them to resolve the issue, yet it did nothing. I wish I could sue.
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Product: Experian Identity Theft Protection
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Experian
Dan @dan_a
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1 Star Rating
This site is much worse than the other credit monitoring agencies. It took me almost an hour to freeze my account. I could not log in because they were using outdated phone numbers and an email address I never had, and the phone line is only AI, which refused to connect me with a person and hung up on me. I finally found the magic words to get the AI to freeze my account, but needed a temporary unfreeze a few weeks later. There were no magic words for that, and I spent 90 minutes calling number after number that I could find online and finally got someone who transferred me to a person to unfreeze my account. However, that person could not fix the account issues that were blocking me, so I got transferred again. This time, the person could not understand what I needed, asked me security questions that I had never set up and told me to call back in 3 days and try again. This company is too inept to trust with anything.
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Product: Experian Credit Monitoring
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Experian
Kimberley Patterson @kpatte27
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1 Star Rating
Worst of all, I have been on a journey of repairing my credit, and initially, Experian was awesome. I finally got to a point where I qualified for credit cards again, and Experian was reporting everything perfectly. Then, one month, my utilization went from 7% to zero percent, and one of the accounts I owed reported a lower balance because I paid it down. Apparently, all this positivity caused my score to drop 44 points. I have been trying to get in touch with them but cannot get past their automated system. There is no live person, no customer support email, nothing I can do to get an explanation or to have them fix the issue. Most apartment complex credit check systems use Experian, and since they have dropped my score, I'm out of luck until this is resolved. Shame on you, Experian.
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Product: Experian FICO Score
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Experian
deena_alansky @deena_alansky
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1 Star Rating
Experian has the absolute worst customer service on the planet! It is next to impossible to speak to an actual living, breathing human being. They expect you to do everything through their inept, inadequate, and infuriating AI interface. But sometimes you need to speak to an actual person. They are making millions of dollars in profits, yet they are too cheap to pay for human customer support staff? I would give this company zero stars if I could.
I filed a report about an error on my credit report. I uploaded four documents, which are proof of my claim. My claim was denied! But they make it next to impossible to talk to anyone about why. Did they even see my uploaded documents? Did they bother to make even one phone call, which would have verified my information? Well, I have no idea because I can't get a human being on the phone!
They are the worst company on the planet! They should be banned from the industry. If you are providing credit reports, which can affect consumers' ability to take out loans and the interest rate they receive, then the very least you can do is provide real people to answer your phones! I would give negative ten stars if I could because Experian is that bad.
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Product: Experian Credit Report
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Experian
Michael Shanahan @mkorys10
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1 Star Rating
We signed up for the premium package to protect ourselves. About six months in, they allowed Verizon to open an account. We disputed it with Verizon and Experian, but were turned into collections anyway. We called Experian and asked what our coverage was; they stated it included social security lockdown, million-dollar coverage, and alerts when someone opens an account in your name. Then I asked for help, and they said none of that was activated, and they told us to file a complaint on our own. We checked the app, and it was activated. We've spent $900 on monthly service fees without any help, on top of them allowing an account to be opened in our name with no alerts. Experian is a fraudulent company.
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Product: Experian Credit Monitoring
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Experian
Joealmont @Joealmont
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1 Star Rating
I've been working so hard to build my credit up to buy a house. I had their boost tool too, and then it just drops my bank, and so their score went from 618 down to 563. If this is how they operate, I'll never buy my house because of their deceitful tactics. The other two credit bureaus are still rising, but this one is such a joke. They need to get rid of it so it doesn't undermine so many hardworking Americans. Credit, I know, is good, but the government turned it into this flawed system. Saying I'm mad is an understatement.
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Product: Experian Generic Credit Score
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Experian
launa Nisbett @launanisbett43
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1 Star Rating
I started with them when I was making changes to my life. I thought a big, professional company would be a wonderful place to start building my credit after 20 years of not using it, due to being in an abusive relationship and dealing with an accident and pain pills. I'm over 3 years sober—big miracles. I worked so hard, I've never missed a payment, never been late, and paid off a couple of small financings: $2,609 paid off in 3 to 4 months, and $4,800 to Firestone CFNA for my car repairs. Experian always said they couldn't find my banks; it was horrible. I erred over and over but thought it would show up—no, they made sure it doesn't. I paid the full amount off, $1,7062, so now I have a $0 balance. They have taken my credit report down 30 points, saying charges are too high, but they couldn't find my CFNA bank. But it's just been so horrible. I've worked so hard for 3+ years with my credit cards and a couple of financial firms.
