No credit history?
That costs you $93K over 30 years.
We report your monthly payment to all 3 bureaus as an on-time trade line — the same format banks use. Your score grows every month. No credit cards. No debt. No risk.
3
Bureaus Reported
Metro 2
Industry Format
Daily
Score Updates
FCRA
Compliant
26% of Americans have a thin credit file.
No credit history means denied mortgages, higher car payments, larger security deposits, and higher insurance rates. Banks won't lend to someone they can't score. We give the bureaus something to score.
Trade Line Reporting
Your $5/mo payment is reported as an on-time installment to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Same format banks use. Real account on your credit file — not a gimmick. See how it works.
$5/mo
Credit Monitoring
Watch your score grow in real time. Daily updates from all 3 bureaus. Instant alerts when anything changes — new accounts, inquiries, score movements. See monitoring details.
$9.99/mo
FCRA Compliant
15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2
Metro 2 Format
Same standard as banks
All 3 Bureaus
Equifax · Experian · TransUnion
30-Day Disputes
Federal timeline guaranteed
Florida LLC
Registered data furnisher
15 educational guides · 20,000+ words · Citing 12 federal statutes · Written by a data furnisher
4 steps. 5 minutes to start. Score grows every month.
Sign up, make your payment, we report it. Your first trade line appears on your credit file within 30–45 days.
We register your trade line
A new installment account opens on your credit file at all 3 bureaus. Like a credit card account — but with zero debt, zero interest, and zero risk.
You pay $5/mo on the same day each month
Consistency is what FICO rewards. Same amount, same day, every month. The scoring models see a reliable borrower.
We submit your Metro 2 file to all 3 bureaus
End of each cycle, we generate a Metro 2 report and send it to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Your on-time payment shows up on your credit file within 30–45 days.
Your score compounds month after month
Month 1 adds a new account. Month 6 adds 6 consecutive on-time payments. Month 12, you have a year of perfect payment history — and payment history is 35% of your FICO score.
Your score is a formula. We target the biggest input.
FICO scores weigh 5 factors. Payment history is 35% — the largest single input. A trade line with 12 months of on-time payments moves all 3 simultaneously.
One trade line improves 3 FICO factors at once. Payment history (35%), credit age (15%), and credit mix (10%). That's 60% of your score from a single $5/mo account — without taking on any debt.
Credit builder cards charge $75–$200/yr. We charge $5/mo.
No annual fees. No interest rates. No security deposits. Cancel anytime — your payment history stays on your credit file for up to 10 years.
Trade Line Only
$5/mo
- Reported to all 3 bureaus
- Metro 2 format
- Monthly reporting cycle
- Free education platform
Cancel anytime. No contracts.
Most Popular
$19.99/mo
- Trade line reporting (all 3 bureaus)
- Credit monitoring (daily scores)
- Real-time change alerts
- Score history + trends
- Identity protection
- Free education platform
Cancel anytime. No contracts.
Monitoring Only
$9.99/mo
- 3-bureau daily scores
- Real-time alerts
- Score trend tracking
- Identity monitoring
Cancel anytime. No contracts.
How does a trade line compare to other credit-building options?
Most credit-building products require deposits, charge interest, or create debt. Our trade line does none of that.
| Our Trade Line | Secured Card | Credit Builder Loan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $5 | $0 + interest | $25–$50 |
| Upfront deposit | $0 | $200–$500 | $0 |
| Creates debt | No | Yes (revolving) | Yes (installment) |
| Interest charged | None | 22–28% APR | 5–16% APR |
| Reports to all 3 bureaus | Yes | Varies (often 1–2) | Varies |
| Cancel anytime | Yes | Annual fee applies | 12–24 mo term |
| History stays after cancel | Up to 10 years | Up to 10 years | Up to 10 years |
Regulated by federal law. Your data is protected.
We're an FCRA-compliant data furnisher under 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2. Every data point is verified before submission. Every dispute is resolved within 30 days. Learn more about your rights at consumerfinance.gov.
Data Accuracy
Under FCRA § 623, we are legally required to report accurate information. Every data point is verified before submission to the bureaus.
Dispute Resolution
Under FCRA § 611, if you believe any reported data is inaccurate, you can dispute it. We investigate and respond within 30 days as required by federal law.
