Glossary

Credit Monitoring

A service that alerts consumers to changes on their credit reports — new accounts, hard inquiries, balance changes.

Credit monitoring services alert consumers to changes on their credit reports — new accounts, hard inquiries, balance changes, status changes. Free options include Credit Karma and many bank apps. Paid options offer all-three-bureau monitoring with identity-theft insurance.

Useful for: catching identity theft early, monitoring the impact of dispute campaigns, tracking score changes month-to-month.

Also called

credit monitoring service

Related terms

Run the Cougar Method on your credit file.

CreditCougar drafts FCRA-compliant dispute letters tuned to your specific situation. $29.95/mo. $1 7-day trial.

Start the hunt — $1 trial