What is the EQUIFAX charge?

What is the Equifax charge?

A line item showing EQUIFAX on your bank statement indicates a consumer credit service or subscription billed by Equifax, one of the major nationwide credit reporting agencies in the United States. While federal law guarantees free annual credit reports and permanent credit file freezes at no cost, Equifax also markets proprietary consumer products. These paid memberships provide continuous credit report monitoring and score simulator tools for a recurring monthly fee.

The charge typically reflects an ongoing monthly subscription or an automatic trial renewal. Consumers often trigger this payment when checking their credit history before applying for an auto loan or renting an apartment. If you signed up for an introductory promotional trial or an evaluation period, that trial converts automatically into a recurring monthly fee (commonly $19.95) unless cancelled before the renewal date.

To investigate or terminate the billing, log in to your account at equifax.com and review your active subscriptions under account settings. You can cancel automated renewal immediately without affecting your statutory rights to free credit freezes or dispute filings. If you have never created an account with Equifax and no one in your household purchased credit services, your card information may have been compromised elsewhere. In that situation, contact your financial institution to report the unauthorized charge and request a new card.

Unauthorized Charges and Fraud

If you are certain you never signed up for any Equifax product, this could be a sign of unauthorized activity.

In this case, you should consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit report, which you can do for free through the official Equifax website.

1. Step 1 Check your email inbox (including spam) for a subscription renewal notice from Equifax.
2. Step 2 If the charge is for a product you no longer want, contact Equifax customer support to request cancellation and a refund.

Dispute Rights & Fraud Prevention

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, cardholders have sixty days from the statement date to dispute unauthorized merchant debits with their card issuer. You can also place an immediate fraud alert on your Equifax credit file without cost.

Frequently asked questions

Verified sources

Every claim on this page is checked against official sources — open them to confirm before you call your bank.

• CFPB: Disputing Credit Card Charges https://www.consumerfinance.gov
• FTC: Fair Credit Billing Act https://consumer.ftc.gov