Having a good credit score is like having a master key to a whole array of financial options. That’s why many experts recommend monitoring your credit score on an ongoing basis.
TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus, and a trusted resource used by banks, credit unions, and other lenders.
You can always get a free credit report, but the question we’re asking in this review is whether it’s worthwhile to pay for TransUnion’s credit monitoring service.
What will you get if you sign up? Will the service help you improve your credit score? In this TransUnion review, we’ll reveal the features of TransUnion Credit Monitoring, the cost, and how it compares to other monitoring services out there.
What is TransUnion Credit Monitoring?
TransUnion Credit Monitoring is a paid service provided by TransUnion, which, together with Equifax and Experian, is one of the “Big Three” credit bureaus. TransUnion is the smallest of the three.
TransUnion aggregates credit information for over a billion consumers and provides credit reports and scores. Credit scores are a touchstone for a host of financial decisions, including mortgages, car loans, rental agreements, and even employment.
While consumers must be provided with one free credit report per year under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the popularity of online shopping and the risks of identity theft make credit monitoring services popular.
TransUnion’s credit monitoring service provides the following features.
- Free mobile app with push notifications to keep you informed about changes to your credit score and suspicious activity
- 24/7 access to your TransUnion credit report and score, with daily refreshes
- Alerts to critical changes in your credit report for TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian
- Credit score trending to review your score over time
- Ability to lock/unlock both TransUnion and Equifax reports
- Credit health recommendations from CreditCompass™
- Fraud resolution support, including $1 million in ID theft insurance
We’ll review the features in greater detail in the next section.
Sign up for TransUnion Credit Monitoring now for just $29.95 per month!
Pro Tip:
TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that offers unlimited reports, instant fraud alerts, and personalized debt analysis. Click here to get started with TransUnion today!
TransUnion Credit Monitoring Features
Here’s a deeper dive on the primary features of TransUnion Credit Monitoring.
24/7 Access to Your TransUnion Credit Report and Score
At any time, subscribing to TransUnion Credit Monitoring gives you access to your up-to-date TransUnion credit score and your Equifax score, as well.
Not only do you get the score, you’ll also get an indicator showing how your credit score has changed recently.
Credit Report Changes and Alerts
Within the TransUnion Credit Monitoring app, you’ll be able to order credit reports from all three credit bureaus. You’ll also receive alerts of any critical changes that may impact your score.
Notifications are essential because you’ll know right away if anything suspicious has happened with your credit – and you’ll be able to take immediate action to report issues and lock your credit if necessary.
Credit Lock
You may have heard of credit freezes and credit locks. A credit freeze is free and may be requested from any credit bureau at any time. Credit locks normally come with a fee attached, and the cost varies from bureau to bureau.
With TransUnion Credit Monitoring, credit locks are free and available for both TransUnion and Equifax. (As we noted above, Experian has a separate credit monitoring service.)
Credit locks typically come with features that you won’t get with a credit freeze, including the ability to toggle the lock off and on as seen above. A credit lock goes into effect instantaneously, while a credit freeze may take up to 24 hours.
As a comparison, note that Experian charges $24.99 per month for credit locks. They provide some additional features including credit report alerts, all of which are included in that price.
Some consumers prefer to keep their credit locked most of the time, unlocking it only when they’re buying a car or house or applying for a new credit card.
CreditCompass™
If you’ve set a goal to improve your credit score, then CreditCompass™ is a feature that can help you accomplish your objective.
With CreditCompass™, you can set a goal for where you want your credit score to be. After you do that, you’ll get specific tips and advice to help you improve your score over time. Here’s an example of the type of advice you can expect.
Some of the advice is universal, while some is personal and tailored to your current credit report and where you can make improvements.
Pro Tip:
TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that offers unlimited reports, instant fraud alerts, and personalized debt analysis. Click here to get started with TransUnion today!
Identity Theft Protection
In 2023, the FBI received 5.7 million reports of fraud and identity theft. It’s a huge problem and one we should all be aware of – and TransUnion Credit Monitoring makes the process easier.
