What Equifax offers in its free trial

Equifax offers a free trial period for its credit monitoring service, which gives you access to your credit score, credit report, and alerts about changes to your credit file. The trial typically lasts 30 days and includes monitoring features that would otherwise require a paid subscription. After the trial ends, your account converts to a paid plan unless you cancel before the trial period closes.

The free trial includes your Equifax credit score (not your FICO score, but Equifax's own scoring model), a copy of your Equifax credit report, and notifications when certain changes occur on your report — such as a new account opening or a late payment. You can view your report details and dispute inaccuracies directly through the platform during the trial.

Equifax also runs a separate, permanent free credit report program through AnnualCreditReport.com, which is mandated by federal law and requires no trial or subscription. That service gives you one free report per year from each of the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) but does not include continuous monitoring or score tracking.

Key Takeaways

  • Equifax's free trial lasts 30 days and includes your credit score, full credit report, and monitoring alerts, then converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel.
  • You must provide a credit card to start the trial, even though the first 30 days are free, so set a reminder to cancel before the charge posts if you do not want to pay.
  • The score you see during the trial is Equifax's own model, not the FICO score that most lenders use, so it may differ from the score lenders see.
  • AnnualCreditReport.com offers a free Equifax credit report once per year with no trial period, no credit card required, and no automatic charges.

How to start an Equifax free trial

You begin by visiting Equifax's website and selecting the free trial option for its credit monitoring service. You will need to provide your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current address to verify your identity. Equifax uses this information to pull your credit file and confirm you are the person requesting access.

After identity verification, you must enter a credit card number to set up the trial. This is a required step — Equifax holds the card on file so it can charge you when the 30-day period ends. The charge typically appears as a monthly subscription fee, which varies depending on the plan tier you selected during signup. Read the plan details carefully before confirming, because the price you see during signup is what you will be charged after the trial.

Once your account is active, you can log in when ready to view your credit score, full credit report, and any monitoring alerts. The trial period begins on the day you complete signup, not on the day you first log in.

Canceling before you are charged

To avoid being charged after the trial ends, you must cancel your account before the 30-day period closes. Log into your Equifax account, navigate to your account settings or subscription management section, and select the option to cancel. Equifax will ask you to confirm the cancellation and may offer you a discount to keep your subscription active — you can decline and proceed with cancellation.

Cancellation is when ready, and you will retain access to your account information through the end of your paid trial period. If you cancel on day 25 of a 30-day trial, you still have access for the remaining five days. After the trial period expires, your account closes and you lose access to the monitoring features.

Keep a calendar reminder for day 28 or 29 of your trial so you do not forget to cancel. If you are charged after the trial ends, you can contact Equifax's customer service to request a refund within a certain window — typically 30 to 60 days from the charge date, depending on your credit card company's dispute policies.

How Equifax's score differs from FICO and other models

The credit score Equifax shows you during the trial is the Equifax Credit Score, which is Equifax's own proprietary model. It is not the FICO Score that most mortgage lenders, auto lenders, and credit card issuers use to make lending decisions. The two scores use different formulas, weight factors differently, and can produce significantly different numbers for the same person.

Your Equifax Credit Score may be higher or lower than your FICO Score because they emphasize different aspects of your credit history. For example, Equifax's model may weight recent payment history differently than FICO does, or may treat certain types of debt differently. Seeing a high Equifax score during the trial does not mean lenders will see the same score when you explore for credit.

If you want to see the FICO scores that lenders actually use, you will need to check with your credit card issuer (many provide free FICO scores to cardholders), your bank, or a separate FICO-focused service. The free trial gives you insight into your Equifax report accuracy and recent changes, but not the lending score that matters most for loan decisions.

What information the trial shows you

During the free trial, you can view your complete Equifax credit report, which lists all accounts in your name, payment history for the past seven years, any collections or charge-offs, public records like judgments or liens, and hard inquiries from lenders who pulled your report. You can also see your credit score and a breakdown of the factors that influenced it — such as payment history, credit utilization, length of credit history, and new accounts.

The monitoring alerts notify you when new accounts are opened in your name, when payment status changes on existing accounts, when inquiries are made into your credit, and when negative items like late payments or collections are added to your report. These alerts arrive by email or through your account dashboard, depending on your notification preferences.

You can dispute inaccuracies directly through the Equifax platform during the trial. If you find an error on your report — such as an account you do not recognize, a payment marked late when you paid on time, or a duplicate account — you can initiate a dispute and Equifax will contact the creditor or data furnisher to investigate. The dispute process typically takes 30 to 45 days.

Comparing the trial to the free annual report

Equifax's free trial and the free annual report through AnnualCreditReport.com serve different purposes. The annual report is a one-time snapshot of your credit file with no monitoring, no score, and no automatic charges. You request it once per year, view it, and that is the end of the transaction. The trial gives you 30 days of continuous monitoring, your credit score, and alerts, but requires a credit card and converts to a paid subscription.

If you only want to check your report for errors once a year, AnnualCreditReport.com is the better choice — it is truly free with no strings attached. If you want to monitor your credit actively and catch fraud or errors as they happen, the trial can be useful, but you must remember to cancel to avoid the monthly charge. Some people use the annual report to spot-check their file, then sign up for the trial only when they are actively working to improve their credit or suspect fraud.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I forget to cancel before the trial ends?

Equifax will charge your credit card the monthly subscription fee on day 31. Contact your credit card company to dispute the charge if you want a refund, or contact Equifax directly to request a refund within 30 to 60 days of the charge. You can also cancel your subscription after being charged, which stops future charges but may not recover the first charge depending on your card issuer's policies.

Can I use the trial without providing my Social Security number?

No. Equifax requires your Social Security number to verify your identity and pull your credit file. This is standard practice for all credit monitoring services. If you are uncomfortable providing your SSN online, you can request a free annual report through AnnualCreditReport.com instead, though that also requires identity verification.

Will the trial hurt my credit score?

No. Checking your own credit report and score is a soft inquiry and does not affect your credit score. Only hard inquiries from lenders who are considering you for credit impact your score, and those are initiated by the lender, not by you viewing your own report.

Is the Equifax trial the same as the free credit report I can get once a year?

No. The annual free report through AnnualCreditReport.com is a one-time report with no score and no monitoring. The trial includes your score, continuous monitoring, and alerts for 30 days, then charges you monthly unless you cancel. They are separate programs with different features and costs.

Can I cancel the trial and sign up again later?

Yes. Once you cancel, you can sign up for another free trial at a later date. Equifax does not typically restrict how many times you can use the trial, though the company may limit how frequently you can start new trials from the same account or email address.