Episode Summary
We discuss if credit monitoring is really worth the expense or if it’s throwing your money away. Do you really need credit monitoring? We discuss what credit monitoring actually covers and provides, how you can do a DIY version of credit monitoring by freezing your credit, and other tips and considerations. We also talk briefly about what you can do if your credit is stolen.
Episode Notes
In order to determine if credit monitoring is worth the expense, we break down the specifics of what it is, what benefits it provides and what other options are out there to get the same protection.
- What does credit monitoring cover?
- Provides real time monitoring of your credit report to alert you to changes and/or new accounts being opened.
- Provides copies of your credit reports.
- Provides benefits for identity restoration and insurance services, lost-wallet protection, fraud resolution support, etc.
- Provides Dark Web monitoring, which is sort of mysterious.
- How you can DIY a version of credit monitoring:
- You can freeze your credit, which is a double-benefit as it’s a great excuse when you’re in a store and someone is trying to push you some store credit card, just say “oh, sorry, would love to but I have a lock on my credit.”
- Federal law entitles you to a free annual credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies
- Most credit card companies or other free services like Credit Karma will give you your credit score for free. Also, you don’t really need to know your credit score on a regular basis if you’re not charging things you can’t afford.
- Many of your banks and accounts will let you add an extra verbal password to your account
- How do you decide if it’s worth it to pay for a service or not?
- This is a personal decision, but you need to weigh the pros/cons and risks/tradeoffs for your personal situation
- Most people don’t need it, but on the flip side it’s insurance and insurance is there as a backup in case you have an unexpected situation so it’s all about your frame of mind. Why would you treat this any different than car insurance, homeowners insurance, etc? The odds of getting your identity stolen vs. getting in a car crash are actually higher.
- Like many things, the peace of mind could be worth the cost.
- If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, like Maggie, you may be more interested in it.
- How much should you pay?
- Services range from $15 – $30+ a month. Some companies offer family plans, some only offer individuals.
- The more reputable companies include:
- LifeLock – $10-30 a month
- Zander Insurance – $6.75 per month/$75 per year, Family Plan of $12.90 per month or $145 per year
- Identity Guard – $13-17 per month
- American Express CreditSecure – $16.99 per month
- Identity Force – $15-20+ per month
- ID WatchDog – $15-20 per month
- Make sure you find a company that provides monitoring across all 3 credit bureaus vs. just one (e.g. ID WatchDog’s basic plan is just Equifax).
- Read the fine print – some of them have an arbitration clause in the terms of service, where you’re waiving your right to a class-action lawsuit
- Zander is the cheapest, but they actually are ID Theft Protection and not credit monitoring. The credit monitoring part you can do yourself, and that’s why they claim to not offer that in their package.
- Do you need credit monitoring for your kids?
- Probably not, but it’s definitely a plus that some of the services do offer it.
- What do you do if your credit is stolen?
- Move quickly!
- If you have a monitoring service, call them and they’ll handle some of it for you but you still have to do a lot on your own
- Call companies right away to file complaint and let them know you’ve been a victim of identity theft
- Credit companies have entire departments who do nothing but investigate as lots of people claim fraud but actually made the charges or expenses themselves. You have to prove to them you were actually a victim.
- Credit monitoring is like insurance – you often have to deal with and pay for a lot up front, and then after the fact the insurance will make you whole if they decide it’s a valid claim. It does not just magically fix and pay for everything.
Top 3 Key Takeaways:
- Credit monitoring provides certain types of protection. Understand what they are and what you’re paying for vs. what you truly need.
- You can get most of the protection by simply freezing your credit with all three credit bureaus.
- Make the decision that is right for you. As always, spend money on things you’re passionate about and care about – if this is one of them then go for it.
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