Best Credit Monitoring Offers
Credit monitoring services keep track of changes to your credit report and score and alert you via emails of any changes (such as a new account, a balance increase, a late payment or a change of address).
Despite what the ads tell you, not everybody needs credit monitoring all the time. But credit monitoring services can be useful to make sure your identity stays out of the wrong hands, but they can also be extremely helpful as you try to improve your credit score in anticipation of getting a car loan, a mortgage or a business loan.
Among all the credit monitoring options out there, we like two: zenDough by TransUnion and myFICO ScoreWatch. Both provide continual credit report monitoring and copies of your credit reports and scores. zenDough provides a bit more analysis and credit scores from all three credit bureaus, but myFICO is $5 a month less expensive.
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Best Overall Credit Monitoring: ZenDough from TransUnionzenDough is a new credit monitoring product from credit bureau TransUnion. The service provides free access to all three of your credit bureau scores for seven days, a credit, debt and ID theft risk analysis and automatic credit alerts. The service is $14.95 a month if you continue after the trial. |
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Best Credit Score Monitoring: MyFICO ScoreWatchMyFICO.com ScoreWatch monitors your credit report at Equifax on a daily basis and your FICO score on a weekly basis. You’ll also get two copies of your credit report and a credit score analysis. ScoreWatch costs $9.95 a month or $99.95 a year. |
How Often Should You Check Your Credit?
Although you should check your credit at least once a year, I recommend you do it more frequently. Checking your credit twice a year or quarterly is smart to make sure your credit is consistently free of errors and knowing where you stand with lenders. If you are currently working to erase errors, improve your credit score, or plan to get a mortgage in the next year, you may want to watch your credit report monthly.
Your Free Annual Credit Report
If it’s just your credit report you need (not your credit score, credit monitoring or identity theft protection), federal law gives you the right to a free copy of your credit report once a year at www.annualcreditreport.com.
