Frequently asked questions

The most common questions from Credit Sesame members all in one place.

If you can’t find an answer to your question here, please visit our Help Center.

Troubleshooting

The issue you are experiencing could be caused by a number of different things.

Most commonly, the information that was entered did not match the information the credit bureau has on file for you. All information, such as the spelling of your first and last name, physical address, social security number and security questions have to be identical to the way they are being reported.

You may be experiencing an issue because the name you entered did not match the credit bureau’s records for you when you initiated your credit history. Have you changed your name since you started your credit history? If so, please use your maiden name to create an account or whatever name you had when you established your credit history.

Creditors typically only report to the credit bureaus once a month. This means that when you see a copy of your credit report, your balances could be up to 30 days old. If you are paying off a liability, you may need to wait up to 30 days to see that hit your credit report.

To terminate your free Credit Sesame membership, click here to log in to your account. From the dashboard, select “profile” and click “terminate” at the bottom of the profile page. Self-Cancellation through our website: To cancel your premium subscription on web and mobile-web, visit the “profile” section of your Credit Sesame account and select the “premium plan” to make any changes. Please note that canceling any premium subscription will not impact your free Credit Sesame membership. Self-Cancellation through our Mobile App: If you have subscribed through in-app billing via your device (ie; Apple ID or Google account), you can cancel your subscription directly in the respective App Store or Play Store. Please note: If you are using the Mobile App and decide to delete the application from your device, your account will not be automatically terminated. You will still need to terminate your Credit Sesame account by one of the methods described above. For Assistance: Please send a request to Member Success for any additional assistance including issues with self-cancellation. Please be sure to use the email address associated with your Credit Sesame account when contacting us.

Your credit score is calculated using a mathematical formula that takes into account your previous credit history and behavior. It is a measure of how likely you are to repay debt. If you have no credit history, you won’t have a credit score and are known as “credit invisible.” When you first start building your credit history you have a “thin” credit file. There are a few steps you can take to help “thicken” your credit history and increase your credit score, providing you pay your debts regularly and on-time. It does not happen overnight. Expect to wait between three and six months before your credit history begins to appear on your credit reports. This is because the creditors are responsible for reporting the financial data to the credit bureaus and this may not happen right away.

Learn more about steps you can take to establish credit history

Credit Sesame has two primary updates that we conduct on a regular basis; the credit score update and the credit report profile update. The credit score is updated on a daily basis whereas your credit report profile is updated every week. The credit report profile contains all relevant information regarding anything that appears on your credit report such as debts and balances.

If you do not see an update by this time, please feel free to contact us so we may do additional research for you.

If you would like to have access to Experian and Equifax daily credit score updates in addition to the free TransUnion Vantagescore 3.0 score, please feel free to explore our subscription products that provide this feature.

Your credit score can fluctuate from month to month and it is not always clear why. Score changes can be caused by new inquiries, late payments, new loan applications etc. If you click the “credit” tab, you will see the key factors impacting your score. You can purchase a copy of your in depth credit report directly by clicking the link in the header of the “credit” tab. Credit Sesame works directly with the credit bureau but has no control over the content that is on the credit report.

As a registered user, you will receive a variety of email communications from us.

You can customize the emails you receive by managing your notification settings. This can be done by clicking on the profile tab from the Credit Sesame website and then clicking “Notification Settings”. The only way to stop all emails (ie; including transactional account related communications) is to terminate your account.

General Questions

Of course! Safeguarding your information is of utmost importance to us. We use bank-level security practices, encryption and firewalls. Take a look at our Privacy Policy to learn more.

Yes, Credit Seasme is FREE! While we do offer a premium subscription for members that want more features, we provide all of our members with a daily credit score update from TransUnion, credit monitoring alerts, a breakdown of the factors impacting their score, and personalized tips. All 100% free.

Debt consolidation and debt settlement services work with people who are behind on their loan payments and need debt relief. They generally negotiate terms with creditors, and charge a fee for their service.

Credit Sesame is a free personal credit management platform that can help you make more informed credit and loan decisions. We can show you how to save more money, manage debt, borrow smarter and build positive credit history. Checking your score and and analyzing credit with Credit Sesame is free and will not harm your credit.

We need your social security number for authentication puposes.

We get the information from DataQuick.com, which pulls together public record data from over 120 million homes to quickly and easily provide an estimated value range.

Our proprietary technology assesses your individual credit profile and shows you offers you’re most likely to get approved for. Knowing which credit cards you’re most likely to get approved for can help you limit applications, save time, and avoid negative marks on your credit history.

