We've reviewed and selected the top credit monitoring services of 2020 for assisting you with tracking your credit and watching for potential fraud.
Last Updated: November 25, 2020
2020 Best Credit Monitoring Services in America
¹ ath Power Consulting, February 2018
* The score you receive with Identity Guard is provided for educational purposes to help you understand your credit. It is calculated using the information contained in your TransUnion credit file. Lenders use many different credit scoring systems, and the score you receive with Identity Guard is not the same score used by lenders to evaluate your credit.
Credit monitoring is an essential part of improving your credit and with so many credit monitoring services on the market, your options are endless.
Although the final choice greatly depends on your personal financial situation, here are some guidelines to help you in your search:
This one can be tricky since credit monitoring services range from minimal service with no cost or credit card obligation to a flat monthly fee. What you pick largely depends on two factors:
Here are a few services ranging from free to a flat fees:
Many companies have extra perks to supplement their credit monitoring services. If you are simply looking for a one time score or monthly monitoring, these services may not interest you, but if you are searching for something a little extra, here are some credible services:
Your credit is a vital part of your life, so entrusting your finances to a tried and true service is important. Credit monitoring companies with over 10 years of time in the industry include Identity Guard (since 2001), PrivacyGuard (since 1973), and myFICO (since 2001).
Checking reviews on customer service can help you determine how a credit monitoring company really treats their clients. The BBB, Yelp, Trustpilot, and Google reviews are good places to learn if a company:
Smart Credit, Identity Guard, and Lifelock all have generally positive reviews from real consumers.
Credit monitoring tracks your credit history and notifies you of any changes (such as a new account or inquiries) to your credit report or credit scores.
Absolutely. A good credit monitoring service can help prevent identity theft or notify you of any fraudulent activity before anything more serious occurs.
This varies by company, but most credit monitoring services charge between $9.99/month to $39.95/month. Many services may also allow a 30 day free trial period to help you decide if you want to pursue credit monitoring.
Depending on the level of service, credit monitoring services can provide credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, fraud detection, identity theft assistance and insurance, near real-time alerts, online protection, risks assessment, and more.
