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If you're one of the millions of U.S. consumers paying for a Netflix® account, get ready for some good news. Netflix® payment history can now be added to your Experian credit report using Experian Boost®ø. So if you have a history paying your Netflix® bills on time, you could get a FICO® Score☉ increase in a matter of minutes.
What Is Experian Boost?
Experian Boost is a first-of-its-kind tool that can help improve your credit scores based on Experian data by giving you credit for past on-time payments for telecom, utility and now Netflix® accounts. Historically, consumer credit scores have not factored in these types of accounts, but with Experian Boost, you can now get the credit you deserve for paying these bills on time.
Since Experian Boost launched in 2019, more than 4.3 million people have connected their accounts, helping boost credit scores by over 29 million points. Consumers who improve their scores using Experian Boost see an average spike of 13 points—enough to raise some scores to a higher credit score range.
How Can Experian Boost Help You Increase Your Score?
Experian Boost works by connecting to the account you use to pay your bills and searching for qualifying on-time bill payments. With your permission, those on-time payments are added to your Experian credit report, which can bolster your payment history and could help improve your FICO® Score. The entire process only takes about five minutes, and any boost to your score will be immediate.
Experian Boost is especially helpful for people with little to no credit history, as these new records show evidence of on-time payments that otherwise wouldn't appear in credit reports.
What Accounts Can Be Added to Experian Boost?
Accounts that can be added to your credit report with Experian Boost include utilities such as electricity and gas, telecom accounts such as cellphone and cable, and now Netflix®.
You will need at least three months of payment history within the past six months for the account to be added to your credit report. And don't worry if you've made a late payment or two: Experian Boost only adds on-time payments to your report.
Many people may pay utility and phone bills and don't have many loans or credit accounts on their credit reports. By including utility and telecom payments using Experian Boost, a wider population of consumers can show positive payment history on their credit report. With the addition of Netflix® as a qualifying account, this pool grows even larger, giving more consumers the chance to boost their scores with payments they've already made.
Should I Try Experian Boost?
If you've been making on-time payments toward utility, telecom or Netflix® bills, Experian Boost could be an easy way to increase your FICO® Score quickly. Experian Boost is free, and consumers who don't see an increase in their scores can easily disconnect their accounts if they want. If you have a Netflix® account but don't have many other lines of credit, now may be a perfect time to see if you can boost your score with your Netflix® payment history.
You can try Experian Boost by going to the Experian Boost sign-up page and creating a free account. Once you have an account, you'll be asked for your bank information and will follow the steps to search your account for qualifying payments—possibly seeing a FICO® Score increase in just a few minutes.