Is Credit Monitoring For Me?

Online, March 19, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Credit monitoring is when you or a company of your choosing monitors your credit reports for any unauthorized activity. This can be an effective tool against identity theft. Millions of people become victims of identity theft each year, and credit monitoring is a good way to make sure you get early alerts to potential fraud.

Credit monitoring will allow you to frequently check your credit report, and paid services also will send you an e-mail or text message if there is any change to your report, or if a potential lender looks at your credit report. There are a multitude of companies out there that offer credit monitoring, and not all are worth the asking price. It pays to do your homework.

Before you sign up with an credit monitoring service, make sure you read the terms and conditions of the product carefully, taking the time to educate yourself on how each service really works and what you're actually going to get as a customer.

You should compare product offers. If you want e-mail notifications if something goes wrong or if there are any changes to your credit report, then you need to be sure you pick a service that will do this. Not all do.

Make sure that the company you choose will analyze your credit report, and if it will offer ways to improve your credit score and help you understand it. It's not enough to just monitor your credit; your service should also help you understand your credit as well.

Ascertain whether you will have adequate access to your credit reports through the service you are considering. Make sure you choose one that will allow you unrestricted access so you can regularly monitor your credit report.

You're going to want excellent customer service, particularly if something happens, so be sure you check into that. Look for more than adequate Internet support, as well as phone and real-time support.

The last important component when you're shopping for the right credit monitoring service is price. You'll be paying monthly for the service, so you should figure out what price is best for you. Find out about cancellation policies as well. You don't want to get stuck if you're unhappy with the service. You may wish to look only at services that offer a free trial, so you can check it out thoroughly.

But don't forget to cancel the membership after the trial period is up. You very likely won't get a reminder to do so, so bear this in mind.