How to Select a Credit Monitoring Service
- 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.
