MyFICO is a subscription credit monitoring service that helps users track their FICO credit score. In addition to FICO score updates, myFICO users also receive credit report updates — and users who sign up for the Advanced or Premier plans can take advantage of identity theft monitoring.

Is myFICO worth it? Let’s take a close look at how myFICO works, including pros and cons, plans and pricing and how myFICO stacks up against the competition. We’ll also share a list of credit card issuers that offer free access to your FICO score.

Pros and cons of myFICO

Under the trusted name of the FICO brand, myFICO provides credit monitoring and identity theft monitoring. Users get access to their FICO credit score that, according to FICO, is used by 90 percent of top lenders. Users also get the benefit of $1 million identity theft insurance and 24/7 identity restoration assistance.

However, myFICO is not free — and the most basic plan only includes credit monitoring, not identity theft monitoring. (All three plans include identity theft insurance and identity restoration assistance, but only the Advanced and Premier plans offer identity theft monitoring.) If you’re going to pay a monthly subscription cost for a credit monitoring service, you’ll want to make sure that it offers features that you can’t get anywhere else — and since many credit cards offer free credit monitoring services, you might not need to sign up for a myFICO plan.

Are myFICO scores accurate?

Yes, myFICO scores are accurate based on the information available. However, if there is an error on your credit report that is negatively affecting your FICO credit score, it’s your responsibility to dispute the error with the appropriate credit bureau.

It’s also worth noting that myFICO automatically tracks FICO Score 8 and may not track FICO Score 9 or the new FICO Score 10. Although FICO Score 8 is the most commonly used credit scoring system, some lenders may use a different FICO scoring system to determine whether to issue you a new line of credit — which means they may see a different credit score than the one you see on myFICO. Other lenders may use the VantageScore credit scoring system, which means they might not check your FICO score at all.

Does using myFICO affect my credit score?

Using myFICO will not affect your credit score. When you sign up for a service like myFICO, you are giving the service permission to check your credit — and checking your own credit will not hurt your credit score.

How much does myFICO cost?

There are three different myFICO plans at three different price points:

  • Basic: $19.95/month
  • Advanced: $29.95/month
  • Premier: $39.95/month

How to sign up for myFICO

To sign up for myFICO, visit myfico.com, select a plan and enroll. Unfortunately, myFICO does not offer trial periods, so you won’t be able to test out the service before paying — instead, you’ll need to be ready to make your first payment as soon as you enroll. Your subscription will automatically renew every month unless you decide to cancel.

Which myFICO plan is best?

Basic plan

The basic myFICO plan costs $19.95/month and includes Experian credit bureau monitoring. Although users receive FICO score tracking and credit monitoring, the basic plan does not offer identity monitoring, which is one of the major reasons to pay for a service like myFICO instead of using a free alternative. The basic plan updates monthly and might be an option for people who simply want to keep track of changes to their credit score and credit report.

Advanced plan

The advanced myFICO plan costs $29.95/month and includes credit bureau monitoring from all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Identity monitoring is included in this plan, along with score tracking and credit monitoring, and updates once every three months. This plan could be useful to those who want a quarterly look into their credit history, but some users may want more frequent updates.

Premier plan

The premier myFICO plan costs $39.95/month, includes credit bureau monitoring from all three major bureaus and updates monthly. This plan offers the best feature package, including identity monitoring, score tracking and credit monitoring, and is best for people who want to keep a close eye on their credit while taking advantage of the identity theft protection myFICO offers.

Is myFICO worth it?

Signing up for myFICO is only worth it if you want the identity monitoring and protection, including the $1 million identity theft insurance and 24/7 identity restoration assistance offered by all three myFICO plans.

If you are thinking about signing up for myFICO to monitor your credit report or track your FICO credit score, keep in mind that there are many less-expensive ways of tracking both your credit report and credit score. You are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit bureaus, which means you could review a different credit report every four months and check it for updates and errors. There are also many different ways to check your credit score for free — in fact, many credit cards provide free access to your credit score.

Alternatives to myFICO

How does myFICO stack up against other popular credit monitoring programs? Let’s take a look.

MyFICO vs. Credit Karma

Credit Karma offers free VantageScore credit scores and free TransUnion and Equifax credit report monitoring. Users get weekly updates as well as personalized recommendations and targeted advertisements. You won’t get the identity theft insurance or monitoring that you might get from a myFICO plan, but you can’t beat the price.

MyFICO vs. IdentityForce

IdentityForce offers 24/7 identity theft monitoring and $1 million identity theft insurance. Choose between two plans: UltraSecure, which provides identity theft protection for $17.95/month, or UltraSecure+Credit, which provides all the benefits of UltraSecure plus credit monitoring with all three bureaus and VantageScore updates for $23.95/month. You might get more for your money from IdentityForce than from myFICO — but compare the two services carefully and choose the plan that offers the features you really want.

MyFICO vs. Experian Free Credit Monitoring

Experian Free Credit Monitoring offers an interactive FICO score tracker, monthly Experian credit report updates and real-time alerts if anything changes or looks suspicious. You can even use the service to dispute errors on your Experian credit report. Experian’s credit monitoring service was Bankrate’s best free credit monitoring service of 2020, so you might want to try it out before committing to a paid credit monitoring service like myFICO.

Credit cards that offer free access to a FICO score

Many top credit card issuers offer free credit monitoring — which means that if you have one of today’s best credit cards in your wallet, you might be able to check your FICO or VantageScore credit score for free.

  • American Express: American Express cardholders can access their FICO credit scores for free through their online accounts. American Express® MyCreditGuide is a free service that tracks your VantageScore credit score and provides TransUnion credit report updates — and you can sign up even if you don’t have an American Express credit card.
  • Bank of America: Bank of America cardholders who sign up for online or mobile banking can access their FICO scores for free.
  • Capital One: CreditWise® from Capital One® provides free VantageScore and TransUnion monitoring — and you don’t have to be a Capital One cardholder to sign up.
  • Chase: Cardholders can use Chase Credit Journey to track their VantageScore credit score and TransUnion credit report for free.
  • Citi: Select credit cards come with free monthly FICO score monitoring through Citi® FICO Score.
  • Discover: Use the Discover® Credit Scorecard to check your FICO score and your Experian credit report for free — even if you aren’t a Discover cardholder.
  • Wells Fargo: Eligible cardholders who sign up for Wells Fargo Online® get access to free monthly FICO score updates.