With a free Credit Sesame membership, you get:

Credit cards matched to you
You are shown credit card offers curated specifically for you based on your credit profile and financial goals.
Faster application timeframe
If you choose to apply for an offer, we help make the application process quick, easy, and efficient.
Reduced possibility of negative impact on credit history
Getting denied for a credit card can negatively impact your score. If you apply for a credit card with a high chance of approval, you are more likely to be approved.

We value your input! Our goal is to make site improvements driven by your feedback. You can fill out the feedback form or email us directly at feedback@creditsesame.com.

To terminate your free Credit Sesame membership, click here to log in to your account. From the dashboard, select “profile” and click “terminate” at the bottom of the profile page.

Self-Cancellation through our website:

To cancel your premium subscription on web and mobile-web, visit the “profile” section of your Credit Sesame account and select the “premium plan” to make any changes. Please note that canceling any premium subscription will not impact your free Credit Sesame membership.

Self-Cancellation through our Mobile App:

If you have subscribed through in-app billing via your device (ie; Apple ID or Google account), you can cancel your subscription directly in the respective App Store or Play Store.

Please note:

If you are using the Mobile App and decide to delete the application from your device, your account will not be automatically terminated. You will still need to terminate your Credit Sesame account by one of the methods described above.

For Assistance:

Please send a request to Member Success for any additional assistance including issues with self-cancellation.

Please be sure to use the email address associated with your Credit Sesame account when contacting us.

If you need help with your account or have questions about Credit Sesame, please visit our Help Center. I you can’t find the answers you are looking for, please send your request through our Member Support web form. To reach us by mail, please send to: 444 Castro Street, Suite 500, Mountain View, CA 94041

Credit questions

Your credit score is a number that indicates your creditworthiness. Credit scores are based on your personal credit history recorded by credit bureaus. Banks and credit bureaus collect all of your credit and debt information and give you a score: the higher the number, the better the score.

Credit Sesame uses credit scores to give consumers a better idea of their credit standing.

Never! Because we pull your credit score for your own personal information and don’t share it with lenders, this results in what is called a “soft inquiry.” Unless you apply for a product, your credit score will not be impacted.

Your credit usage ratio compares how much credit you have available versus the amount of credit you actually use. The more unused credit you have available, the higher your score. We let you monitor your credit usage so you can tell if you’re eligible for the loan amount you’re looking for and so you’re always aware of your borrowing power.

Your credit score can change on a daily basis, and there are three credit reporting bureaus that calculate your scores based on what may be different information since not all lenders report to all three major bureaus. You may have seen your credit score on a different day, or you may have seen a score from a different bureau. Scores can also vary depending on how often lenders and creditors update their information with the credit bureaus.

We update your credit score daily and show you how it’s trending over time. This check won’t affect your credit score. Note that we don’t provide a full credit report detailing all of your payments and loan activities for free; we only provide the score.

Debt questions

That’s when we figure out the best, most optimal options for your loans and credit. We look at all of your combined monthly payments to see if there’s a way to restructure your loans and credit card debt so that you’re saving money while still paying them down. For example, you may have the best possible first mortgage and the best possible interest rates on your credit cards, but we may find a loan that combines all your credit cards into one loan with a significantly lower interest rate. You’d save thousands on interest alone, while paying down your debt faster. That’s what we call optimized!

That’s the ratio that compares your debt payments to your monthly income. If your debt-to-income ratio is high, that means a large portion of your income goes to cover your debts, so you might not be able to manage your payments over time. Lenders use this ratio to decide how much of a loan you can afford.

We use our credit bureau partner to get your credit score, existing loan information and current interest rates.

Credit Sesame advice and recommendations questions

With a free Credit Sesame membership, you get:

Credit cards matched to you
You are shown credit card offers curated specifically for you based on your credit profile and financial goals.
Faster application timeframe
If you choose to apply for an offer, we help make the application process quick, easy, and efficient.
Reduced possibility of negative impact on credit history
Getting denied for a credit card can negatively impact your score. If you apply for a credit card with a high chance of approval, you are more likely to be approved.

We get new loan, mortgage and refinance information, as well as the eligibility requirements from all major banks on a daily basis. Then we analyze this information against your credit profile and your financial situation to find the best-matched advice.

We do. Every day, we analyze the latest loan and mortgage information from all major banks. When there’s a loan, mortgage, refinance loan or other product that meets your needs and/or saves you money, we alert you.

We use our proprietary engine to match you based on your information, like your existing loans, credit score, current home value, credit usage and debt-to-income ratio, etc., with loans from top national lenders that best meet your goals.

We also take much more into account, including the time horizon of your loan, based on how long you plan to hold the loan or stay in your house, and your payment flexibility (i.e. do you prefer fixed payments, variable payments or a hybrid that could save you the most money).

Need more help?

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If you can’t find the answers you are looking for, please send your request through our Member Support web form

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