PrivacyGuard: A Comprehensive Review
PrivacyGuard offers a suite of services aimed at protecting your identity and credit. While it boasts distinctive features like credit and debit card monitoring, fraud resolution agents, and a credit score simulator, it lacks family plans and discounts for annual subscriptions. This review will delve into the specifics of PrivacyGuard, helping you determine if it’s the right choice for your identity protection needs.
Business Insider’s personal finance team evaluated PrivacyGuard against the best identity protection services, recognizing it as a standard offering within the industry.
PrivacyGuard: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Credit Monitoring: Keeps tabs on credit reports from all three major credit bureaus.
- ID Theft Assistance: Offers guidance and support for recovering from identity theft.
- Insurance: Provides up to $1 million in ID theft insurance.
Cons
- Potentially Expensive: Some users find the Total Protection plan pricier than comparable services.
- No Family Plans: Does not offer plans tailored for multiple family members.
- No Annual Subscriptions: Lacks the option for annual subscriptions, which could offer long-term savings.
PrivacyGuard Overview
PrivacyGuard presents three service tiers: Identity Protection, Credit Protection, and Total Protection. Consumers thus have the option to choose between identity theft protection, credit monitoring, or a combination of both. PrivacyGuard’s identity theft protection service provides the most value at the lowest price point, with comprehensive security features. Although it lacks credit monitoring features, users are not missing out on essential value.
PrivacyGuard’s credit monitoring also offers significant value when compared to free services. Its standout feature is the credit score simulator, which offers estimations about how specific credit decisions will impact users’ credit scores such as the impacts of a new credit card or a credit builder loan.
How PrivacyGuard Works
Before subscribing for an identity theft protection service, the services desired features should be considered. This is especially significant when considering PrivacyGuard since the credit monitoring and identity theft services do not overlap unless a customer purchases the Total Protection plan.
Once you’ve decided on the service, you can sign up for PrivacyGuard’s two-week trial for $1. During signup, you’ll need to provide your Social Security number, birthday, and other details for identity confirmation. Once the trial period ends, you’ll automatically start paying the full price for the plan you selected.
Key Features of PrivacyGuard
PrivacyGuard’s three service tiers are Identity Protection, Credit Protection, and Total Protection. Under any of the three plans, PrivacyGuard provides its customers with professional help to resolve problems such as identity theft and inaccuracies on credit reports. Also, customers can use its high-rated mobile app and secured browser.
Outside of the services specified, there is a lack of overlap between the identity protection and credit monitoring services of PrivacyGuard.
PrivacyGuard Identity Protection
- Cost: $9.99 per month
PrivacyGuard’s identity protection service provides comprehensive security for an affordable monthly price.
- Identity Monitoring: PrivacyGuard monitors personal information, documents, and financial accounts, including Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses, passports, bank accounts, and credit and debit cards. Users are notified if any changes or red flags appear. Credit card monitoring with your card provider may provide a few of these features. However, the dark web and public record monitoring are unique to ID theft protection services.
- $1 million ID Theft Insurance: PrivacyGuard covers losses due to identity theft and helps pay for fees related to recovering your identity.
- Stolen Wallet Protection: This feature helps you cancel and replace all cards in your wallet if it’s lost or stolen.
- Dedicated ID Fraud Resolution Agents: If your identity is stolen, PrivacyGuard assigns a fraud resolution agent to assist with identity recovery and recoup any losses.
PrivacyGuard Credit Protection
- Cost: $19.99 per month
Credit monitoring services alert users of any changes in their credit reports, helping them stay informed and take action if they don’t recognize a change. PrivacyGuard provides this service and resources to assist with building credit.
- Tri-Bureau Credit Monitoring: This alerts you to any changes to your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. Tri-bureau credit monitoring is to be expected from a paid service.
- Monthly Credit Scores and Reports: Aside from credit monitoring, customers receive monthly credit scores and reports, which can show errors on credit reports. PrivacyGuard can also help dispute errors on credit reports. Customers can ask for a free credit report every week through AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Credit Score Simulator: The credit score simulator demonstrates how different actions can affect credit scores, like applying for a new credit card or loan.
