The Best Identity Theft Protection With Credit Reporting 2024

Identity theft and credit fraud can happen to anyone. In 2021 alone, consumers reported losing over $5.8 billion to identity fraud [1]. That’s why having identity theft protection along with credit monitoring is so important.

Identity theft protection services monitor your personal information and alert you to any suspicious activity. Credit monitoring allows you to keep tabs on your credit reports and scores. Used together, these services give you the best chance at catching fraud early and minimizing damage.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the top identity theft protection services that also provide credit reporting and monitoring. We’ll discuss:

• How identity theft and credit monitoring services work
• Factors to consider when choosing a service
• The top 3 services for 2024
• Costs, features, pros, and cons of each service
• FAQs about identity theft protection and credit monitoring

By the end, you’ll know which service is the best fit to help safeguard your identity and credit.

How Identity Theft Protection and Credit Monitoring Work

Identity theft protection and credit monitoring services help safeguard your personal and financial information in a few key ways:

Monitoring – Services constantly monitor your credit reports, public records, web, and more for signs of fraudulent activity.

Alerts – You get alerts on any suspicious activity so you can take quick action.

Remediation tools – If you do become an identity theft victim, services provide tools and experts to help recover your identity and reverse fraudulent accounts.

Insurance – Many services provide identity theft insurance to help cover costs related to restoring your identity and credit.

Prevention tools – Some services offer extra prevention tools like credit freezes and identity verification monitoring.

To provide these services, identity theft companies access your personal information from various sources:

• Credit reports and scores – Services access your credit reports and scores from the three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. This allows them to monitor your credit file for fraudulent accounts or inquiries.

• Public records – Companies check public records like court documents, change of address filings, payday loan applications, and more.

• Web monitoring – Services scan websites, chat rooms, and black market sites to find any illegal trading of your personal information.

• Data breach monitoring – When a company experiences a data breach, services watch to see if your info was compromised and alert you if so.

• Dark web monitoring – Your personal info stolen via data breaches often ends up traded on the dark web. Services scan dark web sites to find any of your info being sold.

So in short, identity theft protection and credit monitoring services leverage advanced technology to watch over your personal data from every angle.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Service

All identity theft protection services monitor your info, but they vary widely in their specific offerings and prices. Here are some key factors to consider when picking a service:

Comprehensive monitoring – The best services monitor your credit reports from all three bureaus, public records, web, and dark web. Limited monitoring leaves gaps.

Speed of alerts – Real-time and 24/7 monitoring ensures you find out about suspicious activity right away.

Remediation help – If you do become a victim, you want a service that fully manages the recovery process for you.

Identity theft insurance – Insurance can protect you from high costs related to restoring your identity and credit. Look for coverage of at least $1 million.

Credit report access – The ability to view your full credit reports on-demand is very useful.

Credit scores – Ongoing access to your credit scores helps you monitor for suspicious score changes.

Credit locks – Credit locks prevent new accounts from being opened in your name without approval.

Family plan – Family plans monitor kids‘ and partners’ info too for comprehensive protection.

Price – Pricing varies widely from about $6 to $30+ per month. Weight the price against features.

Customer service – responsive and knowledgeable customer service can make resolving issues easier.

By comparing services across these factors, you can zero in on the one that fits your budget and needs.

Next, let‘s look at the top three services that provide robust credit reporting and monitoring along with identity theft protection.

The 3 Best Identity Theft Protection Services With Credit Reporting for 2024

1. Norton LifeLock — Best Overall

Norton LifeLock is our choice for the best overall identity theft protection service with credit reporting. Here‘s an overview of Norton LifeLock‘s key features:

• Comprehensive monitoring – LifeLock monitors credit reports, public records, web, and dark web for identity threats.

• Rapid alerts – You get alerts as soon as LifeLock detects suspicious activity on your accounts.

• Help restoring identity – If your identity is stolen, LifeLock assigns a dedicated agent to manage your case until it‘s resolved.

