@CorySoccer wrote:Hello all,
I've been using free apps/sites (along with annualcreditreport which of course doesn't give you your score) to monitor my credit report/scores etc...
I'm wanting to use a site/app that provides a more comprehensive view of my credit profile with scores, all 3 credit bureaus, etc...
I know I'll have to pay for this which is fine.
Who does everyone use? Or what is the best app/site to use? I used a free trial of the credit.com service (I believe it was $24/month) for a a while back that was pretty comprehensive.
Before I purchased anything, I wanted to check here to see which one I should use or take a look at.
Thanks!
I use Experian. It works for my purposes and costs ~$30/month. You can get the latest EX scores and report as often as you want and the the other two (EQ and TU) once a month, or more often by paying a ~$30 fee each time. You do not get FICO 9 scores which is a disadvantage. Do not use any service which provides only FAKO (i.e., non-FICO) scores.
The free apps (even FAKO score apps) are good for what they're good for. You can monitor the accurate contents of all 3 CRAs with free FAKO apps like CK (EQ and TU), Cap One Credit Wise (TU), Chase Credit Journey (EX), Nerd Wallet (TU), and Credit Sesame (TU). I have them all, and I'll tell you that often these apps give me a notification of something hitting my reports hours or even a full day before one of the paid FICO apps get around to sending a notification. Again, they're good for what they're good for...monitoring the contents of your 3 reports even though the VantageScore 3.0 scores provided are largely irrelevant.
As for FICO scores, there are really only 3 options for comprehensive, monthly (or more frequent) of all 3 CRAs. Experian is my go to unless FICO 9 scores are a priority for you. You get daily refreshes of your EX report, and monthly of TU and EQ. It shows you FICO 8 of all 3, and several other EX FICO scores. It does not give you FICO 9 for any bureau. It's cost effective unless you're in need of more of the scores. credit.com gives a monthly refresh of all 28 FICO scores across all 3 CRAs, and has some fairly comprehensive breakdowns of your scores and good information. The credit monitoring left something to be desired for me. I got notifications from literally every other app under the sun before they finally got around to sending me a notification, and there were certain instances where I never got a notification at all. Deal breaker for me, so I cancelled quickly. The myFICO subscription with 3B report is very comprehensive, and also gives you all 28 scores quarterly or monthly depending on which subscription you purchase. The monthly subscription is pricey, but gives you tons of great information. Again, other apps give me real time updates to changes to my reports, and myFICO always lags behind on the notifications. Also, the 3B report often has trouble deciphering certain things on reports, and can really leave you scratching your head until you compare it with your ACR reports, and figure out what the heck it means. This isn't just me. You can search these forums for people who have seen weirdness on the 3B reports. So, I like Experian unless you need more than FICO 8 and a few other scores each month. myFICO would be second, and credit.com last due to lack of real time notifications.
IMHO the best and most comprehensive bang for your buck is credit.com if you are looking at keeping up on all your FICO scores.
I'm hoping more people will chime in with their experiences and opinions, because I have been wondering whether I should take a deeper dive into my scores.
My corollary question is: How hard is it to cancel these services? Both during and after any free trial period?
Years ago I learned to never "try" a service because if you change your mind you need a free couple of weeks available to sit on ignore between working your way through an army of "Customer Retention" CSRs. Then you get a bill a month or so later for "Early Termination", "Final Invoicing", "Account Forbearance" or some other thing. My favorite was a bill (including tax) on a month of service for the month after I closed the account. I called and they cancelled the bill for the service but then demanded that I pay the tax or they'd send it to collections. I told them to go for it. *sigh*
@CorySoccer wrote:@Have1 I had to put a stop payment on my credit card.
That is why I never set up or agree to allow pull payments from a bank account. Have you ever had to close your checking account as the only way to stop a company from taking money out? It wasn't me, but I had a front row seat and decided "that will not be me". It was their only checking account and in the middle of a crisis they had to deal with closing it.
@Have1 wrote:I'm hoping more people will chime in with their experiences and opinions, because I have been wondering whether I should take a deeper dive into my scores.
My corollary question is: How hard is it to cancel these services? Both during and after any free trial period?
Years ago I learned to never "try" a service because if you change your mind you need a free couple of weeks available to sit on ignore between working your way through an army of "Customer Retention" CSRs. Then you get a bill a month or so later for "Early Termination", "Final Invoicing", "Account Forbearance" or some other thing. My favorite was a bill (including tax) on a month of service for the month after I closed the account. I called and they cancelled the bill for the service but then demanded that I pay the tax or they'd send it to collections. I told them to go for it. *sigh*
I can only speak to my experience with the paid for 'Extra Credit' program through credit.com but it was EXTREMELY easy to cancel it. I went thru the one month free trial, went another month of paid service, and then canceled before that first paid month ended and it was easy breezy to cancel it. No issues at all.