Credit monitoring service

A credit monitoring service tracks your credit reports with each of the major credit bureaus and sends automatic alerts if it detects activity or changes. These could be errors, which might negatively affect your credit score, or signs of fraud following identity theft, which could affect your finances.

Look for a credit monitoring service that spans all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) for the best coverage. Then, consider whether you want additional monitoring features like alerts for financial account activity or dark web exposure, providing broader coverage against fraud or identity theft risks. And, if you’re interested in financial protection, choose a service which bundles identity theft reimbursement coverage.

Credit monitoring alone can’t prevent identity theft or fraud. These services warn you when they detect signs of fraud on your credit report, prompting you to take action. However, credit monitoring services often include features that can help protect against fraud occurring, like built-in credit locks.

Credit monitoring services vary in cost depending on how many bureaus they cover and what additional features they include. Some basic one-bureau options are free while more comprehensive services range from around $10 to $40 per month, depending on the features offered.

Yes, LifeLock Advanced and LifeLock Total both monitor your credit reports across all three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — giving you a more complete picture of your credit activity. LifeLock Core offers two-bureau credit monitoring.

Yes, LifeLock still works if your credit is frozen. A credit freeze prevents lenders from accessing your credit file, but LifeLock can still monitor your credit activity and alert you to suspicious changes. Keep in mind that a credit freeze and credit monitoring can work together — the freeze helps block unauthorized new accounts from being opened, while LifeLock keeps watch for other signs of identity theft.