Want to monitor your cash and credit in one place to reach your financial goals? In this Credit Sesame review, we will show how this app can help you manage your cash and credit in one application.
Prioritizing helps to do the things that matter most. This is the same in handling your finances. Being able to manage your income and expenses allows you to reach your financial goals early in life.
Credit Sesame is one way to help you! Their platform makes it easy to get in the habit of checking your cash and credit report regularly.
Credit Sesame is a personal financial tool that helps you manage your credit. It tracks and monitors your debts and gives recommendations as to how you can manage your credit better. Whether you want to apply for a loan, personal credit, or protection of your financial status, Credit Sesame covers it all.
Credit reporting and credit profile that will get your credit score all at the touch of your fingertips.
This article will show you how Credit Sesame can help you and how you can use this service to your advantage.
What Is Credit Sesame?
Credit Sesame is one of the most widely acclaimed, free to use, credit scoring and credit monitoring services. It has helped many people improve their credit scores and financial positions through a proactive way of managing finances.
Credit Sesame provides its users with a wide range of free services to help with credit repair to make it easier if they want a loan or new credit cards in the future.
However, Credit Sesame does not provide you with your actual FICO score. It provides you with a Vantage 3.0 credit score monitoring service using TransUnion data to generate your complete credit score. The differences between Vantage and FICO continue to get smaller and smaller, which means it’s a good indicator to use.
How Does Credit Sesame Work?
When you decide to sign up with Credit Sesame, it allows you to produce your credit scores without entering your credit card information.
Credit Sesame does not require access to your bank account to generate reports, unlike most financial management apps. You can get a free credit report by simply signing up and requesting one.
Additionally, the app will analyze your credit scores and your financial position at any given point in time. It will provide you with ways of increasing your scores and saving up your finances. Credit Sesame gives recommendations on how to lower your debts, and more importantly, the app helps you reach your long-term and short-term financial goals.
The application focuses majorly on the debt side of things. It does so by pulling information from multiple sources with the help of your social security number provided during sign-up.
Credit Sesame works as a single directory. All the information is collected and sorted into easily understandable packets that help users avoid bad credit scores and future complications.
Why Should You Sign Up For Credit Sesame?
Finding the perfect financial management app for yourself can be a little difficult because everyone has a different level of income and needs.
Although we try to keep this Credit Sesame review as unbiased as possible, it’s still a good idea for you to sign-up for it if you’re looking to know your credit score based on:
Credit Score Monitoring
Credit monitoring is one of the best tools of Credit Sesame. It allows you to track changes in your credit report and credit score. Credit Sesame updates your credit information monthly and gives real-time alerts whenever there are changes to your credit so you can review and take action if needed.
Credit monitoring helps maintain your financial health by keeping a good credit score to help you significantly in applying for a loan, mortgage, or credit card. This is a great feature to track your progress to improve your credit standing through your credit score.
Here are the factors on how your credit standing affects your credit score:
- Payment History
Uncollected or late payments can negatively impact your credit score and may cause inaccuracies to appear in your overall financial position. Credit Sesame not only allows you to get credit reports for free but also helps you in figuring out the most appropriate contingency plans you can implement based on your financial state.
- Credit Usage
By compiling all the information from the credit card issuer and lenders, Credit Sesame allows you to keep track of all the credit made available to you and what percentage of it you have used up. This enables you to avoid high credit utilization, which might appear risky to future lenders and keep you well within the credit limit.
- Age Of Credit
Credit Sesame also provides you with ages regarding your accounts, as lenders appreciate a user more if they have a long history of borrowing and paying off their debts.
- Account Mix
Diversifying your account mix lets lenders see how dynamic you can get with your finances. Having your debt split across different accounts such as student loans, home loans, or credit card company accounts can help you get more loans.
- Credit Inquiries
Credit inquiries mean when a lender or bank checks your credit before offering or approving a loan or credit card. Having low credit inquiries means that you don’t look for a lot of loans. Keep track of your inquiries and ensure an appropriate time difference between them, as it might come off as a bad indication if you had made multiple inquiries in a short period.
Identity Theft Protection
Over the years, identity theft threats have become a lot more significant and have impacted many lives. This is why an application like Credit Sesame has become more relevant than ever, as it allows you to keep a keen eye on your credit score to detect any suspicious activities before they cause any serious financial problems.
Credit Sesame is considered one of the best when it comes to identity theft protection. The company behind the application is very confident in its ability to protect its users. So much so that they offer their clients a $50,000 identity theft insurance policy utterly free to all members, new and old.
If you think any of this would be helpful for you, then Credit Sesame might just be worth your while as it is very user-friendly and can help you get a complete credit analysis with the help of the mentioned matrics. The dashboard provided is very attractive yet easy to use and provides you with a summary of all the information you might need at a single spot.
