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Equifax Score Watch Review: Credit Report Monitoring |
| Sign up for Equifax Score Watch | |
Rating: |
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| Only monitors Equifax report; two Equifax FICO® Score reports annually plus updated score whenever it changes; no free trial | |
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Equifax Score Watch allows users to keep an eye on their Equifax FICO® Score while simultaneously monitoring their Equifax credit report. We like that it gives members a real FICO® score, but unlike most of the other credit monitoring services we review, it doesn't monitor all 3 of your credit reports or provide all 3 credit scores. Instead, Equifax Score Watch focuses solely on the credit report and score from the Equifax credit bureau. Since lenders typically use scores from more than one bureau and negative or fraudulent credit information may only be reported to one bureau, we strongly recommend consumers track their credit report and scores from all three bureaus. Thus, we wouldn't recommend this service for most people, but if someone is looking to keep close tabs on just their Equifax FICO® Score, then Equifax Score Watch is a perfect fit.
Equifax Score Watch provides a lot of information about your Equifax credit file. It starts by supplying your Equifax FICO® Score when you sign up for the service. The FICO® Score is considered the "gold standard" of credit scores by many experts, and is a great indication of how you may be perceived by potential lenders. Although your Equifax FICO® Score is only 'officially' updated twice a year, and not quarterly or monthly like some of the other credit monitoring services we review, users can receive additional FICO® Score updates via the included score monitoring service—more about this later in the review. Plus, Score Watch let's you know how lenders regard your score with its "how lenders see you" feature. Each time your score is updated a graph appears, letting you know whether lenders might see you as a credit risk or not—and how much of a risk. Additionally, Score Watch features a great interactive tool called the FICO® Simulator. With the simulator you can see how your financial actions can help or hurt your FICO® Score. Score Watch also monitors your Equifax credit report for key changes, such as new credit inquiries, new credit accounts, a name change and a change of address. Although Score Watch lacks Experian and TransUnion credit monitoring, it does feature a high level of Equifax monitoring. In fact, users can set up specific alert preferences for changes in their FICO® Score, balance percent and dollar changes and credit card activity changes. If a change occurs, you'll be notified by email/text and if your FICO® Score changes you'll be able to see your newly updated score. This means that although officially you only get 2 updates to your Equifax FICO® Score and credit report every 12 months, if your FICO® Score changes outside of that you'll get your updated score—a nice additional benefit. In addition to Equifax credit monitoring and Equifax FICO® scores, users will receive their Equifax credit report twice a year. This is a good thing to have, but we wish users got a 3-bureau credit report or at least that the Equifax credit report was updated more frequently than twice annually. With that said, it's still an important piece of every user's credit history, and should be carefully reviewed for any errors or omissions. Equifax Score Watch is a great solution for those who are interested in their FICO® Score and Equifax credit information. It features an intuitive user interface and user education tools like the credit score simulator. However, for the $12.95 per month price we wish it included 3-bureau credit monitoring, reports and scores so users could get a full picture of their credit standing at all three bureaus. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation. Sign up for Equifax Score Watch | Compare to Other Credit Report Monitoring |
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| Free Credit Scores: | Equifax FICO® score w/ enrollment |
| Trial Period & Price: | $12.95/mo |
| Credit Reports Monitored: | Equifax credit report |
| ID Theft Insurance/ Guarantee: | None |
NextAdvisor Credit Report Monitoring Blog Headlines
Why Is My Credit Score Lower Than Last Year?
Q: I received a copy of my credit report last year and the score was 761. I have not applied for credit anywhere, but a year later my score was 448. What made my score drop so low? A: It's definitely possible for a credit score to drop during a 12 month period even though [...]
Does Credit Report Monitoring Affect Your Credit Score?
Q: Once I enroll in Identity Guard, will daily checking affect my scores? A: Daily credit report monitoring will not affect your credit scores. Neither will getting your own credit scores. This is because Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® is acting on your behalf (and not as a third party) to access your 3-bureau credit reports, [...]
How Often Can I See My Updated 3-Bureau Credit Report?
Q: How often can I view my actual updated credit report from all 3 bureaus with Identity Guard? A: When you sign up for the Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® free 30-day trial, you'll receive a joint 3-bureau credit report that you can view and print online. After this initial report, your 3-bureau report will be updated quarterly. [...]
Will an Identity Theft Protection Service Prevent a Lender from Getting Infor...
Q: I am in the process of refinancing my home. I completed and submitted the applications, giving my social security number and other important information. I decided not to go with that Broker and now I am concerned about the information I provided. Will identity theft protection make it difficult for a lender to obtain information? A: [...]
