A standard NotchUp advance doesn’t build credit and doesn’t hurt it either, because standard advances aren’t reported to any credit bureau and don’t involve a hard credit check. NotchUp Plus is different: it’s a $10 every two weeks credit builder membership that reports your membership payments to Equifax Canada every month, so each payment adds positive payment history to your file. You don’t need to take an advance to use it, there’s no hard credit check to join, and it starts with a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.
Key Takeaways
- Standard NotchUp advances aren’t reported to Equifax or TransUnion and don’t involve a hard credit check, so they have zero effect on your score.
- NotchUp Plus costs $10 every 2 weeks ($20 a month) after a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel any time with no fees.
- Plus reports your bi-weekly membership payments to Equifax Canada every month. It reports to Equifax only, not TransUnion.
- You don’t need to take NotchUp advances to build credit with Plus. The membership payments themselves are what get reported.
- NotchUp says most members see a first score change within 60 to 90 days. Credit bureaus generally need at least 3 months of reported history before a score moves, and results aren’t guaranteed.
- Plus also includes credit monitoring alerts, and a standard NotchUp advance still costs a flat $5 with no interest whether or not you’re a Plus member.
This article reflects NotchUp Plus terms and Canadian credit reporting practices as of September 2026. Pricing, trial terms and reporting arrangements can change. Check the NotchUp Plus page and your membership terms for current details.
How standard NotchUp advances work (no credit impact)
NotchUp’s core product is earned wage access. You access wages you’ve already earned before payday, for a flat $5 fee with no interest, and there’s no credit check. Standard advances aren’t reported to any credit bureau.
This is intentional. A standard advance neither helps nor hurts your credit score. Whether your file is thin, damaged or strong, it doesn’t move either way.
That also means NotchUp doesn’t need to look at your credit to approve an advance. Approval is based on the regular income landing in your bank account, which is why NotchUp doesn’t run hard credit checks. If you want the full picture of how approval works, the Is NotchUp legit? review walks through eligibility and what applicants usually get wrong.
Key Takeaway
If you’re using a NotchUp advance to avoid missing a credit card payment, the credit building happens on the credit card, not through the advance itself. The advance keeps the card’s payment history clean; the card is what gets reported.
What NotchUp Plus reports to Equifax, and how
NotchUp Plus is a credit builder membership. It costs $10 every 2 weeks, which works out to $20 a month, billed every two weeks. The first 7 days are free and you don’t need a credit card to start the trial. If you cancel within those 7 days you pay nothing, and you can cancel at any point after that with no fees.
Here’s what it actually does. Every month, NotchUp Plus sends a positive payment record to Equifax Canada covering your membership payments. Those payments are the thing being reported, so you’re building payment history simply by keeping the membership active and paid. You don’t have to take an advance for the reporting to happen, and you don’t have to do anything each month; it runs automatically.
To be clear about what’s being reported: payment history, not a score and not a balance. It’s the same mechanism secured cards and credit builder loans use. A payment is made, it gets reported, and over time those monthly marks build your credit profile. Plus also includes credit monitoring alerts so you can watch the file as the reporting lands.
Two honest limits. First, Plus reports to Equifax Canada only, so anything a lender pulls from TransUnion won’t show it. Second, payment history reporting records what’s paid and what isn’t, so keep the account your membership is charged to funded. Check your Plus terms for exactly how a failed payment is handled before you sign up.
Key Takeaway
NotchUp Plus builds credit by reporting your $10 bi-weekly membership payments to Equifax Canada every month. No advance needed, no hard credit check, and the reporting runs on its own.
How long before NotchUp Plus affects your credit score
NotchUp says results are visible in as little as 60 days and that most members see their first score improvement within 60 to 90 days. That lines up with how Canadian bureaus work: according to Credit Canada, a score generally needs at least one account that’s been open 3 months or more and reported within the past 6 months, so the first two or three monthly reports are what get things moving.
Your starting point sets the pace. A thin file with nothing else on it tends to respond to a new positive tradeline quickly. A file carrying older negative marks responds more slowly, because those marks keep dragging on the score until they age off. Nothing NotchUp or any other credit builder does can remove accurate negative history early. NotchUp’s own fine print says the same thing: individual results vary and score improvements aren’t guaranteed.
Our honest timeline for building credit in Canada explains why the number of months reported matters more than the dollar amounts involved.
How This Compares to a Secured Credit Card
Both Plus and a secured card put monthly payment history on your file. The practical differences are cost, which bureaus see it and whether you have to lock up a deposit.
| NotchUp Plus | Typical secured card | |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit required | None | $50 to $500 locked as security (Neo Financial starts at $50, Home Trust at $500) |
| Annual cost | $10 every 2 weeks ($20 a month, about $240 a year), 7-day free trial | $0 to $59 a year |
| Bureau reporting | Equifax Canada only | Most report to both Equifax and TransUnion; Home Trust reports to Equifax only |
| Hard credit check | No | Usually yes |
| What gets reported | Your membership payments | Your card payments and balance |
| Also gives you | Credit monitoring alerts | A card you can spend on |
Plus is the easier one to start: no deposit, no hard inquiry and no card to manage, plus a free trial. A secured card is cheaper over a year and reaches both bureaus in most cases, but it needs a deposit you can spare and usually a credit check to open. The deposit and fee figures above come from our guide to the best secured credit cards in Canada.
