Free Credit Monitoring in 2026 — Stop Paying for Your Own Data
Americans spend $3.5+ billion/year on credit monitoring subscriptions. Everything those services provide is available for free. Here's the complete free stack.
🔥 The uncomfortable truth: Credit bureaus collect your financial data without your permission, then charge you $15-30/month to see it. Federal law now requires them to give it to you for free. Stop paying.
Discover Credit Scorecard (free, no account needed): Experian FICO Score
Chase Credit Journey (free, no Chase card needed): TransUnion VantageScore
Your credit card: Most major cards include free FICO scores — check your app
Total cost for all 3 bureau scores: $0
Free Credit Reports
AnnualCreditReport.com: Free WEEKLY reports from all 3 bureaus (expanded from annual during COVID, made permanent)
Credit Karma: Full TransUnion + Equifax reports accessible anytime
Experian free account: Full Experian report updated monthly
Pro tip: Check one bureau per month on a rotation — TransUnion in January, Equifax in February, Experian in March, repeat. This catches errors quickly without obsessing.
Free Credit Monitoring Alerts
Credit Karma: Alerts for new accounts, hard inquiries, balance changes on TransUnion + Equifax