William Lipovsky
Banks and credit card companies typically don’t publicly release information about which credit bureaus they pull reports from when evaluating applications.
Some credit card companies regularly pull from one bureau, such as Equifax, or may pull from a second bureau if the applicant has a borderline credit score.
The issuer may also pull from different bureaus based on the applicant’s location.
Below, we list the cards that tend to pull from Equifax — at least as the first or primary means of measuring your creditworthiness.
How the Credit Bureaus Differ
There are three major credit bureaus — Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian — that financial institutions pull data from to determine an individual’s credit rating.
The fundamental difference between these three credit bureaus is how they determine individual credit scores. Each bureau could potentially calculate a different score for the same person.
Specifically, Equifax utilizes its own scoring system called the Equifax Credit Score.[1]
It’s virtually impossible to know with absolute certainty which of these three agencies a credit card company will consult when you apply for a credit card.
Credit card companies don’t share this information publicly and, as noted above, may pull from different bureaus depending on your location.
Credit Cards Reported to Use Equifax
Keep in mind that there’s no way to guarantee which report a credit company will use to determine creditworthiness.
We based our list on reports from applicants and cardholders.
Chase
Chase cards often pull both Equifax and Experian or may pull another combination of bureaus, depending on your location.
However, based on customer reports, the following Chase card primarily uses Equifax:
Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card
- Intro offer: $75 Amazon.com gift card upon approval[2]
- Rewards: 3% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores; and 1% back everywhere else[2]
- Annual fee: None[3]
- Find out more
Citi
Customers have reported mixed results when applying for credit cards with Citi. Certain applications may pull from other credit bureaus besides Equifax.
However, customers mostly report Equifax pulls for the following card:
Citi Diamond Preferred Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for 21 months[4]
- Rewards: Citi Entertainment — special access to presale tickets and exclusive experiences at concerts, sporting events, etc.[4]
- Annual fee: None[4]
- Find out more
Discover
Applicants report that Discover commonly uses either Experian or Equifax, so there’s no guarantee that Discover will use Equifax when you apply.
However, many cardholders say their applications pulled Equifax only, particularly when using Discover’s online pre-approval tool.
Discover it Cash Back Credit Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers; 3% introductory balance transfer fee[5]
- Rewards: 5% Cashback Bonus at different places every quarter up to a quarterly maximum; 1% cash back on all other purchases; unlimited cash back match for your first year[5]
- Annual fee: None[5]
- Find out more
Discover it Chrome Credit Card
- Intro offer: 0% purchase and balance transfer APR for 15 months; 3% introductory balance transfer fee[6]
- Rewards: 2% cash back on your first $1,000 in combined gas and restaurant purchases each quarter; 1% cash back on all other purchases; earn 2x rewards for your first year.[6]
- Annual fee: None[6]
- Find out more
Discover it Miles Travel Credit Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR on purchases for 15 months[7]
- Rewards: Unlimited earning of 1.5 Miles on every dollar you spend on purchases[7]
- Annual fee: None[7]
- Find out more
Discover it Student Cash Back Credit Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for six months[8]
- Rewards: 5% cash back at different places each quarter; 1% cash back on all other purchases[8]
- Annual fee: None[8]
- Find out more
PenFed Credit Union
Applicants report that PenFed Credit Union typically pulls from Equifax in most states, though it may also use TransUnion.
PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature Card
- Intro offer: 15,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days; 0% balance transfer APR for 12 months (3% fee still applies)[9]
- Rewards: 5x points on gas purchases and EV charging; 3x points at supermarkets, at restaurants, and on services like cable and streaming; 1x points on all other purchases[9]
- Annual fee: None[9]
- Find out more
PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature Card
- Intro offer: $100 statement credit when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days; 0% balance transfer APR for 12 months (though a 3% fee applies to all balance transfers)[10]
- Rewards: 1.5% to 2% cash back on purchases[10]
- Annual fee: None[10]
- Find out more
PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa Signature Card
- Intro offer: 50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days; 0% balance transfer APR for 12 months (though a 3% fee still applies)[11]
- Rewards: 3x to 4x points on travel purchases and 1.5x points on all other purchases[11]
- Annual fee: $95 (waived for PenFed Honors Advantage members)[11]
- Find out more
PenFed Gold Visa Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for the first 15 months[12]
- Find out more
USAA
USAA credit cards are available to military service members and their families.
As with the other credit card companies listed here, while the cards below commonly use Equifax during the application process, USAA may use a different credit reporting agency when you apply.
Consumer reports note that USAA may also pull Experian or TransUnion, depending on your location.
USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers and convenience checks that post to your account within 90 days of opening[13]
- Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all qualifying purchases[13]
- Annual fee: None[13]
- Find out more
USAA Rewards Visa Signature Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for 15 months and up to 2,500 bonus points after your first qualifying purchase[14]
- Rewards: Two points per dollar spent on dining and gas; one point on all other purchases[14]
- Annual fee: None[14]
- Find out more
USAA Rate Advantage Visa Platinum Credit Card
- Intro offer: 0% APR for 15 months[15]
- Rewards: None, but the card includes auto rental coverage, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation/interruption coverage, and baggage reimbursement[15]
- Annual fee: None[15]
- Find out more
See our related research for information on cards that mainly use Experian and cards that mainly use TransUnion.
Katie Spence
Lindsey Desmet
Erika Crawford
Cathy Desmet
Loren Eaton
Discover pulled my Equifax June 2017 and I was approved for a $10000. They might have also pulled my expedia. Chase And Amex all TU and EX,capital one uses Equifax
Hi Credit Card Man,
Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s great to get reader input on this kind of question. While our research did reveal that Chase pulls from Equifax, as we explained in the intro, it’s impossible to know exactly where they’ll pull from. It’s also difficult to tell exactly when they’ll vary from their norm and pull from a different bureau.
They use your geographical locale
Barclaycard from my research online and my 2 applications almost exclusively pulls transunion.
Hi Austin,
Thank you for this information. We will update the article to reflect this.
Please update this INACCURATE information. I was recently approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and they pulled my Transunion report. Barclays also pulled from Transunion.
Hi there!
Thanks for this information! We have updated the article to reflect your findings.
All of my Chase cards including Sapphire Reserve, United Explorer, Southwest Premier, and Southwest Plus, have pulled exclusively from Transunion! I know this because I have freezes on all the credit bureaus and had to temporarily take the freeze off Transunion for each application.
Hi Claudia,
Thanks so much for this information. We always appreciate reader input to make sure our articles are accurate and up-to-date. We will look into this and update the article, as necessary.
I just applied for the Southwest card and they pulled experian.
When I applied for the disney visa from chase they pulled transunion not equifax.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for providing us with this information. We have updated the article to reflect this.
Chase pulled Experian and Transunion, didn’t even pull Equifax (I’m a member with Equifax and they didn’t get an inquiry).
Hi Dan,
Could you tell me which Chase card you were applying for? We always strive to keep our lists updated as we receive new information. Thank you!
Applied for Chase Ink Business card and Chase pulled Experian.
Thanks for the update. Yes, there are types of Chase cards that will pull Experian. You’ll notice that we limited our list to the Chase Sapphire, Chase Slate, and Chase Freedom.
Applied for Chase Freedom Card 3-17-17, they pulled Experion only.
Hi Don,
I’ve just recently received other reports of the Chase Freedom card pulling Experian rather than Equifax; it seems that practices may have changed for this card, so I’ve gone ahead and removed it from our list in an effort to keep the article as accurate and up-to-date as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience that the article has caused, and thank you for bringing the issue to our attention!
This entire list is hogwash. I recommend all reader to disregard this information as it is not accurate AT ALL and other CRAs will be pulled
Hi Jon,
I’m sorry to hear you feel that way about our article! It’s impossible to say with 100% certainty that a particular card will only pull from a certain bureau every time an application is run. However, we are regularly updating our list as we find new information from consumers who report different experiences with different credit cards. If there are specific cards on our list that you believe are inaccurately represented, please don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll be happy to review our information.
Thats true. my chase card apped in 2016 & 2017 is always pulled from TU.
Hi Johndoer,
We’ve just recently removed the Chase Freedom card from our list after receiving multiple reports that this card pulled from other credit bureaus. Do you happen to remember if the card that pulled from TransUnion was the Chase Freedom card? If it was a different card, you’re welcome to let us know and we’ll be happy to investigate further. Thanks for writing in!
So this is the Credit Cards we *think* use Equifax only list. Please clarify in the title.
Omid,
I really appreciate your comment, and you’re right. It’s impossible to be 100% certain that a credit card or bank won’t pull data from any one (or all three) of the credit bureaus. Right now, the articles in this series are under review, and we’ll be updating them to include the most accurate information we can. Thank you for your feedback!
So I applied for a Citi card based on this info and immediately got email notification from both Transunion and Experian that they pulled credit info. Got declined… How did you come up with that they pull Equifax only??
Please advise…
Hi Omid,
I’m sorry to hear that you were declined for your credit card application! Because the credit card companies don’t publicly disclose the exact algorithms and factors that determine which credit bureaus will be contacted for any given application, it’s very difficult to know with total certainty which credit cards will always or mostly pull Equifax (or any other credit bureau or combination of credit bureaus). Our list is mostly compiled by reviewing customer reports about the credit bureaus that were contacted in their own applications. I’ve gone ahead and made a note in the Citi section of the article that other credit bureaus may be contacted and to proceed with caution, so that other readers can have a forewarning if they are in a similar situation. Again, our sincere apologies for the problems with your application, and thank you for writing in with your experience!
Same thing happened to me. If you can’t say with certainty you should not list the information with certainty.