Credit Sesame Review 2024 – Free Credit Score, Report & More

review-rating
One company is working to make it easier for you to stay on top of your credit profile: Credit Sesame.
9/10
Cost
9/10
Ease of Use
9/10
Features
9/10
Add-ons
8/10
Being financially independent and successful means truly understanding your entire financial picture. Knowing your net worth, having a solid financial plan and retirement accounts, and maintaining a budget are all part of that picture. But one element often overlooked is knowing your complete credit profile by actively monitoring your credit report and ensuring your best financial foot is put forward.
With a solid credit score, you will receive the best interest rates from auto and home loan lenders and lower annual percentage yields on credit cards. But staying on top of your credit profile is also a way to spot fraudulent activity and identity theft, which 2.4 million reported in 2022 alone.
One company is working to make it easier for you to stay on top of your credit profile: Credit Sesame. This Credit Sesame review shows just how.

What is Credit Sesame?

Launched in 2010 out of Mountain View, California, Credit Sesame offers free credit scoring and credit reporting through monthly credit score updates and various perks. The company is partnered with TransUnion, one of the three credit bureaus that report on your credit.

How does Credit Sesame work?

To enroll in the free service, you will need to create an account and provide detailed information — they are reviewing your credit, after all. They do a great job explaining why they need the information.
Credit Sesame Review 2024 – Free Credit Score, Report & More
You will not be asked for your social security number, just the last four digits. You will have to answer three questions confirming your background, which I cannot show as it reveals my information. Still, it included student loan payments, employer, and the state where your social security card was issued.
Then you are ready. But first, Credit Sesame will attempt to get you to enroll in its bank (more on that later). You can skip it.
Credit Sesame Review 2024 – Free Credit Score, Report & More
Immediately, I can see my credit score and potential score, with suggestions on how to reach it. I can see what impacts my credit score and a debt analysis with my debt-to-income ratio.
I have to enroll in Credit Sesame's Advanced or Premium accounts to see my full credit report.
Credit Sesame Review 2024 – Free Credit Score, Report & More

How much does Credit Sesame cost?

Plan
Monthly cost
Basic
Free
Premium
$9.57
Credit Sesame is absolutely 100% free. There are no hidden fees or traps to get a view of your free credit report and your credit score. The site provides a credit analysis to show you what's affecting your score and a debt analysis with your debt-to-income ratio. Free membership is so impressive that when it shows advanced features that may cost something, they are entirely legit and make me want to enroll.
The Premium service features three-bureau (TransUnion, Equifax, or Experian) full credit reports each month along with credit alerts, rent reporting for up to 24 months of credit history to boost your credit based on on-time payments, advanced monitoring for identity theft, ID monitoring, wallet protection and 24/7 live experts for $9.57 per month.

Credit Sesame features

Free credit score

Credit Sesame will pull your information using TransUnion to check your credit. This free service will explain in a way that is easy to understand just what factors affect your credit score, so you know what to work on to improve it in your credit report card.

Free credit monitoring

Credit monitoring services provide real-time alerts that affect your credit, from changes in your credit score to credit checks to spot errors that may appear on your credit report.

Savings recommendations

Credit Sesame works to help you spend and save, as well. Reviewing your credit and debt will customize and recommend credit cards or loans best suited for you to help you save.

Sesame Cash

Credit Sesame is a digital checking account that will reward you with cash for improving your credit score. This credit-builder card is a prepaid debit card that you transfer money to and then use to make purchases and timely payments to improve your credit score.
There are no monthly service fees, minimum balances required, foreign transaction fees, and free access to more than 55,000 ATM locations worldwide. The bank is FDIC insured through Community Federal Savings Bank, making Credit Sesame safe for banking.
If you sync your paycheck to your Sesame bank account, you can also access your paycheck two days early.
Cash rewards are available if you make a minimum $100 deposit every 30 days, and if your score jumps 10 to 99 points in one month, you'll receive $10 in your account. If your score jumps 100 points, you'll receive $100.

Manage your finances in one place

By pulling your TransUnion VantageScore every month and connecting to your debts, you'll have your finances available for review in one platform to help you manage your finances. You can use your linked bank account to schedule and pay credit card bills and other debts. (This is why you may want to store credit card information on your platform.)

Cash back offers

Using your Sesame Cash debit Mastercard, you can earn cashback when you shop online or at participating stores, helping you save while you shop.
You can use your debit card on a mobile app with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Mobile protection

It's unclear why a credit monitoring/bank offers mobile device protection, but why argue that it is a good thing? You're covered up to $500 per year from theft and certain types of damage.

