Yes, Bolster is a legitimate financial wellness app. The app is fairly new, so there isn’t a long history of satisfied users, but the early reviews are positive. At least one user claims to have been contacted by the credit bureau in response to a dispute filed via the app.

What is the difference between Experian, Equifax and TransUnion?

Experian, Equifax and TransUnion are all credit bureaus that collect and report information on how individuals use credit. They all perform the same function, but their data collection methods and credit score calculations vary slightly. This means your credit score may differ from one bureau to the next. Furthermore, the three bureaus do not have clear communication channels with one another. Since the Bolster app only works with TransUnion, a resolved dispute via the app doesn’t necessarily mean Experian and Equifax reports will be updated with this information.

Is credit repair a scam?

Many legitimate credit repair services help customers improve their credit scores by correcting outdated, misleading or just plain wrong information on their credit reports. However, there are also credit repair scams to watch out for. If a company promises to raise your credit score by a certain number, insists on a high upfront fee or advises you to dispute accurate information on your credit report, it could be a scam.

Can I fix my credit on my own?

All consumers have the right to contact the credit bureaus directly to correct information on their credit reports. Even if all the information on your credit report is accurate, you can fix your credit over time by using credit responsibly. This means paying your bills on time, paying down debt balances and keeping revolving credit lines active even when the balance is paid off. However, if you are overwhelmed by the process of repairing your credit or don’t have time to contact the credit bureaus, credit repair companies can make the process easier. Review the pros and cons of credit repair companies to help you decide if you should fix your own credit or work with a company.

How long does credit repair take?

Credit repair can take as little as a few months or as long as 10 years. The difference in the timeframe for improving your credit score depends on the nature of the negative marks on your report. A major issue, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure, can impact your score for seven to 10 years, with or without credit repair. If your score is lower than you would like because a creditor mistakenly reported a late payment, you could potentially correct the record and repair your credit in just a few months.

Bolster App For Credit Score Improvement Review

Bolster

Start-up fee: $0
Monthly fee: $0
Money-back guarantee: None
Maximum number of disputes: Unlimited
Types of letters to creditors/bureaus: Dispute
Pros

No cost: The Bolster app is free. However, in-app purchases are available to those who need more assistance.

Supports users in filing disputes without an intermediary: While traditional credit repair companies charge monthly fees to have credit consultants file disputes on your behalf, Bolster allows you to file disputes directly with TransUnion.

Spending habit analysis: When linked to bank accounts and credit cards, the app can track expenses and make personalized suggestions to improve spending and saving patterns.
Cons

No integration with Experian or Equifax: Bolster does not currently support filing disputes with Experian or Equifax. Even if you win a dispute filed with TransUnion via the app, and your TransUnion credit score increases, your credit scores with Experian and Equifax may remain unchanged.

In-app ads: As with nearly all free apps, users will have some in-app ads, which can be distracting.

Launched in 2023, Bolster is a free mobile app that promotes a “modern approach to financial health.”

The app can be linked to bank accounts and credit cards to help consumers track saving and spending habits. It also offers digital credit disputes with the TransUnion credit bureau, a feature that allows users to challenge inaccurate information on their credit reports and potentially improve their credit scores.

While Bolster is not a traditional credit repair company, it shares ownership and financial backing with Credit Saint, a well-established credit repair service.

Bolster services

Bolster offers the following features:

Digital disputes to TransUnion
Spending insights
Credit update notifications
Customized financial tips

Users can link bank accounts and credit cards to the Bolster app, which allows the app to track spending habits and make customized recommendations for financial improvements.

Bolster’s digital dispute feature makes it easy to review your TransUnion credit report and challenge any errors you find. Unfortunately, this service currently only works with TransUnion. If you want to correct your credit reports with all three credit bureaus, you’ll need to contact Experian and Equifax on your own, outside the app.

What Bolster does not cover

As a mobile app, Bolster only offers a few of the services associated with a traditional credit repair company. Bolster does not currently offer:

Cease-and-desist letters to debt collectors
Creditor intervention letters
Disputes to Equifax or Experian
ID theft protection
Inquiry targeting

Credit repair packages

Bolster doesn't offer credit repair packages in the traditional sense.

The Bolster app’s integration with TransUnion serves as a credit repair feature by enabling users to dispute inaccurate information found on their TransUnion credit report. Correcting this information can potentially increase the TransUnion credit score.

In addition to this credit repair service, the free app includes functionality to integrate banking and credit card information. This allows the app to monitor spending and provide personalized tips for reducing spending and increasing savings.

Additional features

Curated product recommendations

The app offers financial products suited to each user’s financial position. For example, you may receive a recommendation for a credit card with better rewards than your current cards. The recommendation would be based on your spending habits.

Paid Bolster Legal Watch

Bolster offers an in-app purchase of Bolster Legal Watch for $14.99 per month. With this service, attorneys review your credit report, monitor changes in credit scores and “defend you against creditors.”

Bolster’s accessibility and availability

Because Bolsters does not provide credit repair consultants to file disputes on behalf of users, company contact information is not easily accessible.

