Summary Stats
Experian dominates this database. Of the 29 cards tracked, 25 (86.2%) include Experian in their pull pattern. That number is high because Experian appears in combinations (Experian + Equifax, all three bureaus) as well as solo pulls. The sole-Experian group is even more striking: 16 of 29 cards pull Experian and nothing else.
29
Total cards tracked
11
Issuers covered
25 (86.2%)
Pull Experian (any)
7 (24.1%)
Pull Equifax (any)
9 (31.0%)
Pull TransUnion (any)
3 (10.3%)
Pull all 3 bureaus
Pull pattern distribution
Breaking down by pull pattern (not just bureau presence):
| Pull pattern | Cards | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Experian only | 16 | 55.2% |
| TransUnion only | 3 | 10.3% |
| Equifax only | 1 | 3.4% |
| Experian + Equifax | 3 | 10.3% |
| Experian + TransUnion | 3 | 10.3% |
| All 3 bureaus | 3 | 10.3% |
Per-Issuer Breakdown
Within this reference database, the big issuers are remarkably consistent. Chase pulls Experian on all 6 tracked cards. Amex pulls Experian on all 4. Wells Fargo pulls Experian on all 3. The state-variance exceptions show up in how Citi and Bank of America are coded: those entries show two possible bureaus because pull behavior varies by state.
| Issuer | Cards | Bureau(s) | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | 6 | Experian | Consistent across tracked cards |
| Amex | 4 | Experian | Consistent across tracked cards |
| Citi | 3 | Equifax, Experian | Consistent across tracked cards |
| BofA | 3 | Experian, TransUnion | Consistent across tracked cards |
| Capital One | 3 | Equifax, Experian, TransUnion | All 3 - freeze won't help |
| Barclays | 2 | TransUnion | Consistent across tracked cards |
| US Bank | 2 | Experian | Consistent across tracked cards |
| Wells Fargo | 3 | Experian | Consistent across tracked cards |
| Discover | 1 | Experian | Consistent across tracked cards |
| Navy Federal | 1 | TransUnion | Consistent across tracked cards |
| PenFed | 1 | Equifax | Consistent across tracked cards |
Notable patterns
Chase: Pulls Experian on all 6 tracked cards in most states. Notes on the Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards acknowledge some states see TransUnion. For the majority of applicants, Chase is a reliably Experian-only issuer. This makes Chase a good candidate for applying after freezing Equifax and TransUnion.
Amex: Experian across all 4 tracked cards, but with an important nuance. Existing American Express cardholders often get a soft pull when adding a new card, not a hard pull. New-to-Amex applicants receive a hard pull. The bureau is still Experian in both cases, but the impact on your score differs.
Citi: All 3 tracked Citi cards show Experian + Equifax, meaning Citi pulls one of those two depending on your state. You cannot freeze Experian before a Citi application without risking a denial if Citi wants Experian in your state. Freezing TransUnion before a Citi application is safe.
Capital One: Pulls all 3 bureaus on all 3 tracked cards. This is the most frequently confirmed pattern in community data and is consistent across virtually every Capital One product. No freeze strategy helps here. A Capital One application leaves a hard inquiry on all three reports regardless.
Barclays: TransUnion on both tracked cards. Consistently reported as TransUnion-first across the community. Freezing Experian and Equifax before a Barclays application is a viable strategy if you want to protect those bureaus.
Freeze Strategy by Goal
The patterns above translate directly into strategic freeze decisions. Here are the most common goal-based strategies based on what this database shows.
Goal: maximize Chase and Amex approvals while limiting Capital One damage
Freeze Equifax and TransUnion. Both Chase and Amex pull primarily Experian. With the other two frozen, applications to those issuers show up only on your Experian report, leaving Equifax and TransUnion clean for future use.
Limitation: Capital One pulls all 3 bureaus, so any Cap One application breaks through regardless. Avoid Capital One during this strategy window if protecting inquiry count matters.
Goal: apply with Barclays or Navy Federal while keeping Experian clean
Freeze Experian (and optionally Equifax). Barclays pulls TransUnion and Navy Federal pulls TransUnion. With Experian frozen, those applications show only on TransUnion. Experian stays untouched for Chase or Amex applications later.
Limitation: Confirm your state-specific pull before freezing. These patterns are from the reference database, not verified data points.
Goal: apply with PenFed while keeping Experian and TransUnion clean
Freeze Experian and TransUnion. PenFed pulls Equifax only. With the other two frozen, the PenFed hard inquiry hits only Equifax.
Limitation: PenFed is a single data point in this database (1 card). This is a low-confidence reference pattern.
Goal: apply with Citi or BofA while targeting a specific bureau
Citi pulls Experian or Equifax depending on state. BofA pulls Experian or TransUnion depending on state. You can freeze TransUnion before a Citi application (safe in all states). Before BofA, freezing is riskier because you need to know your state's pattern to pick the right bureau to keep open.
State variance makes this the highest-uncertainty scenario. Check current community data for your state before freezing anything for a Citi or BofA application.
What This Analysis Cannot Tell You
This analysis is derived from 29 reference entries that have not yet been independently verified through our community submission process. The patterns are directionally useful but carry real uncertainty.
The analysis cannot tell you what bureau your specific bank will pull in your specific state for the specific card you want today. Pull patterns change. Regional variations exist that are not captured in a single reference entry per card. Some entries in this database are two or more years old as reported in the source communities.
The right move is to use this analysis to form a hypothesis, then check current community data on Doctor of Credit or r/CreditCards before you freeze anything. If you recently applied and saw which bureau was pulled, consider submitting a data point to help improve this database.