# American Express Credit Secure Servce Review



## Steamboat Bill (Oct 17, 2007)

I am recommending a valuable service sponsored by American Express that I have been using to monitor my credit (and my wife), credit rating and help me guard against identity theft. This one service monitors all three credit agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion.

I was amazed at how many mistakes were in the initial report, although most of the mistakes were minor such as a wrong previous addresses, accounts that I closed that still showed as open, and various inaccuracies. The mistakes were not uniform across all three agencies and had a negative effect on my overall credit rating.

Once I found a mistake or discrepancy, I was able to submit a fix online for Experian and Equifax for free. I had to register with Transunion for an additional $15 to request a correction online, but it would have been free if I submitted a written request.

American Express CreditSecure (866) 617-1893
www.americanexpress.com/creditsecure

The cost is $119.99 per year per person


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## short (Oct 17, 2007)

*Will consider.*

This is a little higher than I would like but considering how many times my personal data has been comprimised I think this would be a good idea.  I have received at least 10 letters over the last several years.

Short


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## gmarine (Oct 17, 2007)

You can get one free credit report per year from 

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

If your worried about fraud you can put an extended fraud alert on your credit file. Anytime someone wants to access credit in your name they will be asked a series of verification questions.


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## Steamboat Bill (Oct 17, 2007)

I am NOT a sales rep of AmX nor am I a stock holder...I simply think they offer a fantastic service that is "superior" to any free or discounted service out there.

If you consider how much money you will save the next time you apply for a loan (house, car, etc) a small 0.25% change can mean saving thousands of dollars.

Having a service like this can help you boost your credit rating and guard against identity theft that allwos you to get LOWER interest rates for loans.

The $120 per year is a small expense compared to the potential savings. One alternative idea is that you can sign up for 3-4 months to clean up your reports and then cancel.


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## gmarine (Oct 17, 2007)

Steamboat Bill said:


> I am NOT a sales rep of AmX nor am I a stock holder...I simply think they offer a fantastic service that is "superior" to any free or discounted service out there.
> 
> If you consider how much money you will save the next time you apply for a loan (house, car, etc) a small 0.25% change can mean saving thousands of dollars.
> 
> ...




Having a credit monitoring service can boost your credit rating? Thats a new one that I doubt even the credit monitoring services have come up with. 

Credit monitoring has been around for many years. Amex has had this service for probably 10 years or so. There are literally hundreds of companies that do the same thing. Some cheaper, some more expensive. All very similar.



I have used several over the years, including Amex, and none compare to the benefits of putting a fraud alert on your credit file. By the time amex notifies you of a change in your credit file damage has already been done. Using a fraud alert prevents the credit from being obtained in the first place.

I assume you have tried other credit monitoring services and found they didnt perform as you liked, which is why you are recommending the Amex service. I found the Amex service equal to the others I tried. They are basically the same service. 
You also dont need a credit monitoring service to clean up your credit reports.


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## Steamboat Bill (Oct 17, 2007)

gmarine said:


> Having a credit monitoring service can boost your credit rating?
> 
> You also dont need a credit monitoring service to clean up your credit reports.



Fixing errors in a credit report can boost your score....there may be many other services out there, I just really like the AmX service and it they just make the process simple and secure. 

Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain when you are dealing with personal information, SS numbers, and financial data.

I personally believe cleaning up a credit report is beyond the capabilities of the average American.


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## JimJ (Oct 18, 2007)

Steamboat Bill said:


> I am recommending a valuable service sponsored by American Express that I have been using to monitor my credit (and my wife), credit rating and help me guard against identity theft. .....



Having a service to monitor wives sounds like it might be worthwhile.


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## Steamboat Bill (Oct 18, 2007)

JimJ said:


> Having a service to monitor wives sounds like it might be worthwhile.



Now that would be a great service...where do I sign up?


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