How to Cancel Experian

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1
   If this applies to you

   If you rely on CreditLock, freeze your Experian file when you cancel

   Core, Plus and Premium include Experian CreditLock; the free membership doesn't. Experian's terms say your Experian credit report "will be unlocked if you cancel a Service that includes Experian CreditLock as a benefit, or downgrade to a Service that does not include" it. The free replacement is a security freeze: Experian's freeze page says it costs nothing, needs only a free Experian account, and "will remain on your credit file until you remove it". Experian doesn't say whether the lock comes off the day you cancel or when the paid period ends, so place the freeze the same day. A freeze at Experian covers Experian only; the FTC says to contact Equifax and TransUnion as well.

2. 2

   Sign in on a computer and open Membership details

   Use a web browser on a computer and go to Experian's Membership details page (usa.experian.com/mfe/member/ngx-profile/membership-details). If you aren't signed in, Experian asks you to sign in first and then opens the page; the "Sign in to update now" link under "How to cancel my membership" on experian.com/help does the same. One member on r/Experian describes the path from the dashboard as your profile icon at the top right, then Settings, then Membership details on the banner across the top, and another couldn't find it in the iPhone app.

3. 3

   Choose the free membership

   Experian's help page describes cancelling as an update "from a paid monthly membership to a free membership with no monthly costs by simply selecting the type of membership you would like to change to". Select the free membership. Experian doesn't publish the button's wording; members on r/Experian say it reads Switch to Free. If you pay yearly and no free option shows, call 1-866-617-1894: Experian's terms let you cancel any paid plan by phone.

4. 4

   Check that your plan now shows Free, and keep the proof

   Membership details should now list the free membership. Experian's terms say a cancelled monthly plan keeps its paid features until the end of the billing month you've paid for, and that Experian gives no refunds "prorated or otherwise". Save a screenshot of the page and any confirmation email, and check your next card statement: Experian charges renewals to the latest card you gave it, and members on r/Experian report charge attempts weeks after switching, so keep the proof until the next billing date has passed.

5. 5
   If this applies to you

   If Experian shows a payment screen instead of your account, call

   Members on r/Experian describe signing in after an unpaid trial charge and landing on a payment screen that won't let them reach Membership details. Call Experian's membership line, 1-866-617-1894 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm CT, weekends 8am to 6pm CT, per its contact page), or the Customer Care number in its terms, 1-855-962-6943. Members say the automated line understands "membership" and then "membership cancellation", and that the agent may offer a cheaper plan first: say no and ask for the free membership. The EVA chat can't take you to a person; it says so itself: "I'm an AI and can't connect you to a live agent." Two members also got past the payment screen by signing in from Experian's dispute or security freeze pages instead of the home page.

6. 6
   If this applies to you

   If you're on the 7-day free trial, cancel early

   Experian's Premium product pages advertise "Free for 7 days, then just $24.99 /month", and the trial needs a card. Its terms say you can cancel "without charge at any time within 7 days of placing your order"; after that the membership continues and the monthly fee is charged. Count the 7 days from your order, and switch to Free a day or two before the end: a member on r/Experian who forgot to cancel describes a billing attempt followed by a screen they couldn't get past, and another warns against waiting until the day the trial ends. The terms also say Experian "may refuse to give you another free trial offer" if you've had one before.

7. 7
   If this applies to you

   If you subscribed in the Experian app through Apple or Google

   Experian's terms say a membership bought through Apple or Google must be cancelled through them, and that Experian will try to help at 1-855-962-6943 if you have trouble. On iPhone: Settings > your name > Subscriptions. On Android: open your subscriptions in Google Play, select the Experian subscription, then Cancel subscription. The App Store lists Experian's in-app memberships under the older name Experian CreditWorks, so look for that name. Refunds on these are up to Apple or Google, the terms say.

8. 8
   If this applies to you

   Close the free account too, if you want nothing left

   Switching to Free keeps your Experian account. Experian's terms say cancelling a paid plan enrols you in a free service, and that to close the account entirely you must contact Customer Care (or deactivate it online, "if available") and expressly ask, so call 1-866-617-1894 or 1-855-962-6943. Closing gives up what the free account includes: your Experian report and FICO Score on sign-in, monitoring alerts, online disputes and online freeze management. Experian says a freeze stays on your file until you remove it, and it also handles freezes at 1-888-397-3742 or by mail. Experian doesn't say what closing does to Experian Boost; its help page warns that a Boost account cut off from your bank can lose the score points it added. If emails are the reason, Your Account > Notification Preferences adjusts score-change, tip and offer notifications, though Experian says some alerts are always sent. One member reports the phone system offers that first before it closes the account.