Pros and cons

Pros
  • Free credit monitoring. Credit Sesame offers free credit monitoring services that allow you to keep track of changes to your credit report, including score updates and alerts for potential identity theft or fraudulent activities.
  • Credit score access. You can access your credit score regularly, providing valuable insights into your credit health and helping you understand how lenders view your creditworthiness.
  • Credit report analysis. Credit Sesame provides a detailed analysis of your credit report, highlighting areas that may need improvement and offering recommendations to boost your credit score.
  • Credit card and loan offers. The platform offers personalized credit card and loan recommendations based on your credit profile, helping you find financial products that match your needs and credit score.
  • Identity theft protection. Credit Sesame offers identity theft protection services, including features like identity monitoring and assistance with resolving identity theft issues.
Cons
  • Cannot access full report without paying. Considering all three credit bureaus provide one free full report each year to people who ask, paying to see the full report on Credit Sesame isn't worth it unless you want the additional features that come with the monthly charge.
  • Limited credit score models. Credit Sesame primarily provides users with access to their VantageScore credit score, which may not be the same scoring model used by all lenders. FICO scores are more commonly used in lending decisions.
  • Advertising and promotions. While providing free services, Credit Sesame may promote financial products, credit cards, or loans to users. Some users may find these promotions distracting or unwanted.
  • Basic features in free version: The free version of Credit Sesame offers limited features. To access more advanced tools and features, you may need to subscribe to a paid membership.
  • Not a replacement for annual credit reports. While Credit Sesame offers credit monitoring, it should not be considered a substitute for obtaining your free annual credit reports from the major credit bureaus, as these reports may contain additional details not found in credit monitoring services.
  • Privacy and data concerns: Like many online financial platforms, Credit Sesame collects personal and financial information. Users should review the platform's privacy policies and consider their comfort level with sharing sensitive data online.

Credit Sesame vs. competitors


Credit Score
Credit Report
Credit Monitoring
Identity theft protection
Cost
Credit Sesame
Trans Union
Trans Union
Yes
Yes, with $50,000-$1 million coverage
Free-$15.95/mo
Credit Karma
Trans Union, Experian
Trans Union, Experian
Yes
Yes
Free
myScoreIQ
Trans Union, Equifax, Experian
Trans Union, Equifax, Experian
Yes
Yes, with $1 million coverage
$9.99-$34.99/month
AnnualCreditReport.com
Trans Union, Equifax, Experian
Trans Union, Equifax, Experian
No
No
Free
Privacy Guard
Trans Union, Equifax, Experian
Trans Union, Equifax, Experian
Yes
Yes, with $1 million coverage
$9.99-$24.99/mo

Credit Karma

Like Credit Sesame, Credit Karma is a free credit monitoring service, the largest as Intuit owns it. It, too, makes its money by suggesting credit cards and loans suited to you based on its algorithms. It also provides a bank account a high-yield savings account, and both TransUnion and Equifax provide their credit report.
Credit Karma's extras are tax preparation and filing, reviewing your car's value, being aware of recalls, and providing an unclaimed money finder.

myScoreIQ

Get credit reports and FICO scores with daily monitoring and alerts from myScoreIQ. Working with all three bureaus, the platform offers FICO Scores simulators and trackers to help you get back on track.
The company also offers identity theft monitoring, dark web monitoring, and fraud restoration services with up to $1 million in theft insurance available.
But this is not a free report. The company provides a 7-day free trial, but monthly services range from $9.99 to $34.99.

AnnualCreditReport.com

This is government-approved for providing you with your free credit report, as all citizens can obtain one free report from each of the three bureaus every 12 months. Many lookalike companies use "Annual Credit Report," so go directly to the site using www.annualcreditreport.com.
No additional products are offered; this is simply a way to obtain your annual credit report for free.

Privacy Guard

See all three credit scores and report that you can review and monitor monthly with VantageScore 3.0 with Privacy Guard. The platform provides identity protection to receive texts and email alerts and offers secure browser and keyboard technology.
Credit Protection for $19.99 includes monthly reports, scores and tracking, and daily crediting monitoring. Or, select Total Protection for $24.99 to get public and dark web scanning and a dedicated ID fraud resolution agent.

FAQs

How often can I check my credit score?
With Credit Sesame, your score will be checked once a month for free, or you can select the premium services to see for daily credit checks.
What is the difference between VantageScore and FICO score?
The FICO score was developed in 1989 and reviews a minimum of six months of credit history and accounts reported to one of the three bureaus in the last six months. VantageScore 3.0 appeared in the last decade and needs just one month's history and one account reported in the previous two years to provide the same credit ranges as FICO. Both review payment history on your creditors, how long you have had credit, the types of accounts you have, your credit limits and balances, and the number of credit inquiries. FICO may be most often used to secure a mortgage and loans, but VantageScore's monthly history can help someone who hasn't earned good credit history on FICO.
Does checking my score affect my credit?
When you request a credit score from any of the three credit bureaus, you conduct a hard check of your credit history. The more times you check within a year, the more your credit score will drop. If you have your credit checked for loans, the same goes. Credit Sesame's credit checks are soft and will not negatively affect your credit score.

Is Credit Sesame legit?

There is no reason why you shouldn't know your credit score if asked today. Free credit reports are available even through your credit card companies these days. But staying on top of your credit report and monitoring it closely can save you time and money in the long run, which is why Credit Sesame's free service is a must-have in your financial portfolio of apps.

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