Does Credit Repair Work?

If you have legitimate errors on your credit report: The main function of any credit repair service is to remove errors from your credit report. These could range from errors in reporting from lenders to simple errors in your personal information. A good amount can actually affect your credit, so if you believe there are errors in your credit report, you can benefit from a credit repair company correcting those errors for you.

If you have errors that can’t be verified: A little known fact about your credit report is that every detail in the report needs to be verifiable. For example, if you have a negative item on your credit report from a lender who was bought or went out of business, there is a chance that if the credit bureaus were to call to verify the information on your report, they would get no answer. In that case, they are required to remove it from your credit report. This is a loophole that credit repair services will use to raise your score.

If your lenders are willing to work with credit repair agencies: The credit repair agencies that have been doing this for a while know the tricks of the trade, so they have the experience to negotiate with your lenders on your behalf. Does this always work? No. Some lenders don’t like working with credit repair services. Some lenders aren’t willing to negotiate. However, for the lenders who are willing to listen, this is a good way for credit repair services to raise your score. If you are looking for a new lender, check out one of the many online loan companies. They generally have lower interest rates and all report to the three credit bureaus.

Best Overall: SkyBlue Credit Repair

SkyBlue is the most affordable and reliable credit repair option that we looked at. SkyBlue has streamlined their credit repair service to offer you the basics of credit repair for only $59/month and just a $59 initial payment, which is far and above cheaper than all of the other credit repair services. They also have an “A+” rating from the BBB, which is the best score we’ve seen from a credit repair company.

Looking for another alternative? Check out our review of The Credit People.

Best Reputation: Lexington Law

The best part about Lexington Law is that it is an actual law firm that specializes in credit law, which means they know what they are doing when dealing with lenders. It has been around longer than most other credit repair services. Lexington Law is on the cheaper end at $89.95 a month which includes all of the bells and whistles that come along with their credit repair plan, including a guarantee.

Best for Credit Monitoring: CreditRepair.com

CreditRepair.com actually has a relationship with TransUnion, so they can actually pull your credit score for you, which is extremely helpful. They also have an “A” rating from the BBB. The only downside to CreditRepair.com is the cost. They charge $89.95 a month, although they don’t have an initial fee like most other credit repair services. With the $89.95, you get your standard credit repair services, as well as monthly credit monitoring, a score tracker and analysis, mobile apps and text and email alerts.

Most Transparent Credit Repair: Credit Saint

Credit Saint offers good options for credit repair at reasonable prices. It’s basic service is $79.99 and will dispute a number of negative items on your credit reports. Credit Saint has two other options, Credit Remodel and Clean Slate, which offer more aggressive approaches to fixing your credit. The company also offers a money-back guarantee if it does not remove any items from your credit report within 90 days. You can check out our Credit Saint review to find out more about the company.

Most Personal: Credit Assistance Network

Credit Assistance Network amazingly has had no complaints from the BBB over the past 4 years, which is pretty unheard of, especially for a credit repair service. They also offer an extremely personalized credit repair experience, with actual agents holding your hand along the way during the process. They also offer two pricing plans, depending on how much repair you need. There is a $49/month plan (which has a $49 initial fee) that includes the basic credit repair services. You can also sign up for their $139 a month plan (which has a $399 initial fee) and that includes access to an online portal that tracks the progress of your account, identity theft resolution assistance, goodwill letters sent to your lenders and credit building tips.