Then I found out they're reporting my score from 13 months before and now are asking for money to update even one of the three credit bureaus. I went through so much: every week my bank account and all my accounts I paid on were disconnected. I would reduce it so many times; they never really helped my credit report and even have given me a false lower score all this time. I thought they were helping me. Everyone, I was broke, just starting, so I did all they said. I paid a high premium every month. I let them treat me as lesser because I thought I was at their mercy to build my credit up. I truly never knew they could lie, charge more, give me completely false information and truth, and now, after all these years, have even lied about what my score is. And because they gave it to me as a free score, I never thought they would lie even about that.
Please don't ever let this happen to you. We don't have anything when starting, so they get to keep us down and in bondage and low self-esteem. Thinking big companies were not breaking laws, I've never been more wrong and suffered so much. Please, no one deserves that hurt. You are all so loved, so special, and deserve the world. Do not give this horrible scam a penny or your precious time, okay? You're worth it all.
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Product: Experian Credit Report
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Experian
monica dixon @journee1971
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1 Star Rating
I've been trying to log into my account for two days. You can't ask them anything; they don't answer the phone and just keep sending you the same information over and over. It's the worst when it comes to helping people who have questions about their account.
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Product: Experian Credit Monitoring
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Experian
bblue112002 @bblue112002
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1 Star Rating
Bait and Switch! For a service that is supposed to be looking out for consumers and assisting them, you are offered "approved" loans or credit cards for consolidation or debt ratio, seemingly under the guise of a big name like Experian, only to have them hard hit your report, knocking your score down, with no accepted offers of credit like Experian offered through third parties. Shame on you! Just selling third-party services and getting kickbacks!
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Product: Experian Credit Monitoring
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Experian
Aaron Smith @sirrealtor
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1 Star Rating
Impossible to deal with if you can't receive texts. Impossible to reach a human being. Impossible to deal with bad customer service. I removed my credit freeze from Equifax and TransUnion easily. Piece of cake. Went to the Experian website to log in. I use a password manager (actually three, Google, Avira, and Last Pass) to remember bizarre strings. Experian said I had the wrong password (despite all three password managers saying it was correct). So I tried their alternate method. They said my phone number was incorrect on my account. I have had the same phone number for 25 years. I don't think so.
Next, I tried their alternative method. It asks for a phone number and your SSN. Then it asks whether you want to be texted or phoned. I tried 'text'. It said it sent a text to my number. After waiting for 10 minutes, I retried. 15 minutes later, still no text. Again. 30 minutes. No text from Experian. (Note: I did receive texts from other sites, including 6 digit codes to use.)
Then, I went back and selected "Phone Call" instead. Ditto, for three consecutive tries. Yes, my phone rang once. Not Experian, though. So, being fair, I wondered if I had managed to blacklist the number, or if my phone's junk number screening app "Hiya" was the culprit. I turned it off and tried again. Six times. Nope.
So, I called. Up until then, it was like being on a white water raft, not able to make any changes. Now it was like going over a waterfall. I entered the same type of information on the call. The oh-so-sincere AI voice on their computer phone menu offered to text me instructions. I tried every variation on that phone menu I could, and I simply could not get a human being on the line. Most of the time, I was told, by the computer, "Well, we can't help you if you won't follow the instructions." You know, the instructions I never received.
Today, I actually received a welcome message, probably from downloading their app. (No, it didn't help. Same monumentally unhelpful options and no contact.) Did that mean I could now get texts from Experian? No, absolutely not. So there you have my complaint. Experian may have, as their AI voice repeats endlessly, a priority of preserving the security of their data (from hackers today?) they have certainly preserved my data from me.
It's amazing to me that I can receive way too many spam texts, but I can't get Experian to actually correct their error. And it must be theirs, from whatever phone system they are using. I am getting calls and texts from (apparently) everyone on the planet but not Experian. Pretty unforgivable for a 'tech' company. If I could hear back from a single human, I would remove this review so fast, it would leave a hole.
