What Exactly Do Credit Repair Companies Do?
Before we look at the best credit repair companies, it’s probably worth covering what they actually do.
Having a poor credit score can have serious implications on your ability to secure loans/credit cards, to get a mortgage and to even land your dream job. It can make your financial life a living nightmare.
If you are unfortunate enough to have a poor credit history then you can either to take steps to improve your score yourself or you can employ the services of a credit repair company.
For a fee, credit repair companies use their expertise in credit reporting to help improve your score. They do this specifically by disputing items on your credit report with a view to having them removed. In turn this will generally improve your credit score and make you a less risky proposition when trying to secure credit.
Steps Credit Repair Companies Can Take
✔ Obtain your credit reports and analyse them for inaccuracies. They can help identify if there’s any accounts that aren’t yours or that appear twice. They can flag any incorrect inquiries. They can spot if fraud or identity theft has taken place. They will notice if any information on your credit accounts is inaccurate.
✔ Dispute inaccuracies on your report. They can draft letters to your creditors or to the individual bureaus to dispute late or non-payments, bankruptcies, inquiries and tax liens with a view to having these amended or removed from your report.
✔ Offer advice on how to improve your credit score. Some companies will provide practical advice or actively monitor your credit accounts to give you pointers on how to improve your score. Some even offer credit counselling to help you devise a way forward with your credit.
✔ Raise disputes with debt collection agencies. Some credit repair companies will raise disputes and send letters to debt agencies on your behalf.
Credit repair companies are ideal if you have no intention to learn how to fix your credit score or don’t have the time to do so.
Credit repair companies are experts in exposing and dealing with inaccurate items on your credit report. As a result, they are able to carry out a much more thorough and efficient repair than the average man off the street.
Essentially, this means that credit repair companies are often able to achieve better and faster results than if you go down the DIY credit repair route.
Whilst saying that, it’s important to remember that even the greatest credit repair companies are not miracle workers. You should run a mile from any company that makes ridiculously bold claims that sound too good to be true. For example, credit repair companies cannot:-
- Guarantee removal of certain items from your credit report, especially if those items are accurate
- Guarantee to increase your score within a certain timeframe or by a certain amount
- Guarantee to get your score to a level whereby you will qualify for certain lines of credit
However, if you have the funds and lack the patience or skill to deal with your own credit repair, then credit repair companies are definitely worth exploring further.
15 Genuine Credit Repair Companies
Now we’ve looked at what credit repair companies can do for you, it’s time to consider our 15 best and legitimate companies to fix your credit.
1. Credit Saint (Editor’s pick for best features, price and customer service)
and customized service
Summary
Credit Saint is only the second company we found with a A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and with a 4.8 star rating on the Consumer Affairs website.
In their own words, Credit Saint can help you attack your credit damage by disputing inaccurate, untimely, misleading or incomplete negative items on your credit report.
They offer 3 packages including:-
Clean Slate – their most aggressive package with unlimited challenges to the 3 credit bureaus, score analysis, creditor interventions, credit score tracker, inquiry targeting and Experian monitoring. This package costs $119.00 p/m with a $195.99 initial work fee.
Credit Remodel – their middle package which includes all the features of the clean state package bar unlimited challenges to the credit bureaus. With this package you get 10 challenges to the bureaus per credit cycle. This package costs $99.99 p/m, with a $99 initial work fee.
Credit Polish – their basic package which includes score analysis, creditor interventions and a score tracker. It only includes 5 challenges per credit cycle. This package costs $79.00 p/m with a $99 initial work fee.
With all of the packages you get a 90 day money back guarantee.
Out of the options available, we found Credit Saint to be an extremely good company with excellent customer care, affordable and varied repair packages and an industry leading reputation.
Pros:
– Varied and affordable packages
– 90 day money back guarantee
– Class leading customer service
– Industry leading reputation
– Great communication and customer care
Cons:
– Not available nationwide. They are excluded in South Carolina, Kansas and Georgia
– Budget package only has 5 challenges per credit cycle
2. The Credit Pros (Best rated credit repair company)
Summary
The Credit Pros comes with a coveted A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 4.5 star rating on TrustPilot which was the highest we found.
The Credit Pros are a modern credit repair company with an online portal and mobile app. They offer a free initial consultation and cancel any time guarantee.
They offer 4 packages including:
Success Package – their premium package which includes unlimited challenges to your credit report, access to the TCP legal network in case you need legal assistance, debt avalanche and snowball debt management and they provide credit monitoring as standard. It also comes with a credit line from National Credit Direct to help build your credit. This package is ideal if you want to dispute numerous items on your credit report. Package costs $149 p/m with a $149 initial work fee.