Metro 2 Standard
We use the Metro 2 reporting format — the same standard used by banks, credit unions, and major lenders. Bureaus process our data the same way.
Encrypted Data
All personal data is encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3). SSNs are never stored in plaintext.
Cancel Anytime
No contracts, no cancellation fees. Your trade line history stays on your credit file after cancellation — it's your payment history.
Education Platform
Every client gets free access to our partner's financial education platform — credit building tools, score tracking, coaching, and more.
Why trust a data furnisher?
Most credit builder companies are lenders or fintech apps. We are a registered data furnisher — the entity that submits your payment data directly to the credit bureaus.
We don't lend money
Most credit builder companies are lenders. They profit from interest on your loan. We don't lend anything. We report your membership payment as a trade line to all 3 bureaus. No debt, no interest, no locked savings.
We write the Metro 2 file
Banks, credit unions, and data furnishers all use the same 426-byte Metro 2 format to report to the bureaus. We generate the Metro 2 file ourselves and transmit it directly. We control the data accuracy.
We're regulated by the same law
FCRA Section 623 requires data furnishers to report accurate information, investigate disputes within 30 days, and correct errors. We publish our compliance policies and dispute process publicly. Transparency is the point.
Fresh Start Data Services LLC is a registered Florida limited liability company. Verify our filing at sunbiz.org.
Questions about trade line reporting
What is a trade line?
Any account on your credit report — credit cards, auto loans, mortgages. We create one for your $5/mo payment and report it to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion monthly using Metro 2 format — the same standard banks use.
How fast will my score change?
Your trade line appears on your credit report within 30–45 days. Thin-file consumers (few existing accounts) see the biggest impact. After 6–12 months of consistent payments, the compounding effect is significant.
How is this different from a secured credit card?
Secured cards require a $200–$500 deposit and charge interest if you carry a balance. Our trade line costs $5/mo, requires no deposit, carries no debt, and still reports to all 3 bureaus every month.
What happens if I cancel?
Your payment history stays on your credit file for up to 10 years. The account shows as "closed" but every on-time payment you built remains — it's yours permanently.
What if my payment fails?
We notify you immediately and give you a grace period to update your payment method before reporting anything. We never want to report negative data.
How does trade line reporting work?
You subscribe for $5/mo. We register an installment account under your name with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each month, we generate a Metro 2 file — the same 426-byte fixed-width format that banks, credit unions, and mortgage lenders use — and submit it to all 3 bureaus. Your on-time payment is recorded as a positive entry on your credit file.
Is trade line reporting legal?
Yes. We operate as an FCRA-compliant data furnisher under 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2. Any entity that extends credit or accepts payments can report to the credit bureaus if they meet FCRA data accuracy and dispute resolution requirements. We maintain written policies under FCRA § 623(e), resolve all disputes within 30 days, and use the same Metro 2 format required by the Consumer Data Industry Association.
How long until my credit score improves?
Your trade line first appears on your credit report within 30–45 days of enrollment. Consumers with thin credit files (fewer than 5 existing accounts) typically see the most immediate impact because a new on-time trade line adds weight to the payment history category — 35% of your FICO score. After 6 months, you have 6 consecutive on-time payments. After 12 months, you have a full year of perfect payment history. Individual results vary based on your existing credit profile.
What is Metro 2 format?
Metro 2 is the standardized electronic data format used by data furnishers to report account information to the three national credit bureaus. Published by the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA), each record is exactly 426 bytes in the unpacked character format and includes fields for account type, payment rating, balance, date opened, and payment history. Banks, credit unions, auto lenders, and mortgage companies all use Metro 2. We use the same format — the bureaus process our data identically.
Do I need a Social Security Number to sign up?
Yes. Credit bureaus identify consumers by Social Security Number. We use your SSN solely to register your trade line with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Your SSN is encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption and is never stored in plaintext. We do not use your SSN for any other purpose and we do not share it with third parties beyond the credit bureaus.
Every month without a trade line is a month your score isn't growing.
12 months from now, you'll either have 12 on-time payments on your credit file or you won't. The difference is $5/mo and 5 minutes right now.
No credit card deposit. No debt. No risk. Cancel anytime.