Credit Sesame Review | How To Monitor Your Credit For Free

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY DISCLOSURES. FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Having good credit is critical in today’s world.

By having a high credit score, you save thousands in interest on any loan you take out.

And staying on top of your credit report is just as critical.

Websites are being hacked daily.

And there are more reports of personal information showing up on the dark web.

As a result, you have to be proactive with your credit.

But how can you do this that is simple and affordable?

The answer is Credit Sesame.

With Credit Sesame, you improve your credit score, monitor your credit, and get identity theft protection.

And you do this all for free.

In this complete Credit Sesame review, I’ll show you why you need to start using this free service.

Credit Sesame Review
  • Features
  • Services
  • Fees
  • Customer Service

Summary

Credit Sesame is the best place to get your free credit score. Not only will you get your credit score, but you get actionable tips and advice on how to improve your score as well. Plus, you get $50,000 worth of free identity theft protection! Click here to get your free credit score from Credit Sesame.

4.8

Credit Sesame Review | The Best Way To Monitor Your Credit For Free

What Is Credit Sesame?

Credit Score

Credit Sesame is a free credit monitoring service.

You also get tips on how to improve your credit score and free identity theft protection.

It was founded in 2010 and has since helped millions of consumers improve their credit score.

How Credit Sesame Works

Credit Sesame works by creating your free account.

And when I say free, it truly is free.

All you to is head to the Credit Sesame website and enter is your email address.

You don’t have to provide any credit card information.

It’s not a free trial either.

Once you create your free account, you will have free access to the following services:

  • Free monthly credit score update from TransUnion
  • Daily credit monitoring with alerts
  • Up to $50,000 in free identity theft insurance

Here is more detail on each of these free tools.

Best Free Credit Score
Credit Sesame

Credit Sesame offers your credit score for free, with no credit card required. Simply provide your email and get started learning your score.

Get Your Free Credit Score
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Credit Score

Your free credit score comes from TransUnion and your score will be updated once a month.

Credit Sesame Free Credit Score

While they are similar, your score can vary between the two.

Personalized Credit Report Card

You also get a detailed analysis of the things that are improving your score and what it hurting it.

This report analyzes the major categories that have an impact on your credit and tells you which of the factors are hurting or helping to improve your credit.

Also, you can set up goals to get actionable steps to take to improve your credit score.

This is invaluable as many people have the wrong idea about how to improve their credit score.

Credit Monitoring

Credit Sesame will monitor your credit daily and alert you to any activity that takes place.

Credit Sesame Free Credit Monitoring

This is critical since the sooner you take action on fraudulent activity, the easier it will be to fix.

Also, by monitoring your credit, you can fix any errors fast.

Having an error on your credit report can have a negative impact your score.

And the truth is, errors happen more than you think.

Identity Theft Protection

The identity theft protection is a key difference from most other monitoring services.

Credit Sesame Identity Theft Protection

Credit Sesame will alert you if it finds suspicious behavior or red flags on your account.

They will also notify you of any new accounts or credit inquiries as well.

If you find you are a victim of identity theft, Credit Sesame offers up to $50,000 in protection.

This covers legal costs and other expenses related to fixing the issue.

Credit Sesame Fees

Credit Sesame is 100% free to use.

Unlike other credit reporting sites, there is no free trial and then a monthly fee.

You aren’t even asked to enter a credit card number, so there is no way they can start charging you.

With that said, if you want more services, there is a paid subscription plan.

Depending on the plan you choose, you monthly cost can range from $9.95 up to $19.95 a month.

Below you can see what features are in each paid subscription plan.

credit sesame plans

For most users, the free option is enough to keep tabs on your credit, and this is what I recommend.

But if you want the ultimate in protection, then the Platinum Protection Plan is the best you can get. 

Best Free Credit Score
Credit Sesame

Credit Sesame offers your credit score for free, with no credit card required. Simply provide your email and get started learning your score.

Get Your Free Credit Score
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Advantages and Drawbacks

There are advantages and drawbacks to using Credit Sesame. Here are the biggest ones I’ve found.

Advantages

Free credit score. Knowing your credit score is critical to making sure you get the best interest rate on any loan you take out.

Free advice. You can set goals, like improve my credit score. Then you will get actionable advice on how to improve your credit.

Free identity theft protection. Few credit monitoring company’s offer identity theft protection for free.

Drawbacks

Use of VantageScore. Most lenders will look at your FICO score when determining what interest rate you qualify for. Credit Sesame uses your VantageScore.

Only one credit score. With the free plan, you only see your credit score from Transunion. If you want to see your score from all 3 reporting bureaus, you need to pay a monthly fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

frequently asked questions

Below are the most common questions I get asked about Credit Sesame.

Is Credit Sesame legit?

Yes.

Credit Sesame has been in business since 2010 and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

They have helped millions of consumers improve and monitor their credit during this time.

