Credit Versio Credit Repair Review

Credit Versio isn't your typical credit repair company. Rather than assigning you to a live credit analyst who handles things for you, it puts you in the driver's seat using AI-driven software that guides you through a step-by-step plan customized to your own credit reports. It then monitors your progress over time, and if your tactics fail, it suggests alternate strategies to try until you've achieved the results you want. 

Another thing that separates Credit Versio from the rest of the pack is how you pay and the additional services you need to get the job done. Credit Versio is free; you'll need to purchase a subscription to one of two companies (SmartCredit or IdentityIQ), and you'll get all of the perks associated with these plans, including identity theft insurance and credit monitoring. But after that, Credit Versio itself charges no additional fees, making it a transparent and affordable route for people willing to take charge of their own credit repair.

Pros Explained

• Very affordable: You probably won't find a cheaper option for a credit repair company. In fact, after you pay for a third-party credit monitoring service, Credit Versio itself is free. 
• Can get started ASAP: Often, you'll need to wait at least a day before someone sits down with you to create a credit repair plan. But with Credit Versio's DIY approach, you can get the ball rolling in just a few minutes. 
• Easy-to-use, intuitive interface: Credit Versio's online portal offers a smooth experience that makes it easy to see where you're at now, what needs to be done, and what improvements you've already made. 

Cons Explained

• Short track record: Credit repair isn't a very old industry, but having a longer relative track record can be a sign of a more stable and customer-driven company. Credit Versio is one of the newest companies out there, so it doesn't have that history built up yet. 
• Requires you to send letters yourself: Typically, credit repair is a hand-off service where someone else does all the work for you. That's not the case with Credit Versio; you'll need to take a more active role in things, including printing and mailing your own credit dispute letters that the company helps you create. 
• May not have a money-back guarantee: Credit Versio doesn't charge for its services, but you will need to purchase a subscription to either IdentityIQ or SmartCredit. SmartCredit offers a limited money-back guarantee, but IdentityIQ does not.
• No hand-holding from a live credit analyst: Since Credit Versio is a software program and not a team of live experts, you won't have much, if any, interaction with a live person. Its program and educational materials are very good, but if you really need one-on-one interaction with a human, this won't be a good option for you.

Types of Services

When you sign up with Credit Versio, you're getting two products: Credit Versio's program and a separate credit monitoring service through either IdentityIQ or SmartCredit (your choice). Thus, some of the services come from Credit Versio itself, and others come from whichever program you select. 

Software-Driven Credit Analysis

After you sign up, Credit Versio uses either IdentityIQ or SmartCredit to immediately pull your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus. It then imports them into its software program, where it scans for different types of errors, such as duplicate listings or fraudulent activity. 

Credit Disputes

The heart of Credit Versio's approach is guiding you through the process of sending your own credit disputes. Once you identify an error that needs to be corrected, it'll guide you through the process of auto-generating a dispute letter. You can select a reason for the dispute from a drop-down list or use a custom field to enter your own wording. 

Credit Versio then emails you the letter, and you print and send it off. The program monitors your credit reports to see whether the letter had any effect, and if it did, it may be reflected in a credit score increase. If it does not go up, the program will keep suggesting alternative strategies until you're successful in removing the negative mark. 

Credit Education

Without a real, live person helping you, Credit Versio actually does offer quite a robust suite of educational tools featuring well-known credit experts. These videos and articles can help you learn more about specific nuances that may affect you, such as negative accounts that you've paid off, and how to fix or at least understand them so you can plan around them. 

Credit Monitoring

Credit Versio works with a third-party credit monitoring program: SmartCredit or IdentityIQ. The credit monitoring services these programs provide are the backbone for Credit Versio, offering the raw data (i.e., your credit reports) that it uses to generate a credit repair plan for you. 

Thus, you get the added benefit of credit monitoring. If anything pops up on your credit reports that may be concerning, such as identity theft, you'll be immediately notified. And depending on which credit monitoring program you select, you'll get either twice-monthly or unlimited updates on your TransUnion credit report and associated credit score. 

Identity Theft Insurance

Another added benefit of the third-party credit monitoring service is that it comes with identity theft insurance. If you're forced to pay for someone else's misdeeds while they were pretending to be you, you'll be covered for up to $25,000 in damages if you select IdentityIQ's plan, or $1,000,000 in damages if you select SmartCredit's plan. This protection lasts for as long as you continue the subscription. 

Company Features

Since Credit Versio is really a free add-on service to other companies that you actually pay for, you'll need to spend a fair amount of time scoping out those companies too. Notably, neither SmartCredit nor IdentityIQ offers a free trial, although IdentityIQ does offer a seven-day trial for just $1. The downside is it doesn't offer any form of a money-back guarantee. SmartCredit may offer this in limited circumstances (only if you ask for a refund "prior to your second bill," according to its service terms).

