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How does Credit Sesame credit score service work?
This service offers free and paid memberships with access to credit scores, credit monitoring and more.
Details
| Starting price | $9.95 |
|---|---|
| Credit scores | TransUnion Equifax Experian |
| Credit monitoring | Yes |
| Trial period | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly |
What is Credit Sesame?
Credit Sesame is a credit score service founded in 2010 and located in Mountain View, California. It offers free access to your credit score, credit monitoring and identity theft protection.Credit Sesame claims to have helped over 1 million customers secure better financing with access to their credit score.What other services does Credit Sesame offer?
- Credit reports. A free membership includes access to your TransUnion credit score, but to receive a full monthly credit report from all three major bureaus, you’ll need to purchase an Advanced Credit membership.
- Alerts. Free daily credit monitoring informs you of important changes to your TransUnion credit report.
- Credit monitoring. TransUnion credit monitoring comes with a Credit Sesame free membership, but a Pro Credit membership offers credit monitoring from all three bureaus.
- Identity theft protection. Get up to $50,000 in identity theft insurance when you sign up for a free membership with Credit Sesame.
- Budgeting tools. Credit Sesame offers trending charts to track your credit score and your credit ratios to help you decipher what’s impacting your score.
- Financial products. Choose from home, auto, student and personal loans, and credit cards to help you build your credit.
- Mobile app. Keep track of your credit on your phone or tablet.
How can I check my credit score with Credit Sesame?
When you sign up for a free membership with Credit Sesame, you receive monthly email updates to your TransUnion credit score. Paid memberships include daily updates from TransUnion with real-time alerts that notify you of changes to your score, and monthly updates from all three credit bureaus.
Credit Sesame performs a soft pull of your credit history, which won’t affect your credit score.Credit score received
You’ll receive your TransUnion credit score once a month with Credit Sesame’s free membership. For $9.95 monthly fee, you can get monthly updates from TransUNion, Equifax and Experian.
How much does it cost?
Though Credit Sesame offers a free option, you can pay anywhere from $9.95 to $19.95 for monthly subscriptions that offer more services.
| Free membership | Advanced Credit membership | Pro Credit membership | Platinum Protection membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $9.95 a month | $15.95 a month | $19.95 a month |
| Monthly TransUnion credit score update | Daily TransUnion credit score update | Daily TransUnion credit score update | Daily TransUnion credit score update |
| TransUnion credit monitoring with alerts | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian monthly credit score updates | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian monthly credit score updates | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian monthly credit score updates |
| TransUnion, Equifax and Experian monthly credit report | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian monthly credit report | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian monthly credit report | |
| TransUnion credit monitoring with alerts | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit monitoring with alerts | TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit monitoring with alerts | |
| 24/7 credit report inaccuracy support | 24/7 credit report inaccuracy support | ||
| Public records, black market sites and Social Security number monitoring |
Is there another way to get my credit score for free?
Credit Sesame’s free membership is one way to access your credit score, but many credit cards include an updated score on your monthly statements. Explore your credit card options with Discover, Capital One, First National Bank or USAA to receive a monthly updated credit score.Pros and cons
For those looking to access their credit score for free, Credit Sesame’s basic membership includes everything you need to get started:
Pros
Credit Sesame’s free membership is a great place to start but should you opt for this provider’s higher paid tiers of service, you can also access the following perks:- TransUnion credit monitoring. A free membership with Credit Sesame not only gives you access to your TransUnion credit score but also offers free TransUnion credit monitoring.
- Free mobile app. You can download Credit Sesame’s mobile app for Android and iOS. The app allows you to check your credit score and alerts you to important changes to your credit report.
- Identity theft protection. All tiers of service with Credit Sesame can access up to $50,000 of identity theft insurance.
- Daily score updates.Credit Sesame’s Advanced Credit membership gives you access to daily credit score updates to keep you in the loop.
- Credit monitoring. Credit Sesame’s Pro Credit membership tier offers TransUnion, Experian and Equifax credit monitoring with alerts to inform you of all credit activity with all three credit bureaus.
Cons
Credit Sesame’s flexible service offers a range of free and premium membership options, but membership with this provider isn’t without its drawbacks:- Too many ads. Online reviews complain of numerous spam emails from Credit Sesame’s lending partners for credit cards and loans.
- Limited customer service. Credit Sesame’s customer service is limited to email, which means you may wait several days before receiving a response.
- Difficult to cancel. Some members report difficulty closing their accounts despite sending multiple emails to Credit Sesame’s customer service.
How do I sign up?
- Go to Credit Sesame’s site and click Sign Up.
- Enter your email address and the password you would like to use for your Credit Sesame account. Click Get Started.
- Enter your full name and click Next.
- Enter your full address and your mobile phone number. Click Next.
- Indicate whether you own or rent your property. Click Next.
- Enter your birth date and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Click Get My Data.
Once you’ve registered for an account with Credit Sesame, you can also download the Credit Sesame mobile app for Android or iOS.
Is Credit Sesame legit?
When it comes to your credit score, you want to make sure the provider you select treats your personal information with discretion. Here’s what we discovered about Credit Sesame:
- Better Business Bureau (BBB). Credit Sesame is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau, from which it receives an A+ rating.
- Trustpilot. Credit Sesame earns a TrustScore of 8.1 out of 10 based on the more than 2,000 customer reviews. Customers report that they enjoy Credit Sesame’s quick and efficient platform, but complain of continued spam emails despite unsubscribing from its email service.
- Accuracy of credit score. Credit Sesame pulls your credit score directly from TransUnion, but it acknowledges that the score you see on its site may differ from the credit information from another source. It suggests the reason for the discrepancy could be because you’re viewing your score with a different credit bureau or you’re comparing credit scores pulled on different days.
- Account protection. Credit Sesame uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt sensitive personal information, such as your credit card or Social Security number.
Customer service
Credit Sesame’s customer service is limited to email. For online assistance, you can visit the Support Center on its site for answers to frequently asked questions, or you can email Credit Sesame directly at feedback@creditsesame.com.How do I know that Credit Sesame is right for me?
Knowing where your credit score stands can help if you plan to apply for a loan or are considering a large purchase. Having access to your credit report can also help you identify and challenge anything you see wrong, and potentially raise your score.
Credit Sesame offers both free and paid memberships that offer access to your credit score, credit reports and credit monitoring to help you stay on top of important changes to your report.What’s my credit score?
Bottom line
Whether you’re simply looking for a budget-friendly service with access to your TransUnion credit score or want added benefits such as daily score updates, identity theft protection and monthly reports from all three major credit bureaus, Credit Sesame can help.
Before you make a decision, explore your options with other providers to make sure you receive the service that best fits your needs.
