Financial experts pretty much agree that you need to know your credit history before applying for any sort of credit. Makes sense if you want to improve your score. Thing is, tons of companies now claim they can tell you your credit rating. Credit Sesame is one of these companies, with its own Credit Sesame program. Here’s what I found about how their services actually work.
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Credit Sesame Reviews – Who’s Afraid of the Vantagescore?
Financial experts pretty much agree that you need to know your credit history before applying for any sort of credit. Makes sense if you want to improve your score. Thing is, tons of companies now claim they can tell you your credit rating. Credit Sesame is one of these companies, with its own Credit Sesame program. Here’s what I found about how their services actually work.
First, you sign up for a free account. You’ll need your social security number, birth date, address, phone numbers, and probably your most recent pay stubs. To check your score at least twice a year, you register for the credit sesame service. Pretty straightforward process. You fill in the info and you’re ready to check your report.
After you register, you’ll notice they offer lots of monitoring options. Some send alerts through email or text messages. Others call you or send emails. Most credit report providers don’t offer email or phone support though. So you get to pick what kind of monitoring you actually want to use.
Once you’ve signed up and checked your score, credit monitoring services pop up as another option. This gives you regular reports about your credit status and solutions to prevent theft. Since you’re already signed up, you only make one payment per month for all the services credit sesame provides. That’s why you see so many ads about credit monitoring, and you should really do your own research on credit sesame reviews.
Here’s the deal with credit sesame’s monitoring options. They offer two types. The free service lets you see your score and report problems if something looks fishy. But it only lets you check three reports each month. Want more access to your score and report? You can choose the paid service which gives unlimited users access to check your report.
There’s also a completely free service called the credit monitoring service. Perfect for people who don’t obsess over their score and just want to know what’s happening with their finances. This service gives you full details on the three main credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. The catch? The free version only lets you check one report each month.
Both services have their pros and cons. The free credit monitoring usually only lets you view your score once a year. You can’t order a credit repair kit or get a credit report online. The paid service lets you view your report whenever you want while ordering other credit repair tools and personal information tools like a credit bureau lookup, FICO score calculator, and more. This gives you a complete, current picture of your financial health.
Here’s something important: the vantagescore is different from the FICO score. Lenders use FICO scores to figure out if you’re creditworthy based on your credit report. Low vantagescore means you’re considered high risk. To get a better FICO score, you need to improve your credit profile through things like debt settlements and debt consolidation. So pick the vantagescore that actually fits your financial needs.