Prosperity Package – the prosperity package comes with the same perks as the success package excluding the credit line from National Credit Direct. Package costs $119 p/m with a $119 initial work fee.
Money Management – the money management package comes with the same monitoring and credit repair services as the above two packages but you can only repair one credit item. However, this plan does come with the National Credit Direct credit line unlike the prosperity package. Package costs $119 p/m with an initial work fee of $69.
Credit Sentry Monitoring – the basic package is simply a credit monitoring package and does not include challenges to items on your credit report. Use this package if you just want basic tools to track your credit. This package costs $19 p/m with a $19 initial work fee.
Pros:
– Credit line provided in two of their packages
– Free consultation
– Cancel any time
– Excellent online review and BBB rating
– Modern facilities like mobile app and online tracking
Cons:
– Only one credit challenge with the money management package
– Website is not very clear
3. Sky Blue
Summary
Sky Blue comes with an average BBB rating of C but has a BBB review rating of 4.25 at the time of writing this. The service comes with a 90 day money back guarantee and a simple pricing set up. They offer a 50% couple’s discount on monthly and initial fees which are some of the best discounts we’ve found.
For $79 per month with an initial set up fee of $79, Sky Blue will allow you to challenge 5 items on your credit report each month with each of the 3 bureaus (i.e. a total of 15 challenges). Their service also includes goodwill letters, debit validation letters and cease and desist letters.
The downside is that Sky Blue does not come with credit monitoring like some of the competition but they will still help to guide and educate you on how to improve your credit.
Sky Blue support is open 9-5 Mon-Fri and you can get in touch by phone or through their website.
Pros:
– Standardized, straight forward pricing
– Affordable
– 15 challenges per month to the credit bureaus
– Excellent online review and BBB review
Cons:
– No credit monitoring
– Average BBB rating
4. The Credit People (Best value credit repair company)
Summary
The Credit People offer offer a pay as you go service and a flat rate upfront service. They boast a 15+ year track record of doing the following for their clients:
32% average increase in Credit Score
78% Approved for Auto Loans after using them
71% Approve for Home Loans after using them
81% Approved for New Credit after using them
74% Approved for Refinancing
Whether you go for the pay as you go or flat rate service, you are offered unlimited disputes to the bureaus, 24 hour account access , debt validation, inquiry validation and a 60 day money back guarantee. They claim to be able to improve your credit score within 60 days. They have a 4.2 star rating on the Consumer Affairs website but only a C+ BBB rating.
Pros:
– Varied pricing options including pay as you go and flat rate
– Affordable
– Unlimited challenges to the bureaus
– Impressive advertised results
– Online portal
Cons:
– Monthly credit monitoring not available
– Average BBB rating
5. Ovation Credit Repair Services (Best for personalized service)
Summary
Ovation comes with a coveted A+ rating from the BBB and a 4.2 star rating on TrustPilot. They offer two service plans both with extremely transparent pricing.
Essentials Plan – With this plan you will receive one on one assistance from an advisor who can offer personalized help to tackle inaccurate items on your credit report. You’ll pay an initial work fee of $89 and then $79 per month thereafter.
Essentials Plus – This plan offers all the same features as the essentials plan but with unlimited good will letters, personalized letters, validation disputes and TransUnion credit report monitoring. Choose this option if you have a more complex credit history with numerous bad entries on your report. You’ll pay an initial work fee of $89 and then a monthly fee of $109 for this plan.
Pros:
– Cancel any time policy
– Affordable
– Discounts for couples, military personnel and senior citizens
– Free consultation
– Great BBB rating and reputation
– Personalized service
Cons:
– No credit monitoring with basic package
– No online application process for new customers – phone only
6.AMB Credit Consultants (Best for customer education)
Summary
AMB Credit Consultants provide a simple pricing structure with only one plan but with a discount if you sign up as a couple. It has good BBB reviews of 4.3 but a below par BBB rating of C.
One drawback of AMB is that you have to buy their credit monitoring plan through their partner IdentityIQ which costs an additional $29.99 a month. You also don’t get a free consultation.
Once you have enrolled, they will carry out unlimited disputes on your behalf and will send cease and desist letters for you and communicate with your lenders, the bureaus and any collections agencies.
AMB also offers a level of credit education to its customers which is definitely a bonus.
