Credit Sesame Review 2024: Best for Simple Credit Monitoring

Credit Sesame can provide your TransUnion credit score and report, but other free options offer more credit insights with a better user experience. As we navigated the dashboard, it felt like the service was dedicated to getting us to upgrade with most features being limited to Sesame+. 

Other free credit monitoring services like Credit Karma provide credit scores and reports from two bureaus. However, we were fans of the Sesame Grade for a breakdown of our credit score.

We'll detail our Credit Sesame testing experience, features, and more.

At a glance

We last tested Credit Sesame on December 5, 2024.

4.4

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On Credit Sesame's website

Credit Monitoring

Credit Sesame

• Sesame Grade provides insights into your credit score
• Sesame+ plans offer identity theft insurance, fraud resolution, identity fraud alerts, and more
• Only provides TransUnion credit score and report

Our experience

Signing up for Credit Sesame, at least the free plan, was an easy process. We used the web dashboard on our Chrome browser and downloaded the iOS app. 

When signing up, we were required to submit personal information like our full name, home address, and last four digits of your Social Security number. Credit Sesame requires this information to identity your credit file. 

We were also prompted to set up two-factor authentication with your phone number. We appreciated Credit Sesame being proactive about keeping our data secure. 

Where we had issues signing up was with the Sesame+ free trial. Our credit card was denied when we entered our payment information for the trial. We tried another credit card and encountered the same issue. 

So our ability to navigate the service was limited because so many items are labeled Sesame+ only, have a lock next to them, or will just lead you to a Sesame+ subscription page. We could view the Sesame Grade under My Profile, Credit Manager and Credit Report tabs, along with offers from the service, but nothing else. 

With the Sesame Grade, we received insights into our credit score and could click through on any category for more information. This is the bulk of what you'll receive with Credit Sesame Free. 

We're not sure why it only offers information with one credit bureau while Credit Karma offers two with it's free plan. Even though we didn't pay for Credit Sesame, it still felt lackluster for what a free credit monitoring service could provide.

Credit Sesame prices and subscriptions

Credit Sesame offers a free plan and Sesame+ plans for $9.99/mo or $19.99/mo. 

Credit Sesame Free gives you access to your credit report, credit score, and credit monitoring, all based on information from TransUnion. The next tier, Sesame+, adds features like identity fraud alerts, fraud resolution, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, and credit building tools.

The highest tier, Sesame+ Complete, is the only plan with access to all three of your credit reports and scores.

Credit Sesame features

All Credit Sesame plans includes credit monitoring with TransUnion, so you can receive notifications any time there is a credit score update. From your credit report, you will be able to have a general idea of your credit score. This can be helpful when looking at interest rates and overall approval odds for new debt.

We'll break down all of Credit Sesame's features for monitoring and building your credit. 

Credit monitoring

With Credit Sesame, you can check your TransUnion credit score, view your payment history, and see how much you owe on your credit accounts. You can also receive alerts when there are changes to your credit report, such as:

• An increase or decrease in credit score
• A new inquiry into your credit report from a lender
• New accounts opened
• Delinquent payments
• Changes to or new public records

You can set up notifications based on your preferences, including email or push notifications, from your settings. 

Credit reports and credit scores

Credit Sesame's dashboard shows your latest TransUnion credit score, along with a credit analysis. You can view your credit report by selecting the Credit Report button on the left-hand menu. 

Your TransUnion credit score also appears here, along with two blank areas for Equifax and Experian with prompts to upgrade to Sesame+. We wish Credit Sesame kept this information in the Credit Sesame+ part of the menu bar, since it could be frustrating or confusing for users expecting to see actual credit scores. 

Note that Credit Sesame provides your VantageScore rather than your FICO score. Most lenders will refer to your FICO score if you're going to take out a loan, purchase a home, or other actions that require credit inquiries. 

VantageScore will provide a good idea of your credit score, but you may need to use a service like MyFICO for your true credit score if needed. 

Credit analysis

The Sesame Grade is how Credit Sesame analyzes your credit score. This grade is calculated based on the following factors:

• Payment history: 40%
• Credit usage: 34%
• Credit age and account mix: 21%
• Recent credit: 5%

We had some trouble finding out where the page was just to view our overall credit score breakdown. The main dashboard will only provide specific details on each factor in your Sesame Grade.

It wasn't until we selected See what's changed from the Credit Report tab that we found the full analysis summary. 

Credit builder

Sesame Cash is an additional product offered by Credit Sesame. Sesame Cash is a prepaid debit card that allows you to get your direct deposit funds up to two days earlier than your payday.

As part of Sesame Cash, you can also use Credit Builder, which acts as a credit card and is reported to the credit bureaus. Credit Builder uses money deposited into the account from your Sesame Cash account. 