Availability

Bolster is available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. This app is region-locked to be accessible only to those living in the United States.

Contact information

There is no contact information presented on Bolster’s official website, www.Bolster.co. However, Google Play lists the company address as 221 River Street, 9th Floor in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the email address as support@bolster.co.

Instagram: @bolster.co
Facebook: none
X: none

Bolster customer experience

Because Bolster is such a new service, there isn't much information about the customer experience. There are no reviews or ratings on the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs or Trustpilot.

There are dozens of ratings on the App Store and hundreds of ratings on the Google Play Store, but very few reviews. The ratings are favorable, averaging 4.8 stars out of five.

Contract duration

Bolster does not require a contract. Users can uninstall the app at any time. Pay careful attention to the terms of any in-app purchases. You may need to cancel those subscriptions to prevent future charges. Uninstalling the app might not automatically cancel the recurring payments.

Customer and third-party reviews

BBB rating: Bolster is not currently accredited or rated by the Better Business Bureau, nor does it have any customer reviews on the platform.
Consumer Affairs average rating: Consumer Affairs does not currently provide any information on Bolster.
Trustpilot average rating: Trustpilot does not currently provide any information on Bolster.
Google Play Store reviews average rating: 4.8 stars with 723 ratings
Apple App Store reviews average rating: 4.8 stars with 64 ratings

Review information accurate as of July 19, 2024.

Regulatory and legal

Bolster does not appear to have any pending legal issues.

Bolster vs. alternatives

Bolster vs. Credit Saint

Credit Saint is owned by the same company as Bolster. Unlike Bolster, Credit Saint offers full-service credit repair solutions, providing three packages that range in price from $79.99-$139.99 per month (plus a one-time start-up fee ranging between $99 and $195).

With Credit Saint, credit repair consultants review your credit report and dispute errors with the credit bureaus on your behalf. Credit Saint is one of the few credit repair companies accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and it offers a 90-day money-back guarantee.

Bolster vs. CreditRepair.com

CreditRepair.com is an affordable option for budget-conscious consumers who would rather leverage the expertise of professionals than attempt to file disputes via the Bolster app.

Packages at CreditRepair.com start at a discounted rate of $49.95 per month (normally $69.95 per month) plus a one-time charge of $69.95 for the first work fee. This low-cost Direct Package provides basic credit repair services, like disputes, quarterly credit score updates and intervention letters to creditors.

There is also a Standard Package, which adds FICO® Score Inquiry Assist services for $99.95 per month (plus a $99.95 first work fee), and an Advanced Package that adds monthly credit score updates, more bureau challenges and cease-and-desist interventions for $119.95 per month (plus a $119.95 first work fee).

Bolster vs. The Credit Pros

The Credit Pros is known for its wide range of services. Its Money Management package provides financial assistance in the form of bill payment reminders, fraud alerts and budgeting systems for $69 per month (plus a $119 first work fee).

For traditional credit repair services, like credit bureau disputes and creditor interventions, you would need the Prosperity package at $129 per month (plus a $129 first work fee). The Credit Pros also offers a Success Plus package for $149 per month (plus a $149 first work fee), which includes access to a $5,000 credit line.

The Credit Pros offers a 90-day money-back guarantee on all packages.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, Bolster is a legitimate financial wellness app. The app is fairly new, so there isn’t a long history of satisfied users, but the early reviews are positive. At least one user claims to have been contacted by the credit bureau in response to a dispute filed via the app.
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion are all credit bureaus that collect and report information on how individuals use credit. They all perform the same function, but their data collection methods and credit score calculations vary slightly.

This means your credit score may differ from one bureau to the next. Furthermore, the three bureaus do not have clear communication channels with one another.

Since the Bolster app only works with TransUnion, a resolved dispute via the app doesn’t necessarily mean Experian and Equifax reports will be updated with this information.
Many legitimate credit repair services help customers improve their credit scores by correcting outdated, misleading or just plain wrong information on their credit reports.

However, there are also credit repair scams to watch out for. If a company promises to raise your credit score by a certain number, insists on a high upfront fee or advises you to dispute accurate information on your credit report, it could be a scam.
All consumers have the right to contact the credit bureaus directly to correct information on their credit reports.

Even if all the information on your credit report is accurate, you can fix your credit over time by using credit responsibly. This means paying your bills on time, paying down debt balances and keeping revolving credit lines active even when the balance is paid off.

However, if you are overwhelmed by the process of repairing your credit or don’t have time to contact the credit bureaus, credit repair companies can make the process easier. Review the pros and cons of credit repair companies to help you decide if you should fix your own credit or work with a company.
Credit repair can take as little as a few months or as long as 10 years. The difference in the timeframe for improving your credit score depends on the nature of the negative marks on your report. A major issue, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure, can impact your score for seven to 10 years, with or without credit repair.

If your score is lower than you would like because a creditor mistakenly reported a late payment, you could potentially correct the record and repair your credit in just a few months.

Bolster Review