Equifax Reviews

Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian are the three major credit bureaus in the U.S. They all collect account information from credit issuers, banks, and public records to create detailed credit reports for lenders. However, there are differences in how they operate and present data.

Equifax is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and was founded in 1899. It is the second-largest credit bureau after Experian. Equifax breaks down their credit factors as: Payment history (35%), Credit utilization (30%), and Credit age (15%).

On the other hand, Experian and TransUnion provide different details on certain types of information. For example, Equifax and Experian only note your employer’s name as part of your employment history, while TransUnion lists out more specific information, such as your title and the dates you were employed there.

It's important to note that achieving a high credit score requires having a mix of credit accounts and maintaining an excellent payment history. Borrowers should also show restraint by keeping their credit card balances well below their limits. Maxing out credit cards, paying late, and applying for new credit haphazardly are all things that lower credit scores. More banks and lenders use these scores to make credit decisions than any other scoring or reporting model. Therefore, a strong argument exists that borrowers should prioritize these bureaus when trying to build or improve credit.

To sign up for Equifax services, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Equifax site.
2. Enter your activation code if you have one.
3. Check the I'm not a robot checkbox and answer the reCAPTCHA question if necessary.
4. Click Submit.
5. You'll be automatically redirected to the subscription form.

Please prepare to provide a valid phone number and email address during the sign-up process. After signing up, you can request your free Equifax credit report. Remember, you do not have access to your credit report after closing your browser, so prepare to review, save, or print your credit report.

Equifax offers several services with different pricing options. The Equifax Complete service provides credit monitoring and identity theft protection for one adult at a cost of $9.95 per month. This service includes identity restoration services and Equifax credit report lock.

The Equifax Complete Premier service, priced at $19.95 per month, offers 3-bureau credit features and extra identity theft protection features for one adult. It includes all features of Equifax Complete and up to $1MM in identity theft insurance.

The Equifax Complete Family Plan offers credit and identity theft protection features for the family at $29.95 per month. It includes all features of Premier for two adults and Equifax credit monitoring for four kids.

All these plans can be cancelled at any time, but there are no partial month refunds. It's also worth noting that it's free to create a myEquifax account to place or manage a security freeze, place an initial fraud alert, or submit a dispute..

To sign up for the Equifax Complete Family Plan, visit the Equifax Complete Family Plan website. Fill in the enrollment form, typically requiring general financial information such as your name, Social Security Number, and address. Ensure the information is accurate and submit your application. It's important to note that to enroll a minor child in the Family Plan, you must be the parent or legal guardian of the minor child in question. By providing your minor child's name, social security number, and birth date, Equifax will search for an existing credit file in their name. The Equifax Complete Family Plan costs $29.95 per month and can be cancelled at any time.

Equifax.com offers a variety of products and services. For businesses, these include Data Assets Credit Risk, Market & Business Intelligence Tools, Data-driven Marketing, Identity & Fraud services, and Workforce Management. For individuals, Equifax provides services such as credit monitoring, identity theft protection, and credit report assistance through products like EQUIFAX Complete™ and myEquifax™. These services help individuals monitor their credit report, prevent fraud, and manage their financial health. Equifax also offers various loan and insurance options. Please note that the availability of these products and services may vary by region and some services may require a subscription..

EQUIFAX Complete™ is a service that helps monitor credit and protect identity. It provides alerts of key changes to the Equifax credit report. If identity theft occurs, dedicated ID Restoration Specialists will work to help recover. The service includes up to $500k in ID theft insurance to help pay certain out-of-pocket expenses. It offers daily access to the VantageScore® credit score and the Equifax credit report. It also monitors the VantageScore credit score and the Equifax credit report, notifying with custom alerts if key changes occur. If fraud is suspected, automatic fraud alerts can be activated, which encourages lenders to take extra steps to verify identity before extending credit. The Equifax credit report can be locked down from being accessed (with certain exceptions) for the purposes of extending credit. The cost is $9.95 per month and can be cancelled at any time.

Equifax.com allows users to update their payment information for their products. Users can sign into myEquifax, then go to My Account/Billing to edit and update their credit card information. When signing up for a product, users are required to provide their payment information. The card is immediately charged the price stated and will continue to be charged the same price for each month of the subscription. Users can cancel at any time, but partial month refunds are not provided. It's important to keep credit card information updated to avoid interruption in the Equifax product..

myEquifax is a free account provided by Equifax, a credit bureau. This account serves as a one-stop shop for users to access Equifax's free services such as credit freezes, fraud alerts, and disputes. With a myEquifax account, users can receive multiple Equifax credit reports each year. It also provides credit monitoring products and helps users recover from identity theft. No credit card is required to access these services. Users can also place an alert on their credit reports to warn lenders that they may be a victim of fraud or on active military duty..

Equifax offers a variety of products for both individuals and businesses. For individuals, they offer Equifax Complete™, which provides credit monitoring and ID theft protection features for one adult. They also offer Equifax Complete™ Premier, which includes 3-bureau credit features and extra ID theft protection features. There's also the Equifax Complete™ Family Plan, which extends credit and ID theft protection features for the family.

For businesses, Equifax provides a range of products and services including credit reports, analytics, demographic data, and software. These tools help businesses access market and business intelligence, improve collections and recovery strategies, optimize portfolio performance, and more. They also offer services to manage HR compliance activities, onboard new hires, pre-screen employment applications, and manage unemployment activities.

Please note that the availability of these products may vary by region and some products may require a subscription.

Equifax has a detailed Product Refund Policy. For Annual Subscription Products (Credit or Score Monitoring), if you've prepaid for a 12-month term, you will receive a refund based on the original purchase price and the number of unused months still available for your product. There are no partial month refunds. For Monthly Subscription Products (Credit or Score Monitoring), since you've prepaid through the end of your current billing cycle, Equifax will schedule the cancellation at the end of your billing cycle prior to being charged. You will have access to your product until the date of cancellation. There are no partial month refunds. For One-Time Report Products, no refund is available for one-time report products such as a single credit report since the report has been delivered. If you see errors on your credit report, you can dispute the information presented in your report online.

As for the shipping policy, Equifax is a credit monitoring service and does not ship physical products, so it does not have a traditional shipping policy. However, it does mention that processing may take up to 24 business hours. For further assistance, Equifax provides a Customer Care team available at specific times..