The first thing you should know is that the service comes with $1 million in ID theft protection. While your losses due to credit card fraud are limited by law, if someone should get access to your bank account, you could lose more.
Second, you can get help recovering from identity theft within the TransUnion app. They’ll walk you through the steps to take to report the theft and protect yourself from future losses.
How Much Does TransUnion Credit Monitoring Cost?
TransUnion Credit Monitoring is a paid service. While some credit monitoring services, including the Basic Plan from Experian, are free, there is no free option with TransUnion.
The cost for TransUnion Credit Monitoring is $29.95 per month. In return, TransUnion will watch your credit scores with all three bureaus. That’s important because the Basic Experian plan gives you access only to your Experian report and score.
The monthly costs works out to $359.40 per year. That might seem like a lot, and for some consumers, it may be too much for them to afford. The cost is in line with other services and many people may prefer to have a way to keep track of their credit and spot potential fraud.
Try TransUnion Credit Monitoring now!
How Does TransUnion Credit Monitoring Compare to Other Services?
Before you make a decision about TransUnion Credit Monitoring, let’s see how it compares to other credit monitoring services.
TransUnion Credit Monitoring vs Experian IdentityWorks
Experian offers three plan tiers, including a free plan. Here’s how they break down.
- Basic Plan is free and includes a free Experian credit report and score, Experian credit monitoring, FICO score tracker, and FICO monitoring.
- Premium Plan comes with a 7-day free trial and then the price is $24.99 per month. It includes everything in the Basic Plan plus 3-bureau credit monitoring and alerts, advanced ID theft monitoring, Experian CreditLock and other features.
- Family Plan comes with a 7-day free trial, and then the price is $34.99 per month. It comes with everything included in the Premium Plan, plus monitoring for one additional adult and up to 10 children.
All plans come with dark web monitoring. If all you’re looking for is basic services, or you want to protect your entire family, we would say Experian comes out slightly ahead of TransUnion. The advantage of TransUnion is that you’ll get access to both TransUnion and Equifax scores and reports, and credit lock for both bureaus as well. With Experian, you can lock only your Experian report.
TransUnion Credit Monitoring vs LifeLock
LifeLock is an independent credit monitoring service that’s been around for a long time.
What sets LifeLock apart is its partnership with Norton, the anti-virus software company. You’ll get virus protection to go with credit monitoring.
At first glance, LifeLock is less expensive than TransUnion. However, their basic plan doesn’t include the highest level of protection. If you want solid protection, you’ll need to opt for the Ultimate Plus plan.
We would recommend TransUnion over LifeLock. LifeLock has affordable prices for the first year, but after that, you can expect increases of up to 50% or more. TransUnion’s simple plan structure and consistent pricing make it the winner here.
Is TransUnion’s Credit Monitoring Service Worth the Money?
It’s time to answer the burning question: is it worthwhile to spend your money on TransUnion Credit Monitoring?
On the whole, we believe that TransUnion is a good value for the money. You’ll get full access to both TransUnion and Equifax credit reports and scores, immediate notifications of suspicious activity, the ability to toggle credit lock off and on, and up to $1 million in identity theft protection.
We like TransUnion’s mobile app, which is easy to use. You can get in-app support, view reports, and much more.
One thing that sets TransUnion Credit Monitoring apart from other credit monitoring services is CreditCompass™. If you’re looking to both protect and repair your credit, then TransUnion’s service will help you set a credit score goal and teach you what to do to improve your score.
Pro Tip:
TransUnion is a credit monitoring service that offers unlimited reports, instant fraud alerts, and personalized debt analysis. Click here to get started with TransUnion today!
Conclusion
TransUnion Credit Monitoring is a well-regarded service with an array of useful features to help you monitor, lock, and improve your credit. You’ll be protected from identity theft. We particularly like the mobile app and the CreditCompass™, which is a unique option not available in most other credit monitoring services.
TransUnion’s service does cost a bit more than some other credit monitoring services, but the features available make it worth the money.
Try TransUnion Credit Monitoring now!
