Answers to the most common questions about your RefreshMonitoring account, subscription, and features. For educational questions about credit scores, reports, and the dispute process, see our Credit FAQ. For anything not covered here, reach out through Contact Us.
Getting Started
How do I sign up for RefreshMonitoring?
Click Start Today anywhere on the site. You'll be asked to provide your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, email address, and a phone number, and to verify your identity before your subscription begins.
Why do you need my Social Security number?
Your Social Security number is required to authenticate you with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and to retrieve your credit reports and scores. Without it, the three nationwide credit reporting agencies cannot confirm that the credit information being pulled belongs to you. Your information is encrypted in transit and at rest and is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
How does identity verification work?
After you provide your information, you'll be asked a series of multiple-choice questions generated from your credit file. These are sometimes called "knowledge-based authentication" questions and cover things like prior addresses, lenders you've had accounts with, and similar information that only you would know.
What if I fail identity verification online?
If the online verification fails, you'll be routed through a manual authentication process. This may take several business days and may require additional information, including a private access code sent by mail to the address in your credit file. Your subscription begins on the date of enrollment regardless of how long authentication takes. If we're ultimately unable to authenticate you, you can request cancellation.
Who is eligible to use RefreshMonitoring?
You must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. resident, and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract. You may only enroll using your own identity — you cannot use RefreshMonitoring to monitor someone else's credit.
Pricing and Billing
How much does RefreshMonitoring cost?
The standard RefreshMonitoring plan is $49.99 per month, plus any applicable taxes and fees. The full price is disclosed at enrollment and is the price that will be charged at each monthly renewal until you cancel or change plans.
What's included in my subscription?
Your subscription includes credit reports and educational credit scores from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, monthly profile refreshes, 24/7 credit monitoring across all three bureaus, credit change alerts, member support, and access to our Credit FAQ education center.
When am I charged?
Your payment method is charged immediately on the date you enroll. Your subscription automatically renews each month on the monthly anniversary of your enrollment date and your payment method will be charged the monthly subscription fee until you cancel.
How do I update my payment method?
Log in to your account and update your payment information in account settings. If a scheduled payment fails, we'll notify you and may retry the charge on a reasonable schedule. We may suspend your access to the Service until payment is successfully processed.
Do you offer refunds?
Except as required by applicable law, all sales are final and subscription fees are non-refundable. We do not provide partial-month or prorated refunds for cancellations or plan changes. After you cancel, you'll continue to have access for the remainder of the then-current monthly billing period.
Will my price ever change?
If we change the price of a plan you're subscribed to, we'll send you advance notice by email before the new price takes effect. You can decline a price change by cancelling your subscription before the new price applies.
Subscription Management
How do I cancel my subscription?
You can cancel at any time by logging in to your account and using the cancellation option in your account settings, or by emailing support@refreshmonitoring.com from the email address associated with your account. We'll process your cancellation request promptly.
When does my cancellation take effect?
If you cancel before your next monthly renewal date, you won't be charged for the following month. If you cancel after a renewal date, your cancellation is effective at the end of the then-current monthly billing period and your subscription will not renew the following month. You'll continue to have access to the Service for the remainder of the period you've already paid for.
What happens to my information after I cancel?
Retrieval of new credit information stops at the end of your final billing period. We may retain your account information and historical data for the periods described in our Privacy Policy, including for legal, security, and dispute-resolution purposes.
Can I re-enroll later?
Yes. You can re-enroll at any time. You'll need to complete identity verification again to resume credit data retrieval.
Credit Reports and Scores
How often are my reports and scores updated?
While your subscription is active, your credit reports and scores refresh on a recurring basis, generally monthly. The exact refresh schedule may vary based on operational considerations. RefreshMonitoring is not a real-time service — information may not reflect the most current information held by the bureaus at any given moment.
Why don't my scores match what my lender uses?
The scores in RefreshMonitoring are calculated using the VantageScore 3.0 model and are educational scores intended for informational purposes only. Lenders, insurers, employers, and landlords often use different scoring models — most commonly different versions of the FICO Score — and may reach different conclusions than the educational scores shown here.
Why do my three bureau scores differ from each other?
Each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies maintains its own credit file on you, and creditors don't always report to all three. A tradeline, balance, or payment history that appears on one bureau may be missing, delayed, or different on another. This naturally produces score differences across the three reports.
Can I download or print my credit reports?
You can view your reports any time from any device with an active subscription. Export functionality is available within the member dashboard.
Why does my report show information I don't recognize?
Information you don't recognize could be an error, an outdated record, or a sign of identity theft. See Disputes below and the Credit FAQ for what to do.
