Where to check your credit score for free
Canada has two main credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. Each option below shows you a score from one of them.
Borrowell
Equifax score and report, updated weekly according to Borrowell, with no SIN or credit card. French support in the mobile app only.
Credit Karma Canada
Free TransUnion score and report, with credit monitoring according to Credit Karma.
Equifax directly
Free Equifax report and score online, updated once a month according to Equifax; also by mail, by phone or in person.
TransUnion directly
Free monthly Consumer Disclosure. According to the FCAC, the score is included for free if you live in Quebec or Ontario.
Your bank
Desjardins shows your TransUnion and Equifax information for free in AccèsD. RBC, TD (app only), CIBC, Scotiabank and Tangerine offer a free TransUnion score to their clients, and BMO offers its Credit Coach tool. National Bank’s help page points to Equifax and TransUnion instead.
Which one? To follow your Equifax score every week, Borrowell. For your TransUnion score, Credit Karma Canada or TransUnion directly. For the monthly version straight from a bureau, Equifax or TransUnion. Nothing stops you from following both bureaus: their reports can differ.
What is a good credit score?
According to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), scores usually range from 300 to 900, and a higher score is better. Equifax Canada gives these general benchmarks:
These benchmarks are not approval thresholds: each lender sets its own criteria. TransUnion notes that a “good” score depends on the creditor using it.
Why your scores are not identical
Borrowell is the Equifax option covered here: it provides an Equifax Risk Score and credit report, with weekly updates according to the service. For comparison, Credit Karma Canada provides access to a TransUnion score and credit report.
The two services therefore do not show the same view of your credit file. If you want to follow Equifax over time, Borrowell fits that goal; if you want to check the other major Canadian bureau, look for a TransUnion option instead.
What to know for your situation
Mortgage or car loan
Shop lenders within a 2-week period: according to the FCAC, credit bureaus then treat those inquiries as one.
Renting a home
A landlord may check your report with your permission. Borrowell also lets you download your Equifax report as a PDF to give them.
Fraud concerns in Quebec
According to Quebec’s Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), a security freeze is free in Quebec with Equifax and TransUnion, as is a fraud alert. The freeze stays in place until you ask for it to be removed.
An error on your report
You have the right to dispute any information you believe is wrong, and credit bureaus must correct errors for free according to the FCAC. In Quebec, the AMF says you must receive an answer within 30 days.
How to improve your credit score
- Pay on time, at least the minimum: payment history is the most important part of your score according to the FCAC.
- Use less than 30% of your total credit limit, as the FCAC recommends.
- Keep old accounts open: lenders want to see a long and stable credit history.
- Limit credit applications: a hard inquiry appears on your report, unlike checking your own score.
Borrowell says payment history (about 35% of the score) and credit utilization (about 30%) are the factors with the most impact.
What is Borrowell?
Borrowell gives Canadians free access to an Equifax Canada credit score and credit report. Borrowell says you can sign up without a SIN or credit card, and that registration takes less than three minutes.
I use it myself to check my score and report. That personal experience does not mean Borrowell is right for everyone: the score shown is an Equifax Risk Score for educational use and may differ from the score used by a lender or another service.
Free Equifax access
See your Equifax Canada score and report for free, without providing a SIN or credit card according to Borrowell.
Weekly refreshes
Borrowell says it updates your score and report every week, although a change depends on when creditors report new information.
Credit education
Borrowell provides explanations, personalized tips and tools to help you understand factors that affect your score.
Free monitoring
You can follow changes in your score and report, with notification preferences for weekly updates or score movements.
What you can see and follow
Your score and its evolution
The dashboard shows the Equifax Risk Score, the last update and the next scheduled update. Borrowell also says past score history can be viewed again after reactivating a deactivated account.
Your credit report
The report can include personal information, open and closed accounts, account opening dates, credit limits or loan amounts, balances and payment history. Borrowell also offers a downloadable PDF report on the web.
Factors and explanations
Borrowell explains score impact through factors such as payment history, credit utilization, credit-history length, new inquiries and credit mix. These explanations are not a guarantee of approval.
Inquiries and unusual changes
The report can show hard inquiries, collections, public records and other changes to review for errors or unusual activity. Borrowell says all soft inquiries require a request to Equifax directly.
How to use the information
Look beyond the number
Read the report alongside the score so you can identify the accounts, balances, limits and payment history behind the result.