• Up to $1 million insurance – LifeLock provides up to $1 million in identity theft insurance under most plans (see comparison chart below).

• Tri-bureau credit reports – You get access to your full credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

• Credit scores – With higher-tier plans you can monitor your Experian credit score.

• Credit lock – LifeLock allows you to easily lock/unlock your TransUnion credit file.

• Family plans – LifeLock monitors kids and partners too for full family protection.

• 24/7 support – You can contact knowledgeable agents by phone whenever you need support.

• 60-day risk free – LifeLock offers a 60-day money back guarantee if you‘re not satisfied.

LifeLock is one of the more expensive services, but it provides comprehensive credit and identity protection with robust features.

Norton LifeLock Plan Comparison

The Ultimate Plus plan provides the most robust credit and identity features. But even the Standard plan includes solid monitoring and insurance coverage.

👍 Pros

• Very fast fraud alerts
• Full service identity restoration
• High coverage identity theft insurance
• Helpful customer service

👎 Cons

• On the expensive side
• Must pay annually

The combination of instant alerts, $1 million insurance coverage, and robust credit reporting makes Norton LifeLock our top choice overall.

Visit Norton LifeLock

2. IdentityForce — Best Credit Monitoring

For the best credit monitoring specifically, IdentityForce is a top choice. Here are some of the key benefits IdentityForce provides:

• Tri-bureau monitoring – Continuous monitoring of your credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

• Daily credit scores – You get daily access to your TransUnion credit score.

• Credit score simulator – See how certain actions like paying down debt may impact your score.

• Credit report lock – Instantly lock your TransUnion credit report with a click if you suspect fraud.

• Alerts – Real-time alerts keep you informed of every change to your credit reports.

• Family monitoring – Family plans monitor kids‘ and partners‘ credit too.

Beyond the credit features, IdentityForce also provides complete identity protection:

• Dark web monitoring
• Public records monitoring
• Device protection
• Up to $1 million ID theft insurance

With its emphasized focus on credit security alongside identity protection, IdentityForce is ideal for those who prioritize comprehensive credit monitoring.

IdentityForce Plan Comparison

The UltraSecure + Credit plan provides the full suite of credit monitoring features.

👍 Pros

• Continuous credit report monitoring
• Daily access to credit scores
• Very fast fraud alerts
• Can lock TransUnion credit report

👎 Cons

• Doesn‘t monitor public records
• Limited customer support hours

If you‘re especially concerned about credit fraud, IdentityForce provides stellar monitoring to give you peace of mind.

Visit IdentityForce

3. IDShield — Most Affordable

For a more budget-friendly option, IDShield provides strong identity theft and credit monitoring starting at just $6.95 per month.

Here‘s an overview of IDShield‘s key features:

• Tri-bureau monitoring – Get alerts on any changes to your credit reports.

• Credit scores – Monitor your monthly TransUnion credit score.

• Web + dark web scanning – Searches for stolen personal info traded online.

• Public records monitoring – Watches court records, payday loan applications, and more.

• Up to $1 million insurance – Coverage to help pay costs related to identity theft.

• Family monitoring – Family plans cover kids under 18 and partners too.

• 24/7 support – Contact knowledgeable agents by phone or email anytime.

While IDShield doesn‘t have every bell and whistle, it provides strong monitoring and protection starting at just $6.95 per month for individuals.

IDShield Plan Comparison

The low prices make IDShield a great budget choice that still includes comprehensive monitoring.

👍 Pros

• Very affordable pricing
• No long-term contracts
• Helpful remediation tools

👎 Cons

• No daily credit scores
• Limited ID theft insurance

If you want robust protection on a budget, IDShield is a great choice.

Visit IDShield

Honorable Mentions

A few other services that provide strong credit monitoring combined with identity theft protection include:

• Zebra Identity – Comprehensive monitoring with "frozen" credit monitoring that‘s immune to the negative impacts of hard credit freezes. Plans start at $9/month.

• ReliaShield – Emphasis on credit monitoring including daily credit scores. ReliaShield‘s plans start at $9.95/month.

