In short: Under section 72 of the National Credit Act, you may inspect your credit bureau file without charge once within any period of twelve months at each registered credit bureau. Pull the reports yourself from the bureau (or an official portal they name). Do not pay a random “credit check” WhatsApp seller. Checking your own file is normally a consumer / soft enquiry, not the same as a lender hard pull. Not financial advice.
Sources: National Credit Act: section 72; NCR: Credit bureau and your rights; TransUnion: annual free credit report; Experian South Africa; XDS.
What you are entitled to
Registered credit bureaus must let you see your credit information. Section 72(1)(b) gives you the right to inspect any credit bureau file concerning you without charge once every twelve months, and to challenge information you believe is wrong. The NCR’s consumer pamphlet also states you can get one free record per year from a bureau, with a prescribed fee for further records in the same year.
In practice that means one free statutory report per year from each major bureau you deal with, commonly TransUnion, Experian and XDS (and any other registered bureau that holds your data). Lenders do not all report to the same bureau, so one report is not the whole picture.
A practical way to get started
- Open TransUnion’s free annual credit report page and follow their registration / identity steps. TransUnion states you can access your TransUnion credit report once a year for free, as mandated for bureaus
- Repeat with other bureaus’ official consumer portals (for example Experian via experian.co.za / their Up consumer product, and XDS) for your once-a-year free pulls
- Download or save the PDF / screen and note the date
- Dispute wrong accounts in writing with the bureau that shows them. The NCA also protects your right to challenge information without charge
Score vs report
- A report lists accounts, judgments, enquiries and payment history
- A score is a number each bureau models differently (scales are not interchangeable)
- Free score apps and bank widgets can help day to day, but the statutory free report under section 72 is the legal baseline
When you apply for credit, the lender’s enquiry can look different on your file from your own consumer pull. Do not assume a free self-check “uses up” your right at another bureau. The free annual right is per bureau.
Watch for paid traps
- “Pay R99 / send airtime for your score” cold WhatsApps
- Sites that bury the free annual option behind a subscription
- Anyone asking for your banking PIN to “clear” your record
- Sellers who promise to delete accurate negative information for a fee. That is not how lawful bureau correction works
Related
Loans if your credit record is damaged · Micro loans: what to check
Last checked: September 2026 against NCA section 72, the NCR credit-bureau rights pamphlet, and TransUnion’s annual free report product page. Confirm each bureau’s live free process on their site. Not financial advice.