Credit Karma Reviews: Is It Safe and Accurate?

Credit Karma is a credit monitoring and personal finance management company. It was founded in 2007 with the aim of giving customers a free, easy-to-use tool for monitoring their credit scores and reports. It also offers personalized recommendations for credit cards and loans, among other services. The service has gained over 100 million users since it was founded. 

Although it is a useful financial tool, Credit Karma reviews indicate numerous complaints. Below is an overview of the Credit Karma ratings on Pissedconsumer.com.

Number of reviews – 3.6K

Credit Karma rating* – 2.0⭐⭐

Claimed losses – $5.8M

Successful calls – 7%/50.4K

Resolved issues – 25

To help potential and existing customers resolve issues with the company, we answer the following top consumer questions.

1. What is Credit Karma?
2. What are the pros and cons of Credit Karma?
3. How to contact customer service?
4. Is Credit Karma safe?
5. Is it accurate?
6. How to delete a Credit Karma account?

1. What Is Credit Karma?

Credit Karma is a personal finance company founded in 2007 by Kenneth Lin, Ryan, Graciano, and Nichole Mustard. It was established to give users free access to their credit and financial data to make informed financial decisions.

Interesting facts about the organization’s First 10 Years

• Founders opened its first office in 2008 and hired its first employee. The office was located above the Irish Pub in San Francisco.
• By 2010, they had more than one million members. In 2012, Credit Karma was one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. They raised over $30M in funding the same year.
• They launched their iOS mobile app in 2012 and the Android app in 2013.
• In 2015, they gave away their one billionth credit score.
• In 2017, they added more features and services to become more of a financial assistant for members.

How Does Credit Karma Work?

To use the service, you must sign up for a free account. You can sign up via a browser at www.creditkarma.com or on the iOS or Android mobile apps. 

During the registration process, you will be required to provide your personal information, including your name, email address, physical address, and social security number. You will also need to create an account using your username and email address. Once signed up, you can access the various Credit Karma services. 

•  Credit monitoring. CreditKarma.com provides users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada with free credit scores. The company monitors users’ credit scores on Equifax and TransUnion and gives you a vantage score. The Credit Karma Vantage score indicates your credit status and whether you can access loans. 
• Relief roadmap. They connect users with government support and personalized debt relief options.  
• Credit insights. The company provides insights on what affects your score and how to improve it.  
• Personalized loan recommendations. Users get personalized loan recommendations based on their credit profiles and financial goals. You can compare loan options, apply directly from the app, and track your payments and interest rates.  
• Identity monitoring. CreditKarma.com monitors any suspicious activity on users’ credit reports and notifies them if any unusual activity is detected.   
• Tax filing services. Credit Karma tax services allow users to file their federal and state tax returns online. 
• Banking services. The organization has partnered with the MVB Bank to offer users Credit Karma Money spending accounts and Credit Karma Money savings accounts.

2. What Are the Pros and Cons of Credit Karma?

Credit Karma ratings and reviews indicate the advantages and disadvantages of using the personal finance service.

Pros

• Free credit score. 
• Free tax filing.
• User-friendly interface both on the web and mobile apps.
• High level of website/app encryption.

Cons

• Poor customer service.
• Too many ad popups on the app.
• Discrepancies with a credit score.

3. How to Contact Customer Service?

If you’re wondering how to contact Credit Karma support, learn the ways to do it through different channels as discussed below:

Email

There are two ways to contact Credit Karma via email. You can write directly to the Credit Karma customer service email: support@creditkarma.com or submit an online request. If you are a member, log in to your CreditKarma.com account to submit a request. If you are not a member, fill out the request form provided.

CreditKarma.com offers phone support for account-related queries only for active Credit Karma Money account holders. The Credit Karma phone number is provided on the back of your Visa Debit card. Alternatively, scan the QR code on the card to call Credit Karma.

Help Center

The help center is the first line of Credit Karma support. The comprehensive online help center answers frequently asked questions. To quickly find the information you are looking for, enter your question on the help center search bar. 

Live Chat

Another way to contact Credit Karma customer service is through the live chat feature on the website. To initiate a chat, you must provide your personal information and a general overview of your issue. 

Headquarters Address

If all other methods of contact fail, visit their headquarters address at:

100 Broadway,   

STE 1800 Oakland,  

CA 94607

PissedConsumer reviews indicate numerous complaints about Credit Karma customer service. Consumers are mostly frustrated that there is no Credit Karma phone number to call to have their non-card issues resolved promptly. 

Some customers who reached out through the Credit Kama customer service email or submitted a request did not get a prompt response, while others did not hear from the customer representatives.

Other Credit Karma complaints indicate that although some customers got through to customer support, the representatives were not helpful. For example, in Credit Karma review #4398288, the customer was frustrated that there was no phone number to call, and they did not get a response on other channels.

“No body ever answered customer service. Can't find correct phone number either *** ridiculous…”

4. Is Credit Karma Safe?

Before making a decision to use a Credit Karma savings account, it is common among consumers to question the safety of the service. The company has different strategies to ensure the platform is safe for its users. They use 128-bit or higher encryption to protect members’ data on the site and during transmission. In case of suspected suspicious activity, they alert customers as soon as possible. 

They also have a security team that investigates and responds to issues promptly. Credit Karma also works with independent security researchers to assess site vulnerabilities and report detected security issues. Furthermore, the company conducts external security audits regularly. 

Does Credit Karma Share Personal Information?

