What Sets PrivacyGuard Apart?
PrivacyGuard, an Affinion Group company, offers monthly subscriptions for comprehensive credit scores, reporting and monitoring, as well as identity-theft protection services. Customers have the option of Identity Protection, Credit Protection or a Total Protection plan that includes both.
When comparing credit and identity-theft monitoring services, many people wonder whether they should do their own self-monitoring or invest in a professional service instead. With PrivacyGuard, there are a number of benefits beyond saving time and money savings. The major perks include up to $1 million in ID-theft insurance coverage, professional recovery services in case of fraudulent activity, an annual public records report and several educational tools and calculators to help you improve your credit and manage debt. Privacy Guard gives you a 14-day trial period for $1, so you can determine if the service adds the protection and value you need before you commit.
Pros
- VantageScore provided
- Triple bureau credit monitoring
- Options for credit monitoring, ID-theft monitoring, or both
Cons
- No family plans
- Children’s Social Security monitoring only in highest-tiered plan
- Some basic credit monitoring services available for free elsewhere
PrivacyGuard Plans
Our Take
Identity Protection is a good baseline PrivacyGuard credit service to prevent fraudulent use of your identity. It scans underground and black market websites for your Social Security number, public records, bank accounts, credit and debit cards. This plan also comes with a $1 million ID Theft insurance policy in case you fall victim to identity theft.
Package Features
- ID fraud recovery support
- ID verification monitoring
- Lost & stolen wallet assistance
- Monitoring all aspects of your identity
Our Take
This package includes daily PrivacyGuard credit monitoring to alert you of changes to your credit reports, along with monthly credit score tracking. Educational features include a credit score simulator to see how your financial behavior might affect your scores, and a calculator to estimate debt payoff and loan consolidation savings.
Package Features
- Triple-bureau credit reports and scores
- Credit information hotline
- ID fraud resolution support
- Credit score simulator and financial calculator
Our Take
Total Protection gives you the best of both worlds in one package that monitors your credit and helps protect your identity. All the features Privacy Guard offers are included in this package to help you build, maintain and protect your financial life.
Package Features
- Everything in the other plans, plus:
- Reduce pre-approved credit offers
- Child Social Security monitoring
- Neighborhood reports and registered offender locator
Compare PrivacyGuard Plans
Starting price | $9.99/mo. | $19.99/mo. | $24.99/mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
Triple Bureau Credit Reports | No | Yes | Yes |
24/7 Credit Monitoring | No | Yes | Yes |
Monthly Credit Score Tracking | No | Yes | Yes |
Score Simulator & FInancial Calculators | No | Yes | Yes |
Credit Info Hotline | No | Yes | Yes |
ID Fraud Recovery Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ID Verification Monitoring | Yes | No | Yes |
Black Market Surveillance | Yes | No | Yes |
SSN Event Tracking | Yes | No | Yes |
Online Directory Scan | Yes | No | Yes |
Public Record Monitoring & Report | Yes | No | Yes |
Online Fraud Assistance | Yes | No | Yes |
Lost & Stolen Wallet Protection | Yes | No | Yes |
$1 Million ID Theft Insurance | Yes | No | Yes |
PrivacyGuard Credit Report Monitoring
In the event your identity is stolen, there’s a high possibility a thief will wreck your credit by opening new accounts, changing your address, and trying a variety of other fraudulent schemes. But with PrivacyGuard’s Credit Protection Plan and Total Protection Plan, your credit score will be monitored on a daily basis across the top three bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You’ll also get monthly score reporting.
Also read: LifeLock vs. PrivacyGuard
PrivacyGuard Identity Theft Recovery
If your identity is compromised, PrivacyGuard guides you through the recovery process with a team of dedicated professionals. The company will help you with contacting your creditors, completing paperwork, and making the credit dispute process as easy as possible. Fraud resolution is available for all three of PrivacyGuard’s plans: Identity Protection, Credit Protection, and Total Protection, but it is more comprehensive in the Identity or Total Protection Plans.
PrivacyGuard Warranties & Guarantees
PrivacyGuard does not offer customers any warranties or guarantees at this time.
Frequently Asked Questions About PrivacyGuard
PrivacyGuard monitors activity across all three credit bureaus and all available public records. Since most incidences of identity theft or fraud occur online, it also uses state-of-the-art tools to monitor data breaches, online directories and dark web traffic (underground and black market websites) to discover any evidence of stolen or vulnerable information.
Credit and identity theft monitoring services can’t necessarily prevent criminals from targeting your data, but they can help you respond quickly to mitigate damage as rapidly and inexpensively as possible. In our PrivacyGuard reviews, we found that all plans include dedicated professional recovery support in the event you become a victim of fraud. ID Protection and Total Protection subscribers are also covered by ID theft insurance for up to $1 million. If your identity is stolen, this insurance will cover eligible expenses associated with resolving the theft and restoring your identity.
PrivacyGuard’s monthly subscription costs are competitive with other credit and identity theft monitoring services. However, due to the way that PrivacyGuard separates its credit monitoring and ID theft monitoring services, you’ll have to look closely to compare the exact services you’re looking for. For example, some of PrivacyGuard’s competitors have entry-level monitoring plans that blend basic credit and ID theft monitoring services. In PrivacyGuard’s case, you’d have to upgrade to the Total Protection plan to get coverage in both areas.
Also read: IdentityIQ vs. PrivacyGuard
Since the Total Protection plan bundles the credit and ID-theft monitoring plans at a discounted price of $24.99 per month, it could be considered PrivacyGuard’s best value plan. On the other hand, if Total Protection includes services you don’t want or need, you may find a better value in either of the lower-cost plans.
PrivacyGuard is one of many divisions of its parent company, the Affinion Group (formerly known as Trilegiant Corp.). Several years ago, the parent company settled a $25 million class action lawsuit for posting unsolicited or unauthorized charges for its products (including PrivacyGuard) to customers’ credit cards or other accounts. Examples of more recent customer complaints can be seen on the Better Business Bureau website.
