TransUnion Review

TRANSUNION ID CARD

Price               $19.95/month

Top Pro          Unlimited updates to your TransUnion credit score

Top Con         The credit score included is not a FICO score

Best for          Those who prefer to regularly keep an eye on their credit score

Recovery       $1,000,000 identity theft coverage

TransUnion at a Glance

When you become a TransUnion member, you gain access to your actual credit report and credit scores - not simulations or summaries. That’s the power of monitoring your credit through a credit repository - which is what TransUnion is - rather than a credit monitoring service. And as a credit repository, TransUnion is on the cutting edge of trends in the credit field, as well as the latest innovations. And here’s a bonus: TransUnion’s membership fee is on the lower end of the industry pricing scale.

​Best for whom?

Regularly checking your credit score is a good idea for just about everyone. That being said, TransUnion provides you with unlimited refreshes of your TransUnion credit report, which is updated every single day. This is particularly useful for those who like to regularly like to keep an eye on their credit score.

Features and Highlights

TransUnion offers one of the strongest membership packages in the industry, including:

TransUnion is an Actual Credit Repository - There are three credit repositories - Equifax, Experian - and TransUnion. That means that TransUnion is one of the credit sources that all the credit monitoring services get information from - not a third party service. TransUnion gives you your actual score, which is one of the three commonly used by banks.

Unlimited Credit Updates - You can check your credit report and credit score as often as you like - there is no limit as is sometimes the case with other providers.

TransUnion Credit Lock - TransUnion allows you to lock and unlock your credit report to keep it from being viewed by unintended parties.

Online Credit Tools - TransUnion provides a Debt-to-Income tool, and also the ability to dispute and correct credit items online. This is what a credit bureau can do that an ordinary credit monitoring service cannot.

Mobile Access to Your TransUnion Account - TransUnion provides you with access to your account through your mobile phone. You can receive instant alerts through your mobile phone.

The Signup Process

Signing up for a TransUnion membership is a simple affair, using a three step process. In order to sign up, you need to provide basic information such as your full name, physical address, email address, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your date of birth.

As a new member you will also be required to provide your credit or debit card information, which will be used for your monthly billing.

Contract Details

TransUnion is currently offering a TransUnion credit score at $19.95 per month. You also have the option to get up to $1 million in Identity Theft Insurance at an additional fee of $9.99 per month. You only have to be a victim of identity theft once to know that this kind of coverage can pay for itself many times over.

However, when you sign up you only see your TransUnion credit score. If you want to see you three-bureau credit report and scores, you have to purchase this separately for $29.95.

Help & Support

TransUnion has a toll-free customer support phone number where you can call and talk to a customer service team member, every day except US holidays. Otherwise they are available Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to Midnight, and Friday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (all times Eastern). In fact there is a “Support” link on every page of the site that enables you to quickly contact customer support.

Deep Dive into Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Unlimited Refreshes - This service allows you to check your credit report and credit score as often as you like - there is no limit. Daily access to a completely updated credit report allows users to have a completely up-to-date view of their credit 24/7.
• Identity Theft Protection – Includes basic identity protection, including up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.
• Online Cancellation – You can cancel online without having to deal with the hassle of phoning a representative.

Cons:

• Single-Bureau Reporting - TransUnion only provides its own scores and reports, leaving a gap in service that may not give customers a very accurate view of their credit score.
• No FICO Score – The credit score provided is not a FICO score which is what most lenders use to determine your creditworthiness. You will have to pay additional money to TransUnion to see the full picture of your credit profile.
• No Child Identity Theft Protection Options – TransUnion will only protect you and your credit score, not your children’s score.

Summary

When you sign-up for a membership with TransUnion, you are provided with a high level of service that makes it an intriguing option if you’re looking for general protection of your credit – all for less than $20 a month. However, please keep in mind that TransUnion only provides single-bureau credit reporting and uses a different scoring model than most lenders.

Physical Address

525 W. Monroe

Chicago, IL 606616

USA