Pros:
– Simple pricing structure
– Couple discounts
– Good online and BBB reviews
– Credit repair education provided to customers
Cons:
– Expensive
– Frustrating additional credit monitoring fee
– Expensive
– Poor BBB rating
7.Lexington Law (Best if legal advice required)
Summary
Lexington Law is a slightly different to the other credit repair companies as it’s actually a law firm, which may help if you have a more complex case of bad credit. They claim to have removed over 7 million bad credit items from their clients’ credit reports in 2020. However, they are not accredited with the BBB according to the BBB’s website and have recently run into legal trouble with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
Lexington Law offer 3 packages:
Concord Standard: this package includes credit bureau challenges but not much else. For example, this plan doesn’t cover with any credit repair tools or monitoring, nor will Lexington Law sent cease and desist letters on your behalf. This package costs $89.95 p/m.
Concord Premier: this package has the same benefits as the above but with guidance on your credit score, credit alerts and assistance with credit inquiries. This package does not include cease and desist letters. This package costs $129.95 per month.
Premier Plus: this is the top tier package they offer. It includes all of the above plus a credit score tracker, identity protection tools and cease and desist letters.
This package costs $129.95 per month.
Pros:
– Average pricing
– Highly qualified legal team
– Credit tools with top package
– Long history
Cons:
– No BBB accreditation
– Recent law suit against them
Summary
CreditRepair.com claim to have successfully removed 1.8+ bad credit items since 2012, sent 19m+ credit disputes and made 1m+ interventions since 2019.
However, our research indicates they are not yet BBB accredited. Despite this, they have some excellent reviews on their website, albeit less impressive ones on the Consumer Affairs website.
CreditRepair.com offer 3 packages:
Direct: this package includes challenges to the bureaus, inquiry assists, quarterly credit score updates and goodwill intervention. This package costs $69.95 pm plus an initial work fee of $69.95.
Standard: this package includes the same as the above but includes a FICO® score inquiry assist service which allows you to challenge unfair or inaccurate inquiries on your credit report. This package costs $99.95 per month with an initial work fee of $99.95.
Advanced: their top package includes the same benefits as the above but with monthly credit score updates, more bureau challenges, more creditor challenges and cease and desist letters.
Pros:
– Educational and useful website that will help you understand the credit repair process
– Reasonable prices
– Varied packages
Cons:
– No BBB accreditation
– Some poor reviews on the Consumer Affairs website
Summary
Pyramid Credit Repair offer a personalized service with two simple credit repair packages catered for either singles or couples. They also offer a credit monitoring package. Their FAQ states that most of their clients see results within 45 days. They have no BBB rating but have some very promising reviews on TrustPilot where they hold a rating of 4.4 at the time of writing this, one of the best we’ve seen. Pyramid offer a free consultation.
Pyramid Credit Repair offer 3 packages:
Singles: as the name suggests, this package is designed for single people (i.e. one set of credit reports). Their service is described in 3 steps.
1. You are offered a free initial consultation and offered advice on understanding your credit score.
2. A customized “game plan” is created on how they will improve your score.
3. You are assigned a credit expert and a rigorous challenge process is started against the bureaus and any lenders to scrutinize and hold them accountable for any misrepresentations. They do not limit the number of disputes to the bureaus. They also offer to help you plan, track, share and leverage your credit. This package costs $99 p/m.
Couples: the couples plan offers the same as the singles plan but is more geared towards people who have shared financial accounts. This package costs $198 p/m.
Credit monitoring: they also offer a credit monitoring where they monitor 3 scores and report, provide dark web monitoring and provide $25,0000 of ID theft insurance. This is no a credit repair package is simply for monitoring your score. This package costs $29.99 p/m.
Pros:
– Simple and straight forward packages/pricing
– No initial work fee
– Unlimited challenges to the bureaus
– Good TrustPilot ratings
– Personalized service
Cons:
– No BBB accreditation
– No apparent discount with the couples package
Conclusion
So there is our review on the best credit repair companies for 2021.
We found that Credit Saint to be the best overall company but we also really liked:-
- Pyramid Credit Repair: Great ratings and reasonable prices
- Credit Pros: Great for education and technology together with good reviews and reputation
- Credit People: Great value packages with solid reputation
Credit repair companies are good choice if you have neither the skill nor the time to improve your credit score.
However, credit repair companies can only repair your score within the legal boundaries that exist.
They cannot guarantee to remove negative items on your credit report, especially if those items are accurate, and you should avoid any company that promises you otherwise.
