ReliaShield: An Affordable Option in the Identity Theft Protection Landscape
Identity theft is a growing concern, and numerous services are available to help protect your personal information. When evaluating identity theft protection services, Business Insider’s personal finance team compared ReliaShield to the top contenders. This review focuses on ReliaShield’s offerings, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses to help consumers make informed decisions.
ReliaShield, a service that has been operating since 2018, provides a comprehensive identity theft protection package. This includes credit and account monitoring, a fully managed identity restoration service, and coverage for financial losses and expenses resulting from identity theft events. The company offers a variety of plans for individuals and families to meet different needs and budgets.
Key Features and Services
ReliaShield provides three distinct plan options: Essential, Prime, and Elite. Each plan is available for both individuals and families.
ReliaShield Essential:
- Personal information and dark web monitoring
- Social Security number monitoring
- Change of address monitoring
- Court records monitoring
- Data breach updates
- 24/7/365 customer support and recovery services
- Unlimited restoration services
- $1 million stolen funds and expense reimbursement
- Wallet protection
- Credit report reminders
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Covers all types of ID theft
The Essential plan provides core features, including dark web monitoring to detect if your personal information has been compromised. Additionally, it monitors court records for any association of your identity with criminal activity and provides data breach updates. A major advantage of the Essential plan is its low cost, starting at $7.99 monthly or $87.99 annually. However, this plan does not include credit monitoring.
ReliaShield Prime:
The Prime plan expands upon the Essential features by adding:
- Non-credit loan monitoring
- Neighborhood predator monitoring
- Social media monitoring
- Single-bureau credit monitoring (Experian)
ReliaShield Prime includes non-credit loan monitoring to identify potential misuse of your personal information for alternative lending products like payday loans. It also keeps track of privacy and reputational risks on social media and checks for registered sex offenders in your area. The Prime plan also offers credit monitoring from Experian. However, some of the best credit monitoring services are free.
ReliaShield Elite:
The Elite plan offers the most comprehensive protection, including tri-bureau credit monitoring (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and alerts for new credit and bank accounts opened in your name.
Plans and Pricing
ReliaShield offers both monthly and annual subscription options, with annual plans providing a discount equivalent to approximately one free month. Plans are available for individuals and families, with family plans costing significantly more. Here is a breakdown of the pricing:
- Essential: $7.99 monthly or $87.99 annually (Individual)/$14.99 monthly or $164.89 annually (Family)
- Prime: $14.99 monthly or $164.99 annually (Individual)/$24.99 monthly or $274.89 annually (Family)
- Elite: $21.99 monthly or $241.89 annually (Individual)/$34.99 monthly or $384.89 annually (Family)
How ReliaShield Compares
When evaluating ReliaShield, Business Insider’s team considered the key features of identity theft protection services.
Unlike some competitors, ReliaShield does provide round-the-clock customer support. You can contact a U.S.-based agent anytime by calling 888-201-1944. This easy accessibility is a significant advantage over services that may offer limited support hours or are exclusively online.
ReliaShield’s pricing is competitive, especially with the Essential plan. However, different services offer distinctive tools and features, so comparing solely on price doesn’t tell the complete story.
Competitor Comparison: ReliaShield vs. Aura vs. IdentityForce
To provide context, here’s how ReliaShield stacks up against its competitors:
ReliaShield vs. IdentityForce
IdentityForce, operated by TransUnion, provides a wide array of identity monitoring and cybersecurity tools, overshadowing ReliaShield’s offerings. IdentityForce’s lowest tier costs $19.95 monthly or $199.50 annually, nearly matching ReliaShield’s most expensive tier.
ReliaShield vs. Aura
Aura offers a single tier of service with cybersecurity features, identity protection, including tri-bureau protection. ReliaShield’s higher service tiers can’t compete with Aura’s extensive features. However, ReliaShield Essential offers light identity protection at a lower price than Aura, while still including dark web monitoring and court records monitoring.
ReliaShield’s Strengths
- Affordability: The Essential plan is budget-friendly, making it accessible to more consumers seeking basic protection.
- 24/7 Customer Support: Round-the-clock access to U.S.-based agents is a distinct advantage over competitors.
- Comprehensive Coverage: All plans include essential features like dark web monitoring and identity restoration services.
ReliaShield’s Weaknesses
- Limited Credit Monitoring: The Essential plan lacks credit monitoring, and even the Prime plan only monitors one bureau.
- Feature Gaps: Lacks features offered by top services like Aura.
Conclusion
ReliaShield is a viable option for individuals and families seeking to protect themselves against identity theft. Its affordable Essential plan provides a cost-effective entry point, while the Prime and Elite plans offer more comprehensive protection. However, potential customers should consider the limitations in credit monitoring compared to other leading services when selecting a plan. The availability of 24/7 customer support is a notable benefit.
