Affiliate Disclosure: NS Funding has partnerships with select credit-building services (marked with a "Partner" badge) and may receive compensation if you sign up through our links. This does not affect our recommendations or your cost. We only recommend products we believe provide value. Always do your own research before signing up for any financial product.
Important: NS Funding is a mortgage broker, not a credit repair company. We share these credit-building resources as a friendly service to help our clients and prospective clients improve their financial standing. This information is already publicly available—we're simply making it easier to find in one place. The tools listed below are third-party services that we do not own, operate, or control. Always verify terms, pricing, and legitimacy directly with each provider before signing up.
Official Free Credit Reports
Start here. You're entitled to free credit reports from all three bureaus once per year by law.
Credit Bureaus
The three major credit bureaus collect and maintain your credit information. You can also dispute errors directly with each bureau.
Anyone checking or disputing their credit
View your Equifax credit report and dispute errors
Free report via AnnualCreditReport.com; paid monitoring available
Anyone checking or disputing their credit
View your Experian credit report and FICO score
Free basic access; premium features require subscription
Anyone checking or disputing their credit
View your TransUnion credit report and dispute errors
Free report via AnnualCreditReport.com; paid monitoring available
Greenlight Family Cash Card
Build credit for your family while teaching financial literacy. Greenlight's credit builder helps teens and young adults establish credit history.
* NS Funding may receive compensation if you sign up through this link. See affiliate disclosure above.
Credit Builder Products
These tools can help establish or rebuild credit history. Results vary—read terms carefully before signing up.
People with no credit or rebuilding credit
Build payment history while saving money
You pay interest; money is locked until loan ends
Plans start around $25/month
People starting to build credit
Reports to credit bureaus with small monthly payments
Limited credit line; not a traditional credit card
$5/month
People who want help disputing errors
Automates dispute process with credit bureaus
Free tier is limited; premium features cost extra
Free basic; Premium $39.99/month
People building credit while saving
Reports to all three bureaus; builds savings
Interest charges apply; early termination may have fees
Plans from $15-$110/month
People rebuilding credit
Multiple credit-building tools in one platform
Verify current pricing and terms on their site
Varies by plan
Rent Reporting Services
These services report your rent payments to credit bureaus, which may help build credit history. Not all scoring models weigh rent equally.
Renters who pay on time and want credit for it
Adds positive payment history to your credit file
Not all scoring models count rent equally
Free basic; premium features available
Renters building credit history
Can report up to 24 months of past rent payments
One-time setup fee plus monthly subscription
$94.95 setup + $9.95/month
Credit Monitoring
Monitor your credit for changes, new accounts, and potential identity theft.
People who want comprehensive monitoring
Alerts you to changes in your credit reports
Subscription required; verify cancellation terms
Starts around $6.99/month (verify current pricing)
Anyone wanting basic monitoring
Free FICO score and Experian report monitoring
Only monitors Experian; upsells premium features
Free basic tier
Trusted Educational Resources
Government and nonprofit resources for learning about credit and consumer rights.
Comprehensive guides on credit reports, disputes, debt collection, and consumer rights. Completely free and unbiased.
Visit CFPBPlain-language guides on credit, debt, and avoiding scams. Great starting point for credit education basics.
Visit Consumer.govAuthorized User: Safe Way vs. Risky Way
Becoming an authorized user on someone else's credit card can help build credit—but there's a right way and a wrong way.
- Ask a trusted family member (parent, spouse, sibling)
- They have excellent payment history on that card
- Low utilization on the account
- You don't need the physical card—just the account history
- Free to do with family members
- Paying strangers to add you to their accounts
- "Tradeline" services that charge hundreds of dollars
- No relationship with the primary cardholder
- Can be considered fraud by lenders
- May not work—lenders are getting smarter
Bottom line: The safe way is free and legitimate. The risky way costs money and could backfire. If someone is charging you to be added to their credit card, that's a red flag.
Disclaimer: NS Funding is not a credit repair company. This page provides educational information only; not financial or legal advice. The tools listed are third-party services—verify terms, pricing, and legitimacy directly with each provider. Results vary. Affiliate relationships are disclosed above.