If you’ve ever signed up for an Experian membership, including a free 30-day trial, you might be paying for something you’re not using.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- How to Cancel Your Own Experian Membership
- How to Permanently Cancel an Experian Membership for a Deceased Loved One
- Canceling an Experian Membership: Frequently Asked Questions
On average, Americans pay about $240 per month on subscription services—many of which they’ve forgotten about or don’t use. Those subscriptions can include things like business services and entertainment, as well as financial services like credit monitoring.
A relatively small monthly bill from Experian may go unnoticed for months or even years. And that small amount can quickly tally up to hundreds of dollars. If you’re responsible for a deceased loved one’s accounts, you may be left footing the bill for their monthly subscriptions, too.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps of canceling your own Experian membership or the membership of a loved one who’s passed away.
How to Cancel Your Own Experian Membership
First, let’s look at how you can cancel your own Experian membership if you’re no longer using the service.
Step 1: Update your membership to a free version
If you want to make sure the monthly payments stop while you’re waiting to cancel your Experian account, you can update your membership to the free version. To do so, you just need to log into your Experian account online and navigate to your membership settings.
Step 2: Call or email Experian
When you want to cancel your membership with Experian, you have two options: calling or emailing the company.
- Call Experian customer service: You can call Experian’s Customer Service Center at 1 (479) 343-6239. Calling allows you to cancel your membership more quickly, since emailing involves waiting for a response to each message.
- Email Experian customer service: You can email Experian’s support team at support@experiandirect.com. Keep in mind that this method may take longer, as mentioned above. And depending on your account details, you may be directed to call customer service anyway.
Step 3: Talk to a representative
If you call Experian Customer Service, navigate through the telephone prompts to select the option that lets you speak with a human representative. You’ll need to press “1” for membership services, and then press “1” again to speak with the billing department.
Step 4: Provide your account information
When you call the Customer Service line or email Experian, you should be prepared to provide details about your account, as well as personal information. This may include:
- Your account number
- Your Social Security number
- Credit card or loan account numbers
If you’re emailing the company, don’t provide this information in your first email. Instead, send your request for cancellation first. Then provide the information if they request it.
Step 5: Ask the representative to cancel your membership
Once the representative has your information pulled up, ask them to cancel your subscription. The representative may ask for additional account and personal information at this point to confirm the request.
Step 6: Verify terms and conditions
They will either read to you or email you the terms and conditions associated with the cancellation. Make sure you understand and agree to these terms.
For example, your account information will likely be stored on Experian’s system for a period of time before being permanently deleted.
Step 7: Ask for details
Finally, before you hang up or end your correspondence, make sure to ask for the representative’s name, as well as the effective cancelation date and a confirmation number. These details will help in the refund process if Experian charges you again in the coming months.
Step 8: Continue to check for charges
Not all subscription cancellations go perfectly without a hitch. Keep paying attention to your monthly bank statements, and keep an eye out for charges from Experian. If you notice an extra charge, contact Experian Customer Service immediately and let them know you’ll need a refund.
How to Permanently Cancel an Experian Membership for a Deceased Loved One
What if you need to cancel an Experian membership under the name of your deceased loved one? Here’s what you need to do if you’re handling executor duties on behalf of a loved one’s estate, putting you in charge of canceling financial services like Experian.
Step 1: Switch to a free membership
As described above, you can quickly stop the monthly payments on a subscription membership by changing the membership to the free version. You’ll need the deceased person’s password, which they may have written down or kept in a password manager.
Step 2: Locate credit card and loan information
If you’re receiving the person’s mail, set aside any loan and credit card bills and documents that state account numbers. These may be required for canceling the membership.
Step 3: Search email for “Experian”
If you have access to the person’s email address, you can search their archives for the keyword “Experian.” This may turn up confirmation emails regarding their account, including their account number.
Step 4: Call customer service
Canceling a deceased person’s Experian membership can be more complicated than canceling your own, so it’s best to call and speak with a customer service representative. They can ask for specific information about the account and let you know what to do next.
The phone number again is 1 (479) 343-6239.
Step 5: Provide personal information
You’ll likely need to provide the deceased person’s Social Security number, as well as their full name and other personal information.
Step 6: Follow through on verification, cancellation, and monitoring
Like with steps six through eight mentioned in the previous section, you will want to keep an eye on your deceased loved one’s accounts. Additionally, it’s just as important—if not more important—to ask for details regarding the cancellation and to continue checking for unapproved charges to your loved one’s account.
Canceling an Experian Membership: Frequently Asked Questions
Canceling your own or a loved one’s Experian membership can be confusing. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions.
Can you cancel your Experian membership at any time?
Yes, you can cancel your Experian membership at any time. For some Experian memberships, you may receive a prorated refund.
Can you cancel your Experian membership online?
Unfortunately, you can’t cancel an Experian membership online. You can only update your membership to the free version, which will allow you to stop making monthly payments. But to cancel a membership entirely, you’ll have to call or email the company.
What happens after you cancel an Experian membership?
Usually, Experian will save your data for up to one month. This allows you to reopen the account and restart your membership if you change your mind. After that period of time elapses, you’ll have to sign up as a brand-new member if you want to enroll in an Experian membership again.
Canceling Your Experian Membership
One of the most common situations people get into when it comes to monthly subscriptions is forgetting to cancel a service after the free trial. If you sign up for a free trial with a service like Experian, it’s a good idea to set a reminder or write a note in your calendar reminding you to cancel the membership in two weeks.
That gives you plenty of room to procrastinate a couple of days, without racking up unnecessary fees. It also helps tidy up the digital legacy you leave behind.
Sources
- “How do I cancel my Experian membership?” Experian, www.experian.com/help/how-to-cancel-experian-membership.html
- “How to cancel Experian credit report.” Truebill, app.truebill.com/cancel-experian-creditreport
- “Canceling Experian subscription.” DoNotPay, donotpay.com/learn/cancel-experian/