How to Select a Credit Monitoring Service

The three national consumer credit-reporting bureaus in the country are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each offers credit monitoring products and services. For example, Experian's Triple Advantage Credit Monitoring service gives you regular access to all three of your credit reports and scores. When choosing a credit monitoring service, read the terms of each product and educate yourself on how the credit monitoring service works.

Instructions

1

Compare product offers. For example, if you wish to receive email notification whenever changes to your credit report and score are reported, select a credit monitoring service that offers automatic email alerts. Inquire about real time, daily and weekly email alert notifications. It may be necessary to provide an email address.

2

Check to see if the credit-monitoring service analyzes your credit report, offers ways to improve your credit score and provides free credit educational tools.

3

Compare level of access to your credit reports. Opt for a service that offers unrestricted online access to your credit reports and scores, so you can regularly monitor your credit report for unfamiliar inquiries.

4

Compare customer support options. Determine which modes of delivery are available. Examples include phone support, Internet support (i.e. email, live chat, forums), in-person support and mail support. Also, ask if your service provider will assist you in reporting fraudulent activity on your credit report.

5

Check payment options for credit monitoring services and compare with your budget. Some credit monitoring services require you to prepay for a fixed number of months, whereas others permit you to enroll in a month-to-month subscription. Compare pricing for each subscription option and ask about cancellation requirements.