Compare updates over time
Use the weekly refreshes, score history and explanations to distinguish a real change from a difference in reporting timing.
Investigate what looks wrong
Check unfamiliar inquiries, accounts or collection items. Borrowell says it cannot change Equifax information directly; disputes go to the reporting lender or Equifax.
What Borrowell does not tell you by itself
| Score model | Borrowell provides an Equifax Risk Score. A lender or another service may use a different bureau, model, timing or data set. |
|---|---|
| Soft versus hard | Borrowell says checking your own score and report through its service is a soft inquiry and does not affect the score. A credit application can create a hard inquiry with a different effect. |
| Reporting delay | Weekly access does not mean every payment or account change appears immediately: creditors and Equifax report and update on their own schedules. |
| Recommendations | Borrowell may show personalized financial-product recommendations from partner companies. The free score and report remain available even if you do not accept an offer. |
| Approval | A score and report can help you prepare, but they do not guarantee approval, a rate or a particular offer from a lender. |
How the personal referral link works
For the reader
Open the personal link before creating a free Borrowell account, receive your score, and keep the account eligible under Borrowell's current terms. You receive the free score and report; I may receive a $5 CAD gift card if the referral qualifies.
The amount and conditions can change, so the official Borrowell page controls.
Open the personal link
The URL carries the referral tracking identifier; it is a link, not a code to type manually.
Create the free account and receive your score
Use a valid email address and complete the free-score flow through the link.
Review the current terms
Borrowell determines eligibility, timing and the reward. The conditions can change without this page guaranteeing a payment.
The product and referral pages were checked October 14, 2026. Check Borrowell's current terms before signing up.
Credit score and Borrowell questions
How can I check my credit score for free?
What is a good credit score in Canada?
Is Borrowell free?
What credit score does Borrowell show?
What can I see in my Borrowell credit report?
How often does Borrowell update my score and report?
Can I see my Borrowell credit score history?
Does checking Borrowell affect my credit score?
Is Borrowell owned by Equifax?
What is the difference between Borrowell and TransUnion?
Is Borrowell safe?
Is Borrowell available in French?
What is the Borrowell referral link or code?
Official sources and verification date
The free options, score benchmarks, tips, the Borrowell service, company, security, French availability, referral terms and the comparison with a TransUnion service were checked October 14, 2026 in these official pages:
- FCAC — Credit report and score basics, for the 300 to 900 range and the effect of checking.
- FCAC — Ordering your credit report, for free access from Equifax and TransUnion.
- FCAC — Improving your credit score, for the factors and tips.
- FCAC — Checking and fixing errors, for disputes.
- AMF — Credit report, for the security freeze, fraud alert and timelines in Quebec.
- Equifax Canada — What is a good credit score?, for the score benchmarks.
- Equifax Canada — Free credit report and score, for direct free access.
- TransUnion Canada — Consumer Disclosure, for the free monthly version.
- TransUnion Canada — What is a good credit score?.
- Desjardins — TransUnion and Equifax credit score.
- RBC — Free credit score in Online Banking.
- TD — Check your credit score.
- CIBC — Free credit score.
- Scotiabank — Credit score.
- Tangerine — Credit score checker.
- BMO — Credit Coach launch (news release).
- National Bank — How to check my credit score (French).
- Borrowell — Credit Report & Credit Score Canada, for the free weekly monitoring, score explanations and product recommendations.
- Borrowell — Download Your Free Printable Equifax Credit Report, for the PDF report and report sections.
- Borrowell Help Centre — weekly score updates.
- Borrowell Help Centre — information on a credit report.
- Borrowell Help Centre — score-impact factors.
- Borrowell Help Centre — correcting or disputing report information.
- Borrowell Help Centre — score and report notification preferences.
- Borrowell Help Centre — account deactivation and past score history.
- Borrowell — Refer a Friend, for the current referral flow.
- Borrowell — Refer-a-Friend Program Terms and Conditions.
- Borrowell — Free Credit Score in Canada.
- Borrowell — About Borrowell, for the company history and the Equifax partnership.
- Borrowell Help Centre — fraud protection.
- Borrowell Help Centre — account information in French.
- Borrowell Help Centre — credit report in French.
- Credit Karma Canada — free TransUnion score and report, for the comparison with the other Canadian bureau.
Ready to see your Equifax score?
Open the referral link to access your Equifax score and report for free with Borrowell; the referred person's benefit and any reward I receive remain subject to the official terms.
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