A poor credit score can make qualifying for loans and credit cards difficult. But Credit Sesame's credit monitoring service and credit builder can help improve your credit score.
Business Insider's personal finance team compared Credit Sesame to thebest credit builder loans.
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- Free credit monitoring
- Gives advice on improving credit
- Only monitors TransUnion
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$29.95 monthly or $299.50 annually
- Cybersecurity protects credit
- Credit monitoring
- Social media
- Credit scoring simulator
- Credit reports are given quarterly
- Relatively expensive
- No free trial
- What you need to know: There are various types of credit scores, and lenders use a variety of different types of credit scores to make lending decisions. The credit score you receive is based on the VantageScore 3.0 model and may not be the credit score model used by your lender.
- $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance
- Password Manager
- Credit Monitoring: 3 Bureau
- Credit Score Simulator
- Quarterly 3 Bureau Credit Scores and Credit Reports
- Credit Freeze & Credit Report Fraud Assistance
$15 monthly or $144 annually
- Solid range of protections including parental controls
- Includes antivirus, VPN, and password manager features
- Reasonable pricing for couples and families
- No social media monitoring
Aura ID Theft Protection offers comprehensive identity protection at some of the best prices on the market, which should be expected from one of the services we included in both our credit monitoring and identity theft protection guides.
Aura- All plans come with 24/7 customer support
- Every adult member on your plan is backed by $1,000,000 insurance policy to cover eligible losses and fees due to identity theft.
- Enjoy a 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans.
- 60-day money back guarantee is only available for annual plans purchased through Aura’s websites (excludes Amazon) or via the Customer Support team.
$0-$6.95 monthly + optional $49.95 fee for retroactive reporting
- Rent reporting is free of charge
- Credit score monitoring
- $1M identity theft insurance
- Three-bureau rent reporting
- Utility and cell phone payments
- Doesn’t require landlord’s approval
- Poor customer service experience
- Cell phone and utility payments only reported to TransUnion
Self Rent Reporting reports your rent and other bills to the credit bureaus. This improves your payment history and as a result, your credit score, without needing to take on debt. One of the companies listed in our guide on the best rent reporting services, Self Rent Reporting stands out for offering several credit building perks under one competitive price.
Self Rent Reporting- Reports to all three credit bureaus
- Connects directly to your bank account
- Reports your rent, cell phone, electric, water and gas payments
- $49.95 optional fee for 24 months of retroactive rent and utilities reporting
- $6.95 per month
- Add two years of past payments
- Results vary. You may not receive an improved credit score. Not all lenders use scores impacted by rent/utility payments.
How Does Credit Sesame Work?
Credit Sesame offers tools and services to help users manage their finances and build credit. It provides free credit scores, reports, and monitoring services, and also offers Sesame Cash, a prepaid debit card with a built-in credit-building feature.
The sign-up process for Credit Sesame's free service is pretty straightforward.
- Visit Credit Sesame's website or download the app.
- Click "Sign up" in the top right corner.
- Complete the application, which asks for your email address, legal name, date of birth, home address, phone number, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Once you establish your free account, you can sign up for its paid services like Sesame Cash or Credit Sesame Premium. You will be able to monitor your credit and account features from Sesame Ring, the dashboard for Credit Sesame users.
This is a free service to monitor your credit, but when a service is free, you typically pay for it in other ways, such as numerous credit card offers and loans.
Credit Sesame Key Features
Credit Monitoring
With a Credit Sesame account, you'll get a Credit Karma review.
Credit Sesame vs. Capital One CreditWise
FAQs
How accurate is Credit Sesame?
Credit Sesame is usually accurate. It provides credit scores from TransUnion, which are generally accurate and up-to-date, though they may differ slightly from scores from the other two credit bureaus.
Does Credit Sesame affect my credit score?
No, checking your credit score with Credit Sesame does not affect your credit score. It is a soft inquiry.
Which is better: Credit Karma or Credit Sesame?
Whether Credit Karma or Credit Sesame is better depends on what you need. If you're looking for a free credit monitoring service, Credit Karma shows credit data from TransUnion and Equifax. On the other hand, Credit Sesame offers a credit builder that lets you build your credit score from purchases made on your debit card.
What kind of credit score does Credit Sesame use?
Credit Sesame uses your TransUnion credit report and your VantageScore 3.0 credit score.