• Aura – Aura provides credit monitoring from TransUnion and tools to manage your kids‘ credit. Pricing starts at $15/month for individuals.

While these didn‘t make our main list, they are solid options for credit and identity monitoring.

What About Free Credit Monitoring?

There are several free apps and services like Credit Karma that provide access to your credit reports and scores. However, they have some important limitations:

• No identity protection – Free apps only provide credit monitoring, no identity theft monitoring.

• Limited credit coverage – You usually only get one or two credit bureaus, not full tri-bureau monitoring.

• Fewer alerts – Paid services have more sophisticated technology to detect and alert you to credit fraud faster.

• No insurance – Free services don‘t include identity theft insurance.

• Upselling – Many push paid upgrades to access full features.

While free credit monitoring apps are better than nothing, for robust protection a paid service is worth the investment. The enhanced credit monitoring and identity theft protection are well worth the monthly fee.

Cost Comparison of the Top Services

Pricing can vary substantially when choosing an identity theft protection service with credit monitoring. Here‘s a pricing comparison of our top picks:

Norton LifeLock and IdentityForce are somewhat more expensive, while IDShield is very affordable. Each service also offers discounted annual pricing when you pay upfront for a year.

To maximize value, choose the plan with the features and level of monitoring you need. You can also save by buying identity theft and credit monitoring together instead of purchasing separately.

What‘s the Right Choice for You?

There are excellent services to choose from that provide both identity theft protection and credit monitoring. Here are some quick tips on picking the right one for your needs:

• If you want incredibly comprehensive monitoring and insurance, go with Norton LifeLock.

• For an emphasis on complete credit monitoring and scores, IdentityForce is a great pick.

• If you need a very affordable option, IDShield provides strong coverage starting at just $6.95/month.

• To monitor your kids‘ and partner‘s credit too, choose a family plan from any provider.

• Make sure to choose a plan that includes the specific features you need. Many allow you to upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time.

No matter which top-rated service you select, you can feel confident you‘ve taken proactive steps to detect and thwart identity thieves. Investing in robust monitoring today can save you from a huge headache down the line.

FAQs About Identity Theft Protection and Credit Monitoring

How quickly will a service alert me about identity theft or credit fraud?

The top services send alerts immediately in real-time whenever they detect suspicious activity. This allows you to address any potential fraud as soon as it happens before major damage occurs.

Can I lock or freeze my credit reports?

Many of the services provide the ability to quickly lock or temporarily freeze your credit reports from one or more credit bureaus. This prevents identity thieves from opening new fraudulent accounts.

What happens if I become an identity theft victim?

If you have your identity stolen, the recovery process can be complex. But with a protection service, you have experts fully managing the restoration process for you until your identity and credit are fixed.

Do these services impact my credit scores?

The credit monitoring services need to access your credit reports but they do this without impacting your credit scores in any way. The services also provide tips to help improve your credit scores.

Are these services worth the monthly or annual fee?

Given how expensive and time consuming it can be to recover from identity theft, most experts agree the services absolutely provide good value. The monitoring, alerts, and insurance coverage are well worth the relatively low monthly fees.

What personal information do I need to provide to the services?

To fully monitor your credit and identity, the services require access to your full name, current and former addresses, social security number, and date of birth. This allows them to setup monitoring across all your credit files and personal information.

Can a service guarantee I will never have identity theft?

Unfortunately, no service can guarantee you‘ll never be an identity theft victim due to the sophistication of cybercriminals. But comprehensive monitoring combined with education gives you the best possible protection.

The Bottom Line

Adding both credit monitoring and identity theft protection provides vital security for your personal and financial data. A top service like Norton LifeLock, IdentityForce, or IDShield makes the best identity theft companion alongside your credit cards, accounts, and devices.

The robust monitoring gives you peace of mind that your credit and identity are being watched 24/7. And if a thief does strike, you have experts ready to make it right.

Visit our top recommended providers today to learn more and select the ideal plan for your needs and budget!