Sesame Cash
Credit Sesame offers a free bank account called Sesame Cash with a debit Mastercard, partnered with Community Federal Savings Bank (CFSB). This goes to show that Credit Sesame is safe for banking.
The good thing about Sesame Cash, it has no minimum balance required and a no-fee debit account. Cash in funds to your Sesame Cash and earn money when your credit score goes up. If your score jumps by 10, you’ll get $10 added to your account.
Sesame Cash also offers cashback when you shop online or for your daily purchases. Make sure to check the app for the latest offers and participating outlets every day.
Lastly, it offers mobile protection to cover you up to $500 from possible theft and damages. We love this feature of Credit Sesame!
Signing Up For Credit Sesame
Signing up for Credit Sesame is relatively straightforward, and it won’t take long for you to access your credit information. However, the app does require you to provide it with the following personal information,
- Your full name.
- Your address.
- Last four digits of your social security number.
If you are comfortable providing that information, then you’re ready to go. As soon as you enter the information, the app will gather all your financial information and produce an account for you.
Services Tier
Now that you have signed up for the app, we must let you know of the potential “upgrades” that you might be able to get for your application, although you should note that using the free version is perfectly fine for most users.
Here are the upgrades:
- For $9.95 per month, you will be able to receive daily credit scores from one bureau, which will include your monthly credit score updates and credit reports from all three bureaus.
- If you sign up for the $15.95-per-month Pro Credit plan, you get access to credit monitoring from 3 major credit bureaus and can consult with a wide range of experts that can help you improve your credit scores.
- For $19.95 per month, you can get insured identity theft for up to $1 million and access to professional resolution experts.
- And finally, for $24.95 a month, you can get a team of specialists to monitor your account and social security number.
Pros And Cons Of Credit Sesame
But similar to everything else, nothing is perfect in this world. And that’s the case with Credit Sesame as well. Let us look at some of the pros and cons of using Credit Sesame.
Pros – Credit Sesame
- Credit sesame provides users with a free tier that includes all of the primary functions they need to get the most out of their account.
- Credit Sesame is considered to provide the best user experience, and I felt the same way. Their modernized dashboard allows mobility and accessibility without making the interface too in your face or overloaded with information.
- Credit Sesame is a kind of app that lets you keep an absolute eye on your debts and credit analytics which has proven to be one of the most important for keeping your credit score positive.
- Another great thing about Credit Sesame is its mobile application, as it provides users with ease of access and remote access to their accounts at all times.
Cons – Credit Sesame
- The paid subscriptions can get a little pricey over time, but for the right user, they might prove to be a great auxiliary as well.
- The biggest flaw in the app would be that it only deals with your TransUnion-based Vantage 3.0 score, which could be problematic for some individuals since banks do not commonly use it for credit card applications.
Frequently Asked Questions – Credit Sesame
Here are some of the frequently asked questions for you to know more about Credit Sesame.
What Credit Score Does Credit Sesame Use?
Credit Sesame makes use of your Vantage 3.0 credit score, acquired through TransUnion.
How Often Does Credit Sesame Update Your Credit Score?
Credit Sesame updates your vantage 3.0 score and your TransUnion account once every month for free users. However, if you require more frequent updates, you can sign up for one of their premium programs, depending on your requirements.
Is Credit Sesame Safe?
Credit Sesame is entirely safe, and your information is secure as they use the same encryption as banks and other financial institutes, such as a 128-bit SSL encryption setup and a 256-bit AES encryption program. According to their terms and conditions, your information is under 24/7 surveillance from Credit Sesame and would never be sold to marketing campaigns.
Is Credit Sesame Free?
Yes, unlike most “free” things over the internet that come along with a fine print, Credit Sesame is completely free to use and allows you access to most of its services without having you spend a single penny on anything. Although there are paid add-ons that you can opt for, in essence, the app is entirely free and voluntary, meaning you only have to pay for something if you had intentionally opted for it.
Conclusion – Credit Sesame Review
Credit Sesame is a big help in managing your finances, especially if you want to keep an overview of your debts. As discussed, having a good credit history opens doors to the things you want most. Being able to handle it well will give you ease and saves time and how you can make most of your finances. Creditworthiness is an important aspect as we all grow older.
In Credit Sesame, you will be able to improve your credit score, stay on your budget by monitoring your credit and be able to pay for your balances. Poor credit results in poor lines of credit that are a challenge for everyone.
Try Credit Sesame now and explore its advantages and features in helping you achieve that financial goal. Get a free credit score when signing up so you may know where you are in your financial journey. Always remember knowing where you are right now led to better decision-making for your future.
Marjolein is a financial consultant who has built over €4,000 monthly passive income and saves over 70% of her income. Read Radicals’ inspiring story, from stuck in the 9-to-5 to loving life. Feel free to send Radical a message at the bottom of this page