Is credit monitoring worth paying for?

African American woman checking credit monitoring alerts on a phone beside a laptop.

Paid monitoring can be useful in some situations, but it isn’t necessary for everyone.

Compare before paying

• Which credit bureaus and scoring models are included?

• How frequently are reports or scores updated?

• Does the product offer alerts, and what triggers them?

• What is the full monthly price after any introductory offer?

• How do you cancel?

Know what monitoring doesn’t do

Monitoring may alert you to certain changes. It doesn’t prevent all identity theft or automatically correct report errors.

Check your existing bank, card, and free credit services first. You may already have access to information you need.

Affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you sign up or make a purchase through links on this page. Review the provider’s current terms, costs and eligibility requirements before deciding. Read my Affiliate Disclosure for details.