Update: Happy New Year! 🎉🥳 With the new year upon us, I’ve found that utilizing credit monitoring alerts has been incredibly helpful in managing my finances. Recently, when I applied for a credit card, I received several emails almost instantly informing me that my credit report had been accessed. Additionally, I receive notifications if any new accounts are added. This early alert system gives me peace of mind regarding potential identity theft. Below are some free credit score and monitoring services that I recommend, offering various algorithms and continuous monitoring from select credit bureaus.
Credit Karma
- Free credit score (VantageScore 3.0) from both Transunion and Equifax.
- Free credit monitoring from both Transunion and Equifax. Receive email alerts or app notifications about new credit checks or accounts.
- Basic identity theft monitoring. Credit Karma checks your email against public data breaches and alerts you if your information is compromised.
Credit Sesame
- Free credit score (VantageScore 3.0) from Transunion. Daily updates on your credit score and weekly reviews of your credit profile.
- Free credit monitoring from Transunion. Alerts you via email about any changes, such as a new account or credit inquiry.
Experian.com (Free Tier)
- Free credit score (FICO 8) from Experian. Daily updates to your credit score with a refreshed credit report when you log in.
- Free credit monitoring from Experian. Get alerts via email for any changes.
- Keep in mind that Experian may try to upsell you on their paid membership. Simply select “No, keep my membership” to remain on the free plan. I’ve maintained this for years.
- Boost your credit score by adding utility payments. Experian Boost is a free service that can help increase your Experian credit score by including on-time utility and phone bill payments.
WalletHub
- Free credit score (VantageScore 3.0) from Transunion. Enjoy daily updates and access to full credit reports at no cost.
- Free credit monitoring from Transunion. Alerts are sent through email regarding new credit checks or accounts.
CreditWise from Capital One
- Free credit score (FICO 8) from Transunion. No need for a Capital One account to sign up.
- Free credit monitoring from both Transunion and Experian.
All the above services provide free tiers without requiring a credit card for sign-up. Verification may include the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Keep in mind they are ad-supported (expect promotional offers) and often include options for paid upgrades (but you can remain on the free tier indefinitely).
As a note, the government mandates that credit bureaus offer at least one free credit report every 12 months (currently weekly due to the pandemic). However, these reports do not include credit scores or alerts regarding changes in your reports.
Please be aware that some of the scores provided may not be FICO scores, as Fair Isaac might charge higher licensing fees. If you specifically want a FICO score, many major credit card issuers, like Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Discover, Barclaycard, and American Express, now offer a monthly FICO score with their cards.
In conclusion, using a combination of the services mentioned above allows me to monitor changes to my credit reports across all three credit bureaus for free. None require a credit card for registration, and they provide timely alerts for new accounts, credit inquiries, and significant credit utilization. I simply ignore the generic advertisements and upsells.
