Credit Score Basics > How to get your UK credit report for free

How to get your UK credit report for free

4 minute read · Updated 21st April 2024

In the UK, your credit report is held by credit reference agencies (CRAs) such as Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. These agencies get data from:

Banks, lenders, and credit card providers;
Utility companies;
Local authorities;
County courts;
And public registries like the Registry of Debt, the Electoral Register, etc.

However, while your credit report is compiled by these CRAs, you can actually get it for free from multiple websites.

How do I get my UK credit report for free?

In the UK, you can access your report in two or three ways:

from the credit reference agencies, either the statutory credit report or the entire credit report during a 30-day free trial;
from third-party websites, like ClearScore, Credit Karma, or CheckMyFile, which can offer free access but with some limitations.

It wasn't always like this. Until 2010, you had no option to get your credit report for free—even the statutory credit report used to cost £2, and it was only available by post.

But things have changed since then. So now let's look at how to actually get your UK credit report for free from each credit reference agency.

How do I get my credit report from Experian for free?

Experian is the largest credit reference agency in the UK. Most lenders report to it, which means it will usually have the most detailed credit report.

To get your credit report from Experian, you have two options:

Go to the Experian Statutory Report page and request to view your statutory credit report. It's free, and you can get it online or by post.
Sign up for a 30-day trial of Experian CreditExpert. It usually costs £14.99 a month and gives you full access to your entire credit report as well as your credit score.

It might seem like the Experian CreditExpert is similar to simply getting your statutory report, but that's not true. Experian's premium monthly subscription also comes with other features:

Scans the web and your report for signs of identity fraud;
Gives you tips on how to improve your credit score;
It also comes with premium support if you need to fix an error in your credit report.

You should also know that Experian has a separate, free subscription that only gives you access to your credit score.

You should probably sign up for this one anyway. It even comes with an option called Experian Boost to link your bank account to Experian. Once linked, this will make your regular payments to Council Tax, ISA accounts, and even Netflix and Spotify count towards your credit score.

How do I get my credit report from Equifax for free?

Equifax is the UK's second most used (and second largest) credit reference agency. You should still check out your Equifax report, as some lenders prefer it over Experian, meaning the Equifax report might only partially overlap with the one you got from Experian.

Here's how to get your Equifax credit report for free:

Go to the Equifax Statutory Credit Report page and request your statutory report. You'll go through the same process as with Experian – you'll need to verify yourself, and then you can request to view it online or receive it by post.
Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Equifax Credit Report and Score. It normally costs £14.95 a month and gives you complete access to your full credit report, updated daily. It also shows your Equifax credit score.
Sign up for ClearScore, which gives you free access to your Equifax credit report. It updates monthly and even has a free, basic identity protection feature. In return, it might show you deals from its partners, like credit cards you might be eligible for.

Just like Experian, Equifax's premium plan offers you credit score tips, daily credit alerts, and an identity fraud protection system. Unlike Experian, though, Equifax doesn't give you free access to your Equifax credit score.

An interesting service that's part of this premium subscription is the Equifax SocialScan, which searches social media websites to help you see which personal information about you can be viewed by anyone.

ClearScore also has a premium plan called Protect Plus, which offers more thorough identity protection.

How do I get my credit report from TransUnion for free?

TransUnion is the UK's youngest credit reference agency, which means it's less widely used than Experian and Equifax. Still, some lenders and utility providers prefer it, so it's worth checking it.

Here's how to get your TransUnion credit report for free:

Go to the Equifax Statutory Credit Report page and request your statutory report. You'll go through the same process as with Experian – you'll need to verify yourself, and then you can request to view it online or receive it by post.
Sign up for Credit Karma, which gives you free access to your TransUnion credit report. Credit Karma is similar to ClearScore in many ways, except that it uses TransUnion instead of Equifax. Unlike ClearScore, though, Credit Karma updates your credit record and score once a week.
Sign up for the MoneySuperMarket Credit Monitor, which also offers free access to your TransUnion report and score. Unlike Credit Karma, Credit Monitor updates weekly. MoneySuperMarket, though, has an eligibility checker that will automatically match you with many potential cards and offers.

Can I get all credit reports in one go for free?

Going website by website to view your credit history report by report can get exhausting.

Luckily, there is an option for this. A website called CheckMyFile lets you view your Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit reports in one place. They call this your "multi-agency credit report".

CheckMyFile charges £14.99 a month for this service, but it also offers a 30-day free trial, during which you can view all three credit reports for free.

What's in a UK credit report, anyway?

A UK credit report is a document that shows information about your financial history.

Lenders look at this to see if you're likely to repay on time, while credit reference agencies use it to calculate your credit score.

If you get your credit report, you'll see things like:

Personal details (name and address history);
Financial connections (for example, joint accounts);
Current accounts (but not how much money you have);
All your loans, overdraft lines, credit cards, and mortgages;
How much of your credit limit you're using;
Signs of recent credit applications (hard checks);
And public records for things like bankruptcies, CCJs, IVAs, and defaults.

What should I check on my credit report once I have it?

Checking your credit report is important because even small errors can hurt your rating.

Here are some common mistakes to look out for:

Old addresses showing as current.
Financial links with people you no longer live with – for example, a joint account with an ex-spouse.
Unused credit cards.
Accounts and loan applications you don't recognise.

If you see something odd, contact the lender and the credit reference agency immediately. It might be a mistake on their end, or you could be a victim of identity fraud.

Does checking my credit report often hurt my credit score?

You shouldn't worry about checking your credit report too often. Your own checks are called "soft checks" and are not recorded on your credit report. This means that nobody will see them but you and that they don't hurt your credit score at all.

The only thing checking your credit report does is indirectly improve your credit score – by giving you a chance to fix errors on your report.