How to Choose the Right Product
At Credit.com, we offer two products that provide insight into your credit score: your free Credit Report Card and ExtraCredit®. While they’re both great tools, the right one depends on your specific financial and credit score needs. So how can you choose the right one?
We’ve got you covered. If you’re torn between your free Credit Report Card and ExtraCredit, or if you just want to learn more, we’ve compared the two products to help you make the right choice for you.
Credit.com Product Comparison Chart
Confused about the differences between ExtraCredit and the free Credit Report Card? Check out the chart below, where we go into detail about each product and how they differ.
| *RECOMMENDED* | ||
| Free Credit Report Card | ExtraCredit® | |
| Cost | $0 | $24.99/month |
| Credit Scores | ✔ Experian VantageScore 3.0 | ✔ 28 FICO® Scores |
| Credit Reports | ✔ Credit Report Card | ✔ Credit reports from all three bureaus updated every 30 days |
| Personalized Offers | ✔ Personalized offers for your credit score | ✔ Personalized offers for your credit score |
| Credit Education | ✔ Recommended credit articles | X |
| Rent & Utility Reporting | X | ✔ Rent payments reported to TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax ✔ Utility payments reported to TransUnion ✔ Only on-time payments captured |
| Identity Protection | X | ✔ Dark web monitoring ✔ Accounts monitoring ✔ $1 million identity theft protection |
| Credit Monitoring | X | ✔ Advanced credit monitoring and alerts |
| Cash Rewards | X | ✔ Cash rewards based on offers you are approved for |
| Credit Repair | X | ✔ Exclusive discount to one of the leaders in credit repair |
Cost
The first difference you’ll notice between our free Credit Report Card and ExtraCredit® is the cost. The free Credit Report Card is, well, free—while ExtraCredit costs $24.99 per month.
That may seem like a lot, but when you compare the extra benefits that ExtraCredit provides, you’ll see that cheaper does not mean better when it comes to your financial health.
Credit Scores
Both the Credit Report Card and ExtraCredit offer access to your credit score, but ExtraCredit is much more robust, offering 28 scores. With the Credit Report Card, you’ll get access to your free Experian VantageScore 3.0 credit score. You’ll also get graded on the five factors that play into your credit score–payment history, credit utilization, credit age, mix of accounts and credit inquiries–to see where you can improve.
ExtraCredit, on the other hand, provides more comprehensive insight into your credit scores. You’ll have access to 28 of your FICO scores. That’s right–you’ll see 28 of your credit scores. These are the credit scores that different lenders see, like mortgage, loan and credit card lenders.
Credit Reports
Your free Credit Report Card grades you on the five factors that affect your credit score: payment history, debt usage, credit age, account mid, and credit inquiries. These grades offer you an insight into how you’re doing.
ExtraCredit® takes it further by providing your full credit reports from all three credit bureaus, updated every 30 days. You’ll be able to see where you’re doing well and where you can improve–plus, you can keep an eye out for possible signs of identity theft.
Personalized Offers
Both the Credit Report Card and ExtraCredit offer personalized offers for your credit score. But only ExtraCredit rewards you for qualifying for your select offers through Reward It. When you qualify for one of the personalized offers we provide you, you can get up a cash reward, one as high as $90 loaded onto your ExtraCredit debit card.
Credit Education
Knowledge is power. If you’re looking for resources on credit and finances, the Credit Report Card has your back. The Credit Report Card offers recommended credit articles that can give you additional insight into credit scores, finances and much more.
Rent and Utility Reporting
This is where ExtraCredit® really shines. Around 42 million people in America pay rent but most don’t have their payments reported to the credit bureaus. That means they’re not getting credit for their on-time payments.
ExtraCredit allows you to add your rent and utilities as tradelines on your credit report, so they can help you build your credit history. This is especially ideal for anyone who has a low credit score or a thin credit profile. Rent is reported to all three bureaus and utilities are reported to TransUnion.
Identity Protection
Anyone with financial and credit accounts should be worried about identity theft. That’s where ExtraCredit comes in. ExtraCredit offers comprehensive identity protection. Here’s what you can expect:
- $1 million identity theft insurance
- Dark web scans and monitoring
- Proactive security alerts
Credit Monitoring
Ready for an in-depth look at your credit scores? ExtraCredit gives you access to 28 of your FICO® Scores. Plus, you get access to all three credit reports. You’ll get advanced credit monitoring and alerts to keep an eye on your financial health.
Cash Rewards
In addition to personalized offers, ExtraCredit rewards you every time you qualify for one of those rewards in your Reward It portal. Every time you qualify for one of the select offers in your Reward It portal, we’ll load your ExtraCredit debit card with the reward amount shown for that offer, one as much as $90.
Credit Repair
Your Credit Report Card will show you the negative items on your credit reports that could be unfairly lowering your credit scores. While that’s certainly helpful, that means you’ll be left to figure out how to take care of those negative items on your own.
ExtraCredit®, on the other hand, offers an exclusive discount to a leader in credit repair. You’ll be able to work with experienced credit repair consultants that can help work with you to request inaccurate items be removed or corrected on your credit report.
The Credit Report Card vs. ExtraCredit
So here’s the big question: is the free Credit Report Card or ExtraCredit more suited for you? Honestly, it depends on your financial situation and needs. So before you decide on one of our tools, take a good look at your finances and your goals. And if you’re really not sure, you can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ExtraCredit today.