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Product: Experian Credit Report
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Experian
LaDacia Warren @ladaciawarren
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1 Star Rating
No stars at all. I wrote to Experian to remove items from my credit report. I sent 7 letters, and every letter I mailed to Experian's address in Allen, TX, they sent them back through the postal service stating that their address in Allen, TX, doesn't exist. They're unprofessional and dishonest. I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, so I got in my car and drove to Allen, TX, and found they are still in business, which was deceitful. Eventually, I got everything removed from my credit report, and my score went up with TransUnion and Equifax, but it didn't with Experian. I went on the Experian app, and it said your score needs to be updated. They asked for $33.00, and nothing changed with Experian. I called them, and customer service in the dispute center and membership said it had nothing to do with them. It's the FICO score's fault. But if it changed with TransUnion and Equifax, why not Experian? I was told, "Well, blame it on whoever controls the FICO score." When I asked for a refund, he stated that's not his problem either. I recorded the whole conversation with membership and the dispute center. This is a sorry, unprofessional company. No rating.
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Product: Experian FICO Score
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Experian
Mellissa Clark @Cmellissa84
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1 Star Rating
I have been the subject of many data breaches over the past five years, so I have to keep a very close eye on my credit report. I actually have five years of free credit monitoring because of the data breach. I recently changed my phone number, and now I cannot access my account. I tried to call the 800 number, but it keeps sending me into a loop, saying that I cannot be identified, and I cannot speak to a representative. When I attempted to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, they no longer had a page for Experian to file a complaint. All I know is that if something is wrong or someone has stolen my identity, and I'm unable to check or monitor it, I'm getting a lawyer and I'm suing Experian. I have no other way to reach out to these people. I've emailed them; they have not returned my email.
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Product: Experian Credit Monitoring
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Experian
Charles Atkinson @Charles3963
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1 Star Rating
I tried to get my credit score by mail. Google says it's free, but when I called Experian, they said I'd have to pay for my credit score and send all my personal information through the mail with the payment. I tried to speak with an agent, but they said they can't connect me to a live agent, so I don't know how much the fee is. When I double-checked with Google, they said there's no fee!
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Product: Experian Generic Credit Score
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Mellissa Clark @Cmellissa84
Try going to freecreditreport.com they provide all three reports free every year.
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Experian
Brad Langenberg @bradlangenberg
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1 Star Rating
I signed up for Experian's one-month free trial to check my credit, but they continued charging me monthly membership fees without sending any receipts, notifications, or reminders. I was under the impression it would cancel automatically or at least give me the option to continue — but I didn’t receive any communication. I only found out by checking my bank statements.
This kind of billing practice feels deceptive, especially from a company that’s supposed to promote financial transparency. I expected better. I’ve now canceled, but I feel misled and disappointed. Be careful and monitor your accounts closely if you sign up with them.
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Product: Experian Identity Theft Protection
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adaalvalle1 @adaalvalle1
Hi Brad. I totally feel your frustration. Believe me, Fubo just took almost $90.00 from my account. I called and they're right. If I made the effort to put my DC/CC on there then I should've made sure I saw the date when it will bill me. I just go through, make sure the price is $0.00 and hit next or whatever they say after. Then boom, I get hot with $89. 23 from Fubo. I go look at the " Fine Print" and it's right there. The date they'll start taking a payment. I also believe it should be there before you hit continue or next. The whole breakdown so you can see it. The lady told me that they should make it bigger. So, they did disclose Transparency. When I filled out Hulu, I knew that it's like 7 days free. I just put it on my calendar cause of what happened with Fubo.
It's frustrating AF but sometimes we really need to read the whole thing.
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LaDacia Warren @ladaciawarren
Facts they should be sued AGAIN
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Experian
Sean Me @yeahNo
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1 Star Rating
These people, handling some of your most sensitive information, decided to open a call center in India. Are you kidding me? India, often associated with spam and technology-related fraud. And for some reason (let's assume money), they redirected their efforts to India. You want me to give my SSN to someone in India? Shame on you, Experian. You employ individuals that make questionable decisions such as outsourcing call centers to handle American PII. Also, their Atlanta call center is absolutely miserable. People with zero customer care skills and apparently, no training.
