4 Credit Card Companies That Offer Free Identity Protection

These card issuers will help you protect your identity and credit for free. 

Identity theft is a serious issue that continues to grow. In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission received nearly 1.4 million reports of identity theft. It's essential to protect yourself and your identity and to take action to report fraud quickly.

Several credit issuers offer credit monitoring and identity protection tools for free. Consumers can utilize these tools to protect themselves and stay informed. Keep reading to learn about some credit card companies that offer free credit and identity monitoring services.

1. American Express

American Express provides a free credit protection service called My Credit Guide. This is available to American Express cardholders and even consumers without American Express credit cards. With this service, you can check your VantageScore® 3.0 and get access to your credit report from TransUnion for free. 

You'll also get alerts if changes are made to your TransUnion credit report. These alerts can serve as a way to monitor your credit so you can spot and report suspected fraud quickly. 

Read more: Are you looking to boost your credit score? You can use a credit score simulator to calculate how much your credit score could change by taking actions that impact your credit.

2. Capital One 

Capital One offers a free credit monitoring service called CreditWise. This service is available to everyone -- not just Capital One customers. 

You can use this service to check your VantageScore® 3.0 credit score and can get weekly score updates. You'll also be sent alerts if any significant changes are made to your TransUnion® or Experian® credit reports. 

CreditWise can also protect you in other ways. The service will check to see if your personal information, like your Social Security number, is on the dark web. You can also use the built-in credit simulator to see how making certain financial decisions may impact your credit. 

3. Chase

Chase also offers a free credit monitoring tool known as Credit Journey. This service is available to Chase cardholders and non-customers alike. 

With this service, you can check your VantageScore® 3.0 credit score and get alerts if your credit has changed. 

You'll also be protected in other ways. The service will send alerts if your data has been compromised in a data breach, your personal information is found on the dark web, your Social Security number has been used, and when a lender verifies your identity. 

4. Discover

Discover also offers credit monitoring through its Discover Credit Scorecard service. While the card issuer used to provide this service to cardholders and non-customers, it's no longer available to those without Discover credit cards. 

With Discover Credit Scorecard, you can check your FICO® credit score for free and learn more about the factors that make up your score. Discover will also monitor your Experian credit report and notify you when changes are reported so you can quickly take action if you're the victim of fraud. 

You'll also receive alerts if your Social Security number is found on the dark web. Discover includes tools that can help you remove your personal information from websites that sell your data for added online privacy protection. 

Protect your identity and credit 

It's important to take steps to protect your identity and credit. Otherwise, you may become a victim of identity theft. 

Free tools like the ones mentioned above can help you stay informed. These resources may also help you learn more about where your finances currently stand so you can make decisions that positively impact your credit. 

If you're in the market for a new credit card, check out our list of best credit cards to find the right one for you.