PORTLAND, Ore. - Every time you use a credit card or take out a loan of any kind, you know the major credit bureaus are keeping an eye on your accounts but you don't expect them to turn around and sell some of that information in mailing lists.

That's the accusation against TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting bureaus.

A class action lawsuit claims TransUnion violated the privacy of millions of consumers with credit cards and loans by selling their personal and financial information for marketing purposes. 

TransUnion denies the accusation but has agreed to settle out of court.

You are eligible to be part of the settlement if you had any kind of credit card or any kind of loan, even student loans, between Jan. 1, 1987 and May 28, 2008. 

But you have to file a claim with your name, address, phone number and date of birth and you won't necessarily get money.  You get six months of free credit monitoring with a possible cash payment or nine months of free enhanced credit monitoring with no chance for a cash payment.

Your other options are to skip the claim altogether and file an individual lawsuit or you can do nothing and get nothing.

Financial Analyst Greg McBride says the free credit monitoring is an obvious choice, even if you may not get any cash to go with it.

"The cash amount you get may ultimately be very modest but what's really valuable is the ability to have access to that credit monitoring, as well as your TransUnion credit score," he said.

The six months of free credit monitoring is worth about $60 and the nine months of expanded monitoring is worth around $115.

TransUnion has also agreed to donate $150,000 to non-profit organizations.

If you want to register for the monitoring or possible cash payment, the deadline is Sept. 24.  You can register here.