Unfortunately, Credit Versio doesn't offer mobile apps for those who prefer this connection method—a missed opportunity, especially considering it is a software program. It is also geared towards individuals and does not offer business credit repair services. 

Customer Service

Although Credit Versio is software-based, it does offer a customer support team. The downside is it's relatively limited, with phone lines only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday. If you're on the East Coast, that translates into call-in hours from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST. You can also get help via email. 

Company Reputation

Being such a new company, there hasn't been much time to collect independent reviews or complaints on watchdog sites like the CFPB.

There's also a lack of customer reviews on many traditional review sites, with the notable exception of Trustpilot. There's actually quite a lot of information here, and most of it is quite positive. People generally seem to have good success with the service, and it has earned a TrustScore of 4.5 out of five. 

Contract Duration

Credit Versio doesn't require you to sign any contracts. As long as you continue paying for the required third-party credit monitoring, you'll have access to Credit Versio. These credit monitoring services, in turn, also don't have any minimum contract requirements and allow you to cancel at any time. 

Cost

Credit Versio itself is free, and that makes it the cheapest credit repair company out there. Instead of charging money itself, it partners up with two credit monitoring services, and that's where the actual cost comes from. You can sign up for these services directly through Credit Versio. These are the options you can choose from and how they differ:

• SmartCredit Basic: $19.95 per month, with twice-monthly TransUnion credit report and score updates and $1,000,000 worth of identity theft insurance 
• SmartCredit Premium: $29.95 per month, with unlimited monthly TransUnion credit report and score updates and $1,000,000 worth of identity theft insurance
• IdentityIQ Secure Max: Starts with a seven-day trial for $1; after that, it's $24.99 per month and offers $25,000 in identity theft insurance

How to Choose a Credit Repair Company

Credit Versio is much different than other credit repair companies. If this is your first venture into the world of credit repair, it's a good idea to shop around before deciding. Here are some tips for finding the best credit repair options for your situation. Consider the following:

• Your needs: Credit Versio is really geared towards sending disputes. If you need help with something else, like managing your debt collectors, consider another company or working with a credit counseling service.
• Amount of work required: Credit Versio requires you to do everything yourself. Most credit repair companies don't; they only require minimal effort on your part. 
• Potential fees: Some credit repair companies advertise a flat-rate fee to get started and more fees to continue service. Before you sign up with these companies, ask about any and all other potential fees you might incur because there can be many hidden and extremely expensive fees to get the most from the service.
• Try-before-you-buy or a money-back guarantee: If you're skeptical, seek out companies that offer free initial consults with a professional credit analyst or a good no-strings-attached cancellation policy and money-back guarantee.
• The tell-tale signs of a credit repair scam: Unfortunately, the world of credit repair has a shady reputation, and for a good reason. There are a lot of scams out there with hallmark warning signs, such as promising to remove all negative information from your credit reports, even items that are accurate. 

Alternative Choices

Final Verdict

The simple truth is that most people can handle fixing up their credit on their own for free. Credit repair companies are best for people with very complicated situations, very little knowledge or confidence about how credit works, and/or very little time. If you're somewhere in between—not quite sure what to do but capable of doing most things yourself with a little guidance and online research—then Credit Versio could be a great option.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Credit Versio Do?

Credit Versio is an automated credit repair program and credit monitoring service via a third-party vendor. The online tools provided by Credit Versio are designed to help you dispute and manage credit issues, monitor your credit, and overall repair and improve your credit over time.

What Score Does Credit Versio Use?

Credit Versio pulls your credit information from the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Does Credit Versio Send the Letters for You?

Credit Versio's software will help guide you on how to write an auto-generating dispute letter to send to your creditors. You will have to print and mail the letters yourself, which means paying for postage.

Does Credit Versio Dispute Inquiries?

Credit Versio gives you the tools, like an automated system that connects you to the three major credit bureaus, to dispute credit inquiries yourself.

Methodology

Our team evaluated 17 credit repair companies and collected over 600 data points before selecting our top choices. We weighed 39 criteria, giving the highest weights to those that are the most significant for customers.

The top picks were selected based on:

• Costs and fees (weighted 40.5% in total)
• Services offered (34%)
• Customer experience (22.5%)
• Stability (3%)

We took into account factors like how many disputes will be sent per month, the kinds of dispute letters that are sent, cancellation and return policies, and how long companies have been in business. This information was used in our company's star ratings and best picks.