The bottom line is Credit Sesame is not a scam.

Is Credit Sesame safe?

Yes.

Credit Sesame takes your security and personal information seriously.

Credit Sesame Security

All the information you share is encrypted, using both 128-bit and 256-bit encryption.

They also make use of firewalls and 24 monitoring of their systems.

Additionally, they are certified by 3 different security firms.

  • McAfee Secure
  • VeriSign Secured
  • TRUSTe

Finally, they never sell any of your information to third parties.

What does Credit Sesame do?

Credit Sesame helps consumers improve their credit and find suitable financial products.

This includes student loans, auto loans, home loans, personal loans, and credit cards.

They also aid in identity theft monitoring.

How much does Credit Sesame cost?

Credit Sesame is 100% free to use.

Because of this, there is no reason not to use it.

You can find ideas to improve your credit and save you money as a result.

How does Credit Sesame make money?

Since Credit Sesame doesn’t charge users for their services, how does it make money?

There are two ways they earn income.

The first is through advertisements.

They partner with banks and other financial institutions to place ads on the website.

When users take action on the ad, Credit Sesame earns money.

The other way they make money is through premium subscription plans.

Users can elect to pay a monthly fee to gain access to more services.

I highlight these in the fees section above.

Does Credit Sesame have an app?

Yes.

Credit Sesame has a mobile app for both Android and Apple devices.

In both cases the app is free to download and use.

How often does Credit Sesame update your credit score?

You get monthly credit score updates.

This is because lenders report updated loan information to the major credit bureaus every month.

What type of credit score does Credit Sesame use?

Credit Sesame uses VantageScore 3.0, which was developed by the three credit bureaus.

While VantageScore follows the same scale as a FICO score, users do report differences.

For instance, some people see a difference of up to 30 points.

This is enough to be an issue because you think your credit is excellent when in reality it is above average.

Yet for most people, the difference between score is closer to 15 points, which isn’t as big of a deal.

How do I contact Credit Sesame?

There are a few ways you can contact them.

The phone number for Credit Sesame is 1-800-881-6590.

Alternatively, you can email them, help@CreditSesame.com.

Or you can use their online help center, which can be found here.

Will using Credit Sesame hurt my credit score?

No.

Credit Sesame does a soft credit check when it pulls your information.

Soft credit checks are for informational or promotional purposes.

For example, when you get credit card offers in the mail, the credit card company did a soft pull on your credit.

This soft pull tells them you are a candidate to apply for their card.

Soft credit checks have zero impact on your credit score.

What is a good FICO score?

To get the best interest rates, you want a FICO score of 720 or higher.

Credit Score Range

If your score is lower than this, you need to work on improving it.

But if you want to take out a loan, don’t think you need to wait until you reach a score of 720 or higher.

Even having a credit score between 680-720 will get you a competitive interest rate on your loan.

What is the best way to improve my credit score?

The best way to improve your credit score is to first pay your bills on time.

By making sure you are never late with a payment, your credit score will rise.

The next best thing to do is to keep a healthy debt to available credit ratio.

This means you want to keep your total debt under 35% of your credit limit.

For example, if you have a credit card with a $1,000 limit, you want to keep the debt on the card to $350 or less.

If you have more than one card, you add up the limits between them all and multiply the total by 35%.

Note that doing these things won’t increase your credit score overnight.

It will take time for your score to rise. 

But by keeping a strong credit history, you will have a higher credit score.

Best Free Credit Score
Credit Sesame

Credit Sesame offers your credit score for free, with no credit card required. Simply provide your email and get started learning your score.

Get Your Free Credit Score
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Alternatives to Credit Sesame

There are a handful of alternatives to Credit Sesame.

I am highlighting their biggest competitors below.

Credit Sesame vs. Credit Wise

Credit Wise is from Capital One and is a new player to the credit monitoring industry.

When it comes to comparing the two, they are identical with their offerings.

But there are two major differences.

First Credit Sesame offers identity theft protection and Credit Wise does not.

Second, Credit Wise offers a credit simulator.

This allows you to see the impact a spending decision has on your credit before you make it.

Credit Sesame vs. Credit Karma

Credit Karma is the biggest competitor to Credit Sesame.

In many ways, the two are similar.

They both offer a free VantageScore credit score and free credit monitoring services.

They also both other insights and tips on how to improve your credit score.

One difference is Credit Karma offers a free credit score from both TransUnion and Equifax.

However, Credit Karma does not offer any identity theft protection.

Best Free Credit Score
Credit Sesame

Credit Sesame offers your credit score for free, with no credit card required. Simply provide your email and get started learning your score.

Get Your Free Credit Score
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, using a credit monitoring service is a smart thing to do.

By staying on top of your credit score you can improve your score and save money in the process.

Also, by monitoring your credit, you can fix any issues before they turn into any full-blown headaches.

And since you can do this all for free with Credit Sesame, there is no reason not to.

Scroll to Top