Credit Karma Beta: Free Credit Credit Monitoring + Linking of your Credit Card Accounts

I haven't signed up for this beta, but I've been using CK for quite a while. I generally update my score every morning, but it appears they haven't updated their data for me since last month. Most of my CCs close around the 1st of the month, and shortly thereafter I'll see a slight update due to changes in my balances, etc., and my average age of open credit will increase by one month every month. This month, my vantage score had a slight change, but my CK score hasn't and my AAOC hasn't incremented since last month. My "last updated" says today, but the data itself seems old.

So I see CreditKarma grabs a credit report from TransUnion. Does that mean that they use my one free credit report per year from them, or can I still get a free one directly from their site as well? Because I rotate getting my free credit report (one free per year from each one) from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian to every 4 months to keep a gauge on everything.

Also, is everything offered up front free from CreditKarma (ie. no hidden charges or shady business upsetting tactics)? I see there is a free credit score, which is something that the three credit bureaus charge for.

We won't ever charge for our service. That is something we strongly believe in.

I have never used Mint.com, but I have had an account with CreditKarma for years. This is awesome for me since I am always forgetting my CC logins...I can't count how many times I have been locked out of my accounts..

We won't ever charge for our service. That is something we strongly believe in.

I try to simplify the number of passwords I use and what patterns to employ, but I'm routinely screwed by sites that:

a) require a 10 digit password...I have two of those, and others that limit you to 6 or 8
b) sites that require a special character in the PW, while I have others that will not allow one
c) sites like my bank that generate a user name I could never possibly remember..its like first initial, part of my last name, and then about 9 mixed case letters and numbers

So with such fine and varied security, I'm reduced to an 8.5x11 sheet of paper loaded with usernames and passwords, which I keep under my keyboard. Real secure.

Would it really be too much to ask to be able to pick my own usernames and passwords, even if they suck? Then I could get away with a handful, and be able to memorize them. A tad more secure than leaving a list of them where they're easily stolen along with the computer.

By the way, my bank offers similar services from my bank login. I don't think the cheap credit unions I used to use offered it though.

Credit rating: [redacted]

Updated Feb 11, 2013

Next update available on Feb 18, 201

The real value is in the data-mining of your credit card purchases. That is worth a RIDICULOUS amount to people. You might be surprised.

So I see CreditKarma grabs a credit report from TransUnion. Does that mean that they use my one free credit report per year from them, or can I still get a free one directly from their site as well? Because I rotate getting my free credit report (one free per year from each one) from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian to every 4 months to keep a gauge on everything.

Also, is everything offered up front free from CreditKarma (ie. no hidden charges or shady business upselling tactics)? I see there is a free credit score, which is something that the three credit bureaus charge for.

So with such fine and varied security, I'm reduced to an 8.5x11 sheet of paper loaded with usernames and passwords, which I keep under my keyboard. Real secure.

I still have at least 3-4 accounts that Mint can't connect to. I haven't found the site to be particularly useful.

To the people worried about giving out their credit card login details, I mean in the end what could someone really do with that? If I log into a credit card site, all I can really do is pay my bill. If someone else wants to do that for me, be my guest. I guess they could also see how much I owe on a card, but it's not like you can make a transaction or anything. Unless I'm just dumb.

The real value is in the data-mining of your credit card purchases. That is worth a RIDICULOUS amount to people. You might be surprised.

I more or less agree with you, but they could potentially open virtual CCs from some banks' websites and charge things to you that way.