Experian IdentityWorks review 2024
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BLUEPRINT
Updated 12:20 p.m. UTC Aug. 25, 2023
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Our Take on Experian IdentityWorks
Experian IdentityWorks offers identity theft protection plans for individuals and families. Membership ranges from $0 to $34.99 a month, with identity theft insurance and resolution support included in the paid plans. If you’re looking for comprehensive identity protection, consider springing for a paid plan, but if your main focus is being alerted to potential fraud through credit monitoring, the free Basic plan could be your best choice.
Experian IdentityWorks℠
Pros
- Free Basic plan available.
- Free seven-day trial for paid plans.
- All plans include Experian credit reports, FICO Scores and dark web surveillance.
Cons
- Does not prevent ID theft, just identifies potential suspicious activity.
- Limited customer service hours.
- Free Basic plan does not include TransUnion and Equifax credit report monitoring.
Identity theft protection services empower individuals to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals and fraudsters, offering peace of mind and a sense of security in an increasingly vulnerable digital landscape. Chances are you’re familiar with Experian, one of the three national credit bureaus that generate personal credit reports alongside Equifax and TransUnion. Experian also offers other products and services, including identity theft protection.
If you’re looking to protect your identity while also keeping a close eye on your credit activity, you may want to check out Experian’s IdentityWorks. The credit bureau offers ID theft protection plans starting at $0, and includes a suite of credit report and score monitoring features in each package.
Aura Individual
Disclosure
¹$1,000,000 Identity Theft Insurance for Eligible Losses: Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group‚ Inc.. The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
No one can prevent all identity theft or monitor all transactions effectively.
Experian IdentityWorks plans & costs
When you sign up for IdentityWorks, you’ll get access to your Experian credit report, FICO Score and dark web surveillance reports, even if you choose the free Basic plan.
For more protection, you can opt to subscribe to the Premium plan or Family plan. The two paid plans are practically identical, except that the family plan covers more people. Both offer a long list of security features, including alerts for Social Security Number activity, change of address, court records and sex offender registry and both include up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.
| BASIC | PREMIUM | FAMILY | |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly cost
| $0
| $24.99
| $34.99
|
Who’s covered
| 1 adult
| 1 adult
| 2 adults and up to 10 children
|
Experian credit report and FICO score
| ✓
| ✓
| ✓
|
Dark web surveillance report
| ✓
| ✓
| ✓
|
Identity theft insurance
| X
| ✓
| ✓
|
3-bureau credit monitoring and alerts
| X
| ✓
| ✓
|
Dedicated fraud resolution support
| X
| ✓
| ✓
|
Experian CreditLock
| X
| ✓
| ✓
|
What is Experian IdentityWorks and how it works
Experian is one of three national credit bureaus. In addition to providing credit reports and credit monitoring, the company offers a wide variety of identity theft protection services.
Experian’s membership-based IdentityWorks plans are heavy on credit protection, but compared to some competitors like Aura, they lack cybersecurity protection. You won’t get VPNs, password managers or malware removal with IdentityWorks.
IdentityWorks paid plans stand out for their suite of ID monitoring features, including SSN trace alerts and social media and change of address monitoring.
IdentityWorks memberships are available for free or for a monthly subscription fee, but all plans include the following:
- Experian credit reports.
- Experian credit monitoring and alerts.
- FICO score tracker.
- FICO score monitoring.
- Free dark web surveillance report.
- Free personal privacy scan.
If you’d like to sign up, you’ll need to create an account by providing the last four digits of your SSN and your telephone number. Then, you’ll need to submit a brief registration form with your contact information and you’ll have to agree to receive product promotions.
Key features
Experian’s free IdentityWorks Basic plan helps you keep a watch over your credit report activity. But if you want more thorough identity protection and alerts, you’ll need a paid plan. For $24.99 or $34.99 a month, you’ll get monitoring and alerts for a variety of suspicious activities, including financial account takeovers and dark web activity.
The downside is that you still may not be satisfied with Experian’s customer service, especially after an identity theft incident.
Customer support is not available 24/7, and Experian has just 1.1 out of five stars based on customer reviews submitted to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
While most of Experian’s BBB reviews are likely written by customers who don’t use IdentityWorks, many mention issues you could encounter with IdentityWorks, including difficulty unfreezing credit reports and inability to reach a live agent.
Another potential issue to be aware of with the IdentityWorks service is that once you sign up, you’ll lose the right to sue the company in court over any incorrect information on your credit report.
“Buried in the language of IdentityWorks in the contract is a provision that requires consumers to take Experian into arbitration,” says Gary Nitzkin, an attorney and CEO of Credit Repair Lawyers of America, “This is not a good deal for consumers.”
How Experian IdentityWorks compares
Experian IdentityWorks stands out amongst the competition when it comes to price. You might have trouble finding any other free identity protection service, although it’s worth keeping in mind that Experian’s free Basic plan offers minimal protection outside of credit security.
For a paid plan, the best choice depends on the features you want. IdentityWorks provides a comprehensive suite of identity monitoring services and alerts, but unlike some competitors, it doesn’t offer much when it comes to cybersecurity, like VPNs, password protection or antivirus protection.
| STARTING PRICE PER MONTH | STARTING ANNUAL PRICE | ID THEFT INSURANCE | DARK WEB MONITORING | ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION | CREDIT LOCK | FAMILY PLANS AVAILABLE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Experian IdentityWorks
| $0
| $0
| X
| ✓
| X
| ✓
| ✓
|
IdentityGuard
| $8.99
| $80
| ✓
| ✓
| X
| X
| ✓
|
LifeLock by Norton
| $11.99
| $89.99
| ✓
| X
| X
| X
| ✓
|
McAfee
| N/A
| $49.99
| ✓
| ✓
| ✓
| X
| ✓
|
Final verdict
If your main concern is keeping your credit file safe, an Experian IdentityWorks plan could be a good choice. Experian has been in the credit business for decades and already has access to your credit information, so their plans naturally include a variety of credit-related security features. Plus, you can get a Basic plan through Experian for free.
But even if you don’t sign up for IdentityWorks, you can still get all of the following from Experian at no cost:
- Security freezes.
- Dispute filing.
- Experian credit report and FICO score (every 30 days).
- Credit report monitoring.
- Experian Boost.
- Dark Web triple-Scan (free one time).
- Personal privacy scan (free one time).
For identity protection with cybersecurity features, you may find a better deal elsewhere. If you and your family need support with keeping your devices secure, try finding an identity protection plan that includes features like a password manager, gaming monitoring and/or antivirus protection.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Experian IdentityWorks offers two paid memberships that both come with free, seven-day trials. Customers can cancel their trial membership within those first seven days for no charge. Experian also offers a free IdentityWorks Basic plan.
Experian IdentityWorks is an identity protection product offered by the credit reporting company Experian. In addition to IdentityWorks, Experian offers other credit monitoring and protection services and financial education resources.
The Basic Experian IdentityWorks membership is free. Experian also offers a premium plan that covers one adult for $24.99 a month, or a family plan that covers two adults and up to 10 children for $34.99 a month.
The free IdentityWorks Basic plan from Experian does not include insurance, but both of the paid plans include up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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