Are you someone who always pays your cell phone and utility bills on time? If so, there’s a possibility that you may be able to use that promptness to raise your FICO® Score, courtesy of Experian®, one of the three major credit bureaus.
The Experian Boost® feature lets consumers add more creditors to the data Experian uses to calculate their credit scores, potentially raising those scores instantly.
In this article, I’m going to tell you how Experian Boost raised my credit scores by 14 points. I’ll share some pros and cons I’ve learned about the service, and I’ll tell you what money expert Clark Howard thinks about Experian Boost.
Experian Boost® Review: How I Raised My Credit Scores in Real-Time
I first tried Experian Boost when it was still in beta mode and again a year later when it started allowing consumers to add Netflix payments to their Experian credit file.
Although I was comfortable with my score and didn’t really feel like I needed a boost, I gave it a try — and it worked. Here’s what you need to know about Experian Boost.
What Is Experian Boost® and How Does It Work?
Experian Boost is a free service designed to help you raise your credit score by incorporating more of your monthly payments into your credit file.
Of the five factors that make up your credit score, on-time payments account for the largest percentage (35%). Those payments are what Experian Boost uses to give your credit score an instant lift.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to increasing your credit score with Experian Boost:
1. Sign Up for Experian Boost®
It’s free to sign up for Experian Boost. When I did, it immediately produced my Experian credit report, an updated FICO® Score and an overview of my financial profile. Here is what was included there:
- Credit rating
- Credit usage
- Payment history
I then scrolled to the bottom of the page and clicked the “Experian Boost” button. That took me to a page that showed icons for electric, water and wireless bills.
2. Link Your Bank Account
Like Clark, I don’t normally suggest that you let third parties access your bank account, but if your creditworthiness depends on it, you may decide that it’s worth it.
Once you click the button, a pop-up screen opens. It asks permission to link to the bank account you use to pay your bills. It will then send a code to your phone for verification.
Once my account was linked, it took me to my FICO® Score and said, “Let’s see if we can boost it.”
3. Select Bills To Add
Next, it scanned my bank account. This took a couple of minutes, but soon I was shown two payments — my utility bill and a phone bill — that could be used to raise my credit scores. All I had to do was confirm that I wanted those bills added to my credit file.
Adding those bills meant that I now have three bills — Netflix, a utility bill and my phone bill — linked to my Experian account.
Once I hit the “Continue” button, the screen loaded for about a minute and then told me that Experian Boost added nine points to my FICO® Score.
When I used Experian Boost again, I submitted my Netflix payments and got another five-point boost.
That’s a total of 14 points!
As long as I continue to pay those linked bills on time (they’re all on autopay), my credit scores could continue to go up. That was my experience, but you may be wondering if Experian Boost is right for you.
Can Experian Boost® Raise Your Credit Scores?
It’s possible that Experian Boost can raise your credit scores, but there are no guarantees. On its website, the company says, “Not all lenders use credit information impacted by Experian Boost.”
If you’re worried about whether a potential lender will be able to use your newly boosted credit scores, Experian says “… as long as your lender utilizes the most common versions of the FICO® Score and VantageScore, they will see your boosted credit scores when they request your credit report from Experian.”
One thing to note is that Experian Boost applies only to your Experian credit score. It has no bearing on your scores with the two other big credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.
Clark’s Take: Experian Boost®
Clark says Experian Boost could be a big asset for those trying to build their credit.
“There are so many people today, particularly those under 35, who have never had a credit card,” he says. “So the idea of Experian Boost is to use things outside the traditional methods of calculating risk.”
And he doesn’t see much downside to it.
“If credit grantors aren’t using it as a method of calculating risk, then it doesn’t hurt you in any way and at the same time it can potentially help you,” Clark says.
If you’re thinking of using Experian Boost to raise your credit score, here are some pros and cons to consider.
Experian Boost®: Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Works instantly. | Doesn’t change your TransUnion or Equifax scores. |
| Boosts are small. | You have to link your bank account. |
| You can easily add or remove account information. | You need to have three months of payment history. |
Final Thoughts
After giving Experian Boost a try, I can say with certainty that if you want your credit score to be more attractive to lenders, this is a quick and relatively painless way to do it — at least in a small way. The whole process took around five minutes.
The bottom line: If you’re trying to increase your credit score quickly to qualify for a loan or credit card, Experian Boost may be perfect for you, especially if you have a thin credit file or a low score.
On the other hand, if you’ve already got great credit, Experian Boost’s benefits may not matter much.