Who NotchUp Plus makes sense for
Plus fits people who want positive monthly history landing on their Equifax file without tying up a deposit or applying for new credit. That includes anyone rebuilding after missed payments, newcomers with a thin file, and people who’ve been turned down for a secured card or don’t want a hard inquiry right now.
It also fits existing NotchUp members. Standard advances don’t touch your credit, so if you’re already using NotchUp and want the credit side covered, Plus adds that on top for $20 a month.
The trade-off is cost. Over a year, $240 in membership fees buys one Equifax tradeline. If you can spare a $50 to $500 deposit and don’t mind a credit check, a no-fee secured card does a similar job for less and reaches TransUnion too.
Key Takeaway
Plus is the low-friction option: free to try, no deposit, no hard check. A secured card is the cheaper option over a year. Which one wins depends on whether the deposit or the monthly fee is easier for you right now.
Who Should Still Get a Secured Card Instead
If you want to report to both bureaus, a secured card is the more certain path. Lenders don’t all pull the same bureau, and Plus only reaches Equifax.
If you’re on a tight budget and can lock up a small deposit once, a no-fee secured card costs far less over a year than $20 a month. You make one small purchase, pay it off before the statement date, and the bureau receives a report every month. Our best secured credit card in Canada guide lists options starting at a $50 deposit with no annual fee.
Using Plus and a secured card together
Using Plus alongside a secured card means two tradelines reporting at the same time. That’s two streams of positive payment history building your file at once, which is faster than either one alone, and the secured card covers the TransUnion side that Plus doesn’t reach.
If you go this route, don’t miss a payment on either. Once you’ve got a few months of reporting behind you, pull your file and check what’s landed. Our guide to getting your free credit report in Canada shows how to do it at both bureaus for free, and our full guide to building credit in Canada covers the wider strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NotchUp Plus report to Equifax or TransUnion?
NotchUp Plus reports to Equifax Canada only. Your membership payments are sent to Equifax every month as positive payment history; nothing is reported to TransUnion. If a lender you’re planning to apply with pulls TransUnion, Plus won’t show up on that report.
Does taking a standard NotchUp advance hurt my credit score?
A standard NotchUp advance has no effect on your credit score, positive or negative. Standard advances aren’t reported to any credit bureau and don’t require a credit check, so nothing lands on your file.
Do I need to take NotchUp advances to build credit with Plus?
You don’t need to take any advances to build credit with NotchUp Plus. The membership payments themselves ($10 every 2 weeks) are what NotchUp reports to Equifax Canada each month, so the reporting happens whether or not you ever use an advance.
How much does NotchUp Plus cost?
NotchUp Plus costs $10 every 2 weeks, or $20 a month, billed every two weeks. The first 7 days are a free trial with no credit card required, and you can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee.
Can I cancel NotchUp Plus during the free trial and pay nothing?
You can cancel NotchUp Plus within the 7-day trial and pay $0. NotchUp doesn’t take a credit card to start the trial, and cancelling is done from your account rather than by phone or form.
How long before Plus affects my credit score?
NotchUp says most Plus members see a first score improvement within 60 to 90 days, and results can be visible in as little as 60 days. Canadian bureaus generally need at least 3 months of reported history on an account before it moves a score, and a file with older negative marks will respond more slowly than a thin file.
Does NotchUp Plus work if I have very bad credit?
NotchUp Plus doesn’t run a hard credit check to sign up, so a low score won’t block you from joining. Each monthly report adds positive history, but existing negative marks stay on your file until they age off, so the score gain is slower for a badly damaged file than for a thin one.
Does NotchUp check my credit when I apply for an advance?
NotchUp doesn’t run a hard credit check for advances. Approval is based on the regular income showing up in your bank account, not your credit score. Approval is also reassessed on your current account activity, so being approved once doesn’t guarantee the next advance.
Plus doesn’t turn NotchUp into a credit card. It’s a $20 a month membership that puts positive payment history on your Equifax file every month, with no deposit, no hard credit check and a free week to try it. Learn more at notchup.app/notchup-plus.
This article is for informational purposes only and doesn’t constitute professional financial or credit advice. NotchUp Plus features, pricing and bureau reporting practices can change, so confirm current terms with NotchUp before making a decision. If you’re struggling with debt, consider contacting a licensed insolvency trustee or a non-profit credit counselling agency for free, confidential support.