In essence, you’re acting as your own bank to borrow money to a credit card, which Credit Sesame then reports to help you build credit.

Money management tools

Credit Sesame can help you set goals to increase your credit. You can find this under the Credit Manager tab. 

Example goals including saving for a rainy day, finding monthly savings, and improving your credit grade to build credit. Depending on the goal, you'll be linked to specific offers for cards or loans. 

Bonus features

You’ll find a few more helpful features if you sign up for the Premium membership, which can better help protect your identity or improving your credit score. 

Rent reporting is a helpful way to improve your credit score by showing your on-time rent payments. Typically, only mortgage payments are reported to the credit bureaus. However, Credit Sesame lets you show your consistent, on-time rental payments to boost your score.

Sesame+ plans also tout identity fraud monitoring and dark web surveillance. Without being able to test the premium plans, we're not sure if it scans the dark web for your information or if it just tracks activity on your credit report to help reduce ID theft. The plan comparison page provides limited details. 

Finally, the Sesame+ plans will provide fraud resolution and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance in the event you become a victim of identity theft.

Is Credit Sesame safe to use?

Credit Sesame provides strong encryption and security measures, so we found it safe to use. Credit Sesame uses AES 256-bit encryption and SSL 128-bit SSL encryption to protect your data. 

In addition, Credit Sesame has a fairly transparent privacy policy on its website. Information is only shared with third parties to support Credit Sesame's business and provide services, fulfill the purposes for which you provided the information, and in the event of a business transfer or legal request. 

Credit Sesame also states that although information is shared with third parties, it's not for their direct marketing purposes. 

Credit Sesame customer support

Credit Sesame has limited customer support for free members. It offers a comprehensive help center, but you must submit a request form if you cannot find your answer through this platform.

However, Premium members gain access to 24/7 support. This includes credit dispute resolution resources, identity theft insurance, and any other question that requires customer support. Premium members also have a phone number that they can call to speak to a Credit Sesame representative.

Top alternatives

Credit Sesame+ is one way to get more out of the credit monitoring service, with its inclusion of identity monitoring and identity theft insurance. But there are lots of identity theft protection suites that include credit monitoring, offer family plans, and can be more affordable than Sesame+. 

Review some of our favorite identity theft protection recommendations:

Service
Star rating	4.9 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.8 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.5 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Price	Starts at $9.00/mo (billed annually)	Starts at $7.50/mo (billed annually) for first year	Starts at $10.00/mo
# of people covered	1 - 5 adults, unlimited children	1 - 2 adults, up 5 children	1 - 5 adults, unlimited children
Credit monitoring	* Alerts from all three bureaus * Monthly VantageScore update * Yearly credit report from all three bureaus	* Alerts from all three bureaus * Monthly score update from all three bureaus * Daily credit report from all three bureaus	* Alerts from all three bureaus * Monthly VantageScore update * Monthly VantageScore report update
Types of identity monitoring	Identity and SSN, account breach, home and auto title, criminal and court records	Identity and SSN, dark web, phone takeover, home title, social media	Dark web, high-risk, bank account, social media, credit and debit card
ID theft insurance	Up to $1 million	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million
Details	Get Aura Read our Aura review	Get LifeLock Read our LifeLock review	Get OmniWatch Read our OmniWatch review

FAQs

Bottom line: Is Credit Sesame good?

Credit Sesame is a decent service for TransUnion credit monitoring, but it can feel limited if you don't upgrade to a paid plan. Credit Karma at least provides credit scores and credit monitoring from Equifax and TransUnion. 

We did find Credit Sesame's Sesame Grade analysis to be a valuable breakdown of our score. This could be beneficial for anyone looking to understand their current credit score and how to improve it.  

Ultimately, we found that Credit Sesame Free provides too few features and Sesame+ doesn't provide enough for a full identity theft protection suite. Our top alternatives can cover your bases if you're seeking identity theft protection and credit monitoring.

4.4

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Learn More

On Credit Sesame's website

Credit Monitoring

Credit Sesame

• Sesame Grade provides insights into your credit score
• Sesame+ plans offer identity theft insurance, fraud resolution, identity fraud alerts, and more
• Only provides TransUnion credit score and report

Author Details

Andrew Adams

About the Author

Andrew Strom Adams is a freelance writer focused on online privacy and digital security. He writes on various topics to help individuals protect themselves on the internet. Andrew has worked in legal marketing, technology, and startups. He has more than 12 years of experience in marketing and communications. He holds an M.B.A. from Westminster College and a B.A. in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University. When he’s not writing, he’s playing with his two kids or watching reality TV.