- Credit Information Hotline: Experts answer credit-related questions and clarify your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Financial Calculator Suite: A suite of credit-related calculators assists in estimating loan payments and purchase prices based on qualifying terms. The suite includes calculators for auto loans, mortgages, and personal loans.
PrivacyGuard Total Protection
- Cost: $24.99 per month
Total Protection combines the credit monitoring and identity theft plans for a lower price than purchasing each separately. This plan includes specific services absent from the previous options.
- Registered offender locator
- Emergency travel assistance
- Medical records reimbursement
- Children’s Social Security number monitoring
PrivacyGuard Costs and Fees
PrivacyGuard offers its identity theft protection service for $9.99 monthly and its credit monitoring service for $19.99 a month. The Total Protection package costs $24.99 a month. There are no annual subscription discounts or family plans.
PrivacyGuard Reviews and Ratings
PrivacyGuard’s iOS and Android apps have very positive reviews. On the Apple app store, the app averages 4.8 stars across 1,900 reviews. On the Google Play store, PrivacyGuard averages 4.5 stars across over 800 reviews.
PrivacyGuard Alternatives
PrivacyGuard’s identity theft plan excels, especially when compared against its identity theft protection competitors. Though this service is recommended, PrivacyGuard is more expensive than competitors’ premium plans. It is also worth noting that rivals offer annual subscription discounts, and family plans, something PrivacyGuard does not have.
Identity Guard
* $8.99 to $29.99 monthly for individuals, $14.99 to $39.99 for families
LifeLock Ultimate Plus
* $34.99 monthly or $239.88 for the first year, and $339.99 upon renewal
Aura All-In-One
* $15 monthly or $144 annually
IDShield
* Starting at $14.95/month
Complete ID
* $8.99 monthly for Executive members, $13.99 monthly for Business and Gold Star members
IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit
* $29.95 monthly or $299.50 annually
PrivacyGuard vs. IdentityForce
When operating at their best, and most expensive, IdentityForce services surpass those offered by PrivacyGuard. IdentityForce offers the same services, and then some, such as social media monitoring and its anti-phishing software. But, PrivacyGuard’s basic identity theft protection plan is better than IdentityForce’s. Its comprehensive identity protection costs only $9.99.
PrivacyGuard vs. Aura
Aura is a difficult services to compete against, with its comprehensive identity theft protection, credit monitoring, and cybersecurity measures. It costs $15 monthly, or $144 annually. As such, PrivacyGuard has difficulty against Aura. However, PrivacyGuard has a credit monitoring service and premium service, with a credit score simulator that can show how specific information, such as a loan or credit card, will affect a user’s credit score. This feature is great for building credit.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Evaluated PrivacyGuard
Most identity theft protection services use a tiered pricing system. This system provides a greater amount of features along with more expensive plans. Once reaching the highest tier of service, you can find similar features across the services. That is why how high up their tier system the customer must go to unlock unique features, and how much their most expensive tier costs is paid close attention to.
Dark web monitoring and public records monitoring are a key consideration, as these tools are difficult to replicate. Also examined is whether or not a service includes credit monitoring, and how comprehensive that monitoring is (single-bureau monitoring or tri-bureau monitoring, etc.). Also of consideration is the function of these features when the customer’s identity is stolen.
For example, you can get dark web monitoring and public records monitoring with PrivacyGuard’s basic identity theft service without signing up for the Total Protection plan. This can be compared to a service like Norton LifeLock, which requires an upgrade to its middle-tier service for public records monitoring. While this is a primary consideration when we rate identity theft protection companies, their Better Business Bureau rating is also considered to see how well they respond to their customers. Other miscellaneous features like mobile apps, free trial period, and refund policies are also considered.
FAQs
How effective is PrivacyGuard at preventing identity theft?
PrivacyGuard is as effective at preventing identity theft as any other identity theft protection service. It offers comprehensive features, like credit monitoring and dark web surveillance, to protect your identity.
Does PrivacyGuard offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes, PrivacyGuard has a money-back satisfaction guarantee, with terms and conditions.
Can I cancel PrivacyGuard?
You can cancel PrivacyGuard by calling 1-800-374-8273 or emailing [email protected]. You can also cancel through your account interface.
How can I contact PrivacyGuard customer service?
You can contact PrivacyGuard customer service by calling 1-800-374-8273 or by emailing [email protected].