Credit Monitoring and Alerts
How does 24/7 monitoring work?
We monitor all three of your credit reports continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When the bureaus report a change to your credit file — such as a new account, a new inquiry, a balance change, an address change, or a public record — we send you an alert through the channels you've selected.
What kinds of credit alerts will I receive?
Alerts may cover new accounts opened in your name, new credit inquiries, changes in balances or payment status on existing accounts, address changes, public-record changes such as bankruptcies, and other monitored events.
How quickly will I receive an alert after a change?
Alerts are sent as soon as the change is detected and reported by the relevant credit reporting agency. Timing depends on when the bureau records and reports the change. Alerts may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate, and the absence of an alert does not mean no change has occurred.
Will I be alerted to every change?
Monitoring depends on the credit reporting agencies' ability to detect and report changes to your file. We cannot guarantee that every change will be detected or reported. Some changes — particularly those that don't reach the bureaus — will not generate alerts.
What should I do if I see suspicious activity in an alert?
If an alert shows activity you don't recognize, take the steps described at IdentityTheft.gov and consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit file. See Identity Theft below.
Disputes
Does RefreshMonitoring dispute errors on my behalf?
No. RefreshMonitoring is a monitoring and informational service. We do not submit disputes to the credit reporting agencies on your behalf and do not act as your agent or representative in front of any bureau, furnisher, or creditor.
I see something wrong on my credit report. What do I do?
You have the right under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information directly with the credit reporting agency that issued the report, at no cost. Each of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion accepts disputes through their websites, by mail, and by phone. Contact information for each agency is available on each agency's website.
How long does the dispute process take?
Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, credit reporting agencies generally must investigate disputes within 30 days of receipt. If the information cannot be verified, it must be removed or corrected.
Can RefreshMonitoring guarantee that disputed information will be removed?
No. No company, including RefreshMonitoring, can lawfully remove accurate, current, and verifiable information from your credit report. Outcomes of any dispute are determined by the credit reporting agencies and the furnishers of the information, not by RefreshMonitoring.
Identity Theft
I think I've been a victim of identity theft. What do I do?
Go to IdentityTheft.gov, the federal government's central resource for identity-theft recovery. The site walks you through reporting, placing fraud alerts, freezing your credit, and creating a recovery plan. You should also notify us at legal@refreshmonitoring.com so we can support you in monitoring your file.
What's the difference between a fraud alert and a security freeze?
A fraud alert notifies creditors who pull your credit file that they should take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit. Fraud alerts are free and can be placed by contacting any one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies, which is required to notify the other two.
A security freeze restricts access to your credit file entirely, preventing most new creditors from pulling it until you lift the freeze. Security freezes are free and must be placed with each of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion individually.
RefreshMonitoring does not place fraud alerts or security freezes on your behalf — you must contact each bureau directly.
Account Access and Security
How do I reset my password?
Use the "Forgot password" link on the sign-in page. We'll email a reset link to the address associated with your account.
Can I access my account on multiple devices?
Yes. Your subscription gives you unlimited access to your reports and scores from any device you sign in from. Your credentials are personal to you and may not be shared.
Is my information secure?
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information, including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication for administrative access, audit logging, and contractual requirements imposed on our service providers. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.
What if I notice suspicious activity on my RefreshMonitoring account?
Email legal@refreshmonitoring.com immediately. We take account-security reports seriously and will investigate promptly.
Communications
What kinds of communications will I receive?
You'll receive transactional communications about your account, your subscription, security, identity verification, billing, and credit alerts. With your separate consent, you may also receive marketing communications about the Service.
How do I stop marketing emails?
Use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or contact legal@refreshmonitoring.com. Unsubscribing from marketing does not stop transactional, account, security, or service communications, which are part of the Service.
How do I stop text messages?
Reply STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, or END to any text message. Reply HELP for help. If you opt out of all text messages, we may be unable to deliver certain account, security, or credit-alert notifications by text and will use email or in-application notifications instead.
Member Support
How do I contact support?
Email support@refreshmonitoring.com for account, billing, or subscription questions. Email legal@refreshmonitoring.com for privacy, security, or legal matters. See Contact Us for full details.
What are your response times?
We aim to respond to all support requests within one business day. Privacy and legal requests are handled within the timeframes required by applicable law.
RefreshMonitoring is a credit monitoring service. It is not a credit repair organization, law firm, financial advisor, or credit reporting agency. The information in this FAQ is for general educational purposes and is not legal, financial, or tax advice. For personalized advice, consult a licensed professional. Results may vary, and no specific credit outcome is guaranteed.