TrueCredit
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
TrueCredit is part of the TransUnion credit bureau and was founded in 1968. Today, it's one of the world's leading business intelligence providers and maintains one of the largest collections of consumer information.
The service includes a one-time, three-bureau credit report and credit scores, unlimited updates to the consumer's TransUnion credit report and credit score, email alerts for all three credit bureaus, personalized debt analysis and credit trending, access to a credit score simulator tool, the ability to lock and unlock TransUnion and Equifax credit reports, and more.
Read on to learn more about this credit monitoring service.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Unlimited TransUnion updates
- Email updates for critical changes
- Instant email alerts
- Lock and unlock credit report option
- Personalized debt analysis and credit score trending
- Credit score simulator
- Unlimited toll-free access to identity theft specialists
- Up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance
Unlimited TransUnion Updates
After signing up with TrueCredit, customers will receive unlimited updates to their TransUnion credit report and score. This puts TrueCredit above most other services in the credit monitoring industry because several other credit monitoring companies only provide credit updates monthly or yearly.
Email Updates for Critical Changes
TrueCredit will send consumers email updates for any critical changes it detects to their credit with all three of the major credit bureaus. However, the company doesn't state what changes it deems critical enough to notify consumers. Therefore, consumers will have to contact TrueCredit for more clarification about this feature.
Instant Email Alerts
Another great thing about TrueCredit is that it will also send customers email credit alerts as soon as TransUnion discovers that someone has applied for credit in their name. This is significant because it will allow consumers to preempt someone's attempt to fraudulently use their information.
Lock and Unlock Credit Report Option
The lock and unlock option allows customers to easily lock their TransUnion credit report so no one else can access the information. Customers can then unlock their report whenever they need or want to.
Personalized Debt Analysis and Credit Score Trending
TrueCredit will provide customers with a personalized debt analysis so they can identify areas where there is room for improvement. The company will give consumers their credit score trending number as well. This will help them see how they are doing or how the changes they are making are affecting their credit score either positively or negatively.
Credit Score Simulator
This feature will allow a customer to estimate how various financial decisions could help or hurt their credit scores. For example, a customer can see how applying for a new credit card or taking out a car loan or mortgage could change their score. This will help customers make more educated decisions about what they really want to do and how they should go about doing it.
Unlimited Toll-Free Access to Identity Theft Specialists
TrueCredit provides customers with unlimited toll-free access to identity theft specialists. This will help them understand what to do and how they should proceed if they ever become a victim of identity theft.
Up to $1,000,000 in Identity Theft Insurance
Customers will also receive up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance coverage with their TrueCredit membership. This policy reimburses customers for expenses in the event that they fall victim to identity theft.
The Bad
- No mobile app
- FICO scores not provided
- Website information limited
No Mobile App
It appears that TrueCredit does not provide a mobile app to help its customers stay on top of their credit on the go using a smartphone or tablet. In today's world, the lack of a mobile app can be a major inconvenience.
FICO Scores Not Provided
TrueCredit does not provide customers with their FICO score for each credit bureau. Rather, the company uses the VantageScore 3.0 model to determine customers' credit risk.
The company goes on to say that every lender uses different types of credit scores to make their lending decisions, and the majority of lenders use the FICO credit score model. Therefore, customers should not base their creditworthiness on just one number as there are many determining factors.
Website Information Limited
TrueCredit's website is very limited as far as containing enough information that would help a potential customer decide whether or not this is the best company for their particular needs.
Generally, people don't want to give out their personal information before they've had a chance to thoroughly research and narrow down their credit monitoring company choices.
And TrueCredit, while offering plenty of educational material, doesn't really give much information about exactly what customers will get with its services. Potential customers have to sign up before getting more detailed information.
The Bottom Line
TransUnion, the parent company of TrueCredit, is a well-respected company with a long, stable history of providing credit services. Therefore, we don't have any problem recommending this company as a credit monitoring provider.
TrueCredit gives customers unlimited TransUnion updates and will email them about critical changes to their TransUnion report or if someone tries to apply for credit in their name.
Additionally, TrueCredit makes it easy for consumers to lock and unlock their credit report. And the company provides customers with a personalized debt analysis and credit score trending number.
Customers also will get unlimited toll-free access to identity theft specialists should they ever have a problem, as well as up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance.
However, TrueCredit doesn't provide customers with their FICO credit score; it uses a different scoring model that isn't always used by the various vendors consumers might encounter.
And, the TrueCredit website information is extremely limited. The information that is provided isn't really enough to make an educated decision about whether or not this company is the best credit monitoring option.