CreditKarma.com collects different types of personal information depending on the services you are using. They mostly collect your:

• Profile and contact information such as your name, billing address, email address, physical address, and phone number.
• Identity verification information such as social security number, date of birth, driver’s license number, passport number, or other government-issued identification. 
• Financial information such as payment details, financial statements, income and wage information, tax return details, etc. 

The company’s officials state that they use your information to ensure optimal service delivery. They explicitly state that they do not engage in the sale of personal information to third parties. However, their privacy policy lets them share your information with affiliated third parties. Sometimes, they will request your consent, but other times they share your information at their discretion. In case you have any suspicions about the misusage of your personal data, do not hesitate to reach out to Credit Karma customer service.

Based on Credit Karma reviews on Pissedconsumer.com, the company has a 2-star rating out of the possible 5 stars. Although some customers like that they can look up their credit scores for free, there are numerous Credit Karma complaints, including:

• poor customer support;
• difficulty activating Credit Karma card;
• the variance between their vantage score and credit bureaus’ scores;
• errors in reports;
• unauthorized Credit Karma savings account closure;
• missing money from some users’ spending accounts;
• missing Credit Karma money tax refund;
• fraudulent loan offers.

For example, in Credit Karma review #2984248, one customer narrated how their card was canceled without approval. They were locked out of their account when they contacted Credit Karma to follow up on the issue. Further attempts to contact Credit Karma customer service on the issue have been futile.

How to File Taxes with Credit Karma?

There are two main ways of filing taxes through this service. One option is through the Cash App Taxes. According to a statement by the company, Credit Karma Tax moved to Cash App and is now known as Cash App Taxes. It is easy to use and enables customers to file taxes for free. 

Alternatively, customers can link their accounts to TurboTax to access more tax filing features. TurboTax has a long history of helping customers file for taxes. The online service is easy to use and offers various tax filing services. It is free to use for military personnel or if you are filing a simple tax return using the IRS Form 1040. Otherwise, you will need to pay a fee for different tax services. 

On the downside, Turbotax reviews on PissedConsumer indicate poor customer service, misleading tax service pricing information, and filing errors. 

5. Is Credit Karma Accurate?

Some of the top Credit Karma complaints are regarding credit score inaccuracies. Several customers reported that the company indicated their score was high enough to qualify for a loan. However, when they contacted lenders, it was established that their credit score on the three main credit score bureaus was much lower than their indicated Credit Karma score. Hence the question, Is Credit Karma accurate?

CreditKarma.com states that they derive your credit score directly from TransUnion and Equifax consumer credit bureaus. Since the credit score is the exact number reported by credit bureaus, it should precisely reflect your credit standing.

That said, it is common for your credit score to vary, and a few reasons explain why that may happen. For instance, some lenders report your credit to some but not all bureaus. There could also be mistakes in your credit reporting by the bureau or variances in the credit scoring models.

The credit and financial management platform also notes that they are a credit reporting agency rather than a credit bureau. Therefore, if there are errors in your score, it is most likely that there are mistakes in the information provided by your lender on the three credit bureaus. If that is the case, follow up with the lenders to correct the issue, then recheck your Credit Karma score.

Credit Karma Vantage Score

Credit Karma uses the Vantage score 3.0 scoring model, unlike credit bureaus, which use the FICO scoring method. Vantage score 3.0 is an alternative credit scoring model to the FICO model. 

The score ranges between 300 and 850, similar to the FICO score range enabling easy comparison. Both scores primarily rely on your payment history and credit utilization to determine your score.

Below is a breakdown of the various categories that make up your Credit Karma Vantage score:

• Payment history – 40%. Late or missed payments impact your score significantly.
• Age and type of credit – 21%. Your score is higher if you have different types of credit open for longer as long as you make your payments on time.
• Credit utilization – 20%. A credit utilization ratio of about 30% is preferable. 
• Balances – 11%. Refers to the total recently reported balances on current and delinquent credit accounts.
• Recent credit – 5%. Lenders check if you have opened new credit accounts or conducted credit inquiries.
• Available credit – 3%. It helps to determine how much credit you can be approved for.

6. How to Delete a Credit Karma Account?

Here are the steps to close Credit Karma account:

1. Log in to your Credit Karma account.
2. Under Profile and Settings, select “My Profile.”
3. Click on “Close my Account.”
4. A pop-up will appear for you to confirm that you want to close your account. Click “Yes, close my account.”
5. To confirm that your account has been deleted, try logging in after 24 hours. You should not have access.

If you have difficulty closing your account, contact Credit Karma customer service. Note that you will lose access to all services once you close your account. Therefore, download and save any documents and information you might need to refer to later before closing the account, e.g., your Credit Karma savings account statement, spending account statements, tax forms, etc. 

Conclusion

Credit Karma offers an easy way to monitor your credit score. It has gained popularity over the years because it is free and provides users with loan recommendations. You can also use it to create savings and spending accounts and file taxes.

While some users are satisfied with it, others have reported complaints regarding poor customer service, inaccuracies with the Credit Karma login issues, vantage scores, login issues, and being locked out of their accounts. 

If you'd like to share your experience with Credit Karma, please leave a review on PissedConsumer.com.

*The company ratings on the PissedConsumer website are calculated using a mathematical algorithm that evaluates the information in the company’s profile. The algorithm parameters are: users’ rating, the number of resolved issues, the number of company responses and more. The PissedConsumer algorithm is also subject to change in the future.