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Product: Experian Credit Monitoring
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Review Experian
Experian Q&A(19 questions)
Get answers to your questions about Experian below. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.
Experian Boost is a free service that adds on-time utility and telecom payments to your credit file. The service connects your online checking or savings account to your Experian account and searches for qualifying on-time payments that aren't traditionally included in credit reports. Those payments are added into your credit file and could potentially increase your credit score.
Does Experian Boost Work?
61% of Experian Boost users saw their credit score increase, by an average of 13 points.
86% of users with very poor credit experienced an increase, averaging 21 points.
87% of users with less than five accounts increased their score, by an average of 19 points.
Experian Boost Pros and Cons:
Does Not Work with Most Credit Scores. The main drawback of Experian Boost is that it only impacts your FICO Score 8 calculated with Experian data. None of the other 1,000+ credit-score models currently in use will see a boost. Even FICO Score 8 credit scores calculated based on a TransUnion or Equifax credit report will be unaffected. As a result, Experian Boost might not actually save you much money. Mortgage lenders generally do not use FICO Score 8, for example.
Low Impact on High Scores. The value of a service like Experian Boost decreases the higher your credit score already is. If you already have a top-tier score, think 750 or above, that means you are already making payments on time and have a strong credit history. Adding another on-time payment likely won't bump your score up by that much.
Bank Accounts Only. In order to find on-time payments, you have to link Experian Boost with the checking or savings account you use to pay utilities or telecom bills (credit cards do not apply). You must have a pattern of payments over three months for the program to find what it needs, but the reporting can check back as far as 24 months.
Experian Boost Alternatives:
Experian Boost is just one of multiple services out there that add alternative data to certain credit score calculations. These services are currently limited, though. For example, UltraFICO adds bank account information like balances and transactions to your FICO score but is in a pilot program that only some lenders have access to. Similarly, eCredable Lift reports on-time utility payments, but only to TransUnion.
There are also third-party rent-reporting services that can add on-time rental payments to your credit report.
Bottom Line:
Experian Boost isn't for everyone. You have to pay your bills with a checking or savings account for it to even function and then the impact on your credit score will vary based on a number of factors. If you have relatively few active credit accounts and a lower credit score, Experian Boost will have a more dramatic impact.
The good news is Experian Boost is entirely optional and can be turned off at any point. If for some reason activating the program decreases your credit score, you can disconnect your bank account and your credit score should return to its previous level. That means there's no downside to signing up and seeing if your credit score increases.
You can unfreeze your Experian credit report by logging into your account on the Experian website, navigating to the Help Center, clicking “Manage security freeze” under “Quick actions” and toggling your freeze status to “unfrozen.” You can also unfreeze your Experian credit report over the phone or by mail.
To unfreeze your Experian report over the phone, call 888-397-3742. You will then be asked to provide personal information including your name, address, Social Security number, date of...
You can contact Experian directly by phone, by mail, or online. The Experian customer service number is 1 (888) 397-3742. You can reach a customer service representative Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m Central Time. To contact Experian by mail, you can use the following address: Experian / P.O. Box 4500 / Allen, TX 75013.
Experian can also help you with specific tasks, such as filing a dispute, managing a credit...
People living in different regions of the country, for example NYC and LA, might apply for the same card and have different reports checked. And the credit card industry isn't...
To file a complaint against Experian, use the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's online complaint tool or contact your state's attorney general.
When you submit an online complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or state's attorney general, these entities will forward that complaint to Experian and work to get a response from them. Both the CFPB and the attorneys general want to understand not only what kinds of complaints companies are receiving, but also how...
Yes, Experian is accurate. Information from Experian is just as accurate as info from the other two major credit bureaus (Equifax and TransUnion), and products like Experian Boost aim to help the roughly 50 million people in the U.S. with little-to-no credit history get credit scores that accurately reflect their credit risk.
Key Things to Know About Experian's Accuracy
Data furnishers sometimes make mistakes. The information on Experian credit reports is...
Unfreezing your Experian credit report does not happen instantly but can occur quickly. You have the option to unfreeze your credit online or over the phone, and Experian can take as little as a few minutes or up to an hour to process the request. If you are unfreezing your credit to apply for a credit card or loan, you should plan a few hours ahead.
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