These days, just about everything in life is a subscription or has an optional subscription-based upgrade, and it can be difficult to convince yourself that paying additional monthly fees is a good use of your money. After all, you have to juggle TV and movie streaming services, game streaming and online play subscriptions, internet and cell phone plans, gym memberships and even homeowners or renters insurance.
So when it comes to an identity theft protection service, you might be hit with subscription fatigue. Thankfully, you can pay for LifeLock’s scam and identity theft protection annually, which saves you money.
Which only leaves the question: Is LifeLock a good value?
The rundown
- When comparing value, you can't put a price on protecting your identity.
- Leaks of your personal information can cost thousands. LifeLock's protections provide peace of mind.
- A credit hit can have financial repercussions for years. LifeLock's comprehensive alerts and multi-bureau monitoring mean you'll know when something goes wrong.
What does it actually cost?
In terms of hard cash, LifeLock offers multiple tiers of protection, so you can pick the plan that’s best for you and your family.
The LifeLock Core plan costs $12.49 monthly or $124.99 annually. If you go for the annual payment plan, you’re only paying $10.42 a month, saving you $24 a year. That’s not a lot to pay for extra security for your bank accounts, AI-powered scam protection and identity theft protection.
The Advanced plan costs $19.99 monthly or $199.99 a year (only $16.67 a month), while the Total plan costs $34.99 monthly or $349.99 annually (only $29.17 a month).
The Advanced and Total plans come with increased scam reimbursements and identity theft reimbursement premiums in addition to the AI-powered scam detection, data breach monitoring, identity protection and recovery services included in the Core plan.
Ultimately, that’s not a lot of money considering the costs of falling for a scam without any detection or reimbursement services. After all, scams and identity theft can cost thousands when they occur, and with no protection, you’ve got no insulation from those costs.
Plus, when you consider how dangerous it is to your future to have your identity stolen, $29.17 a month isn’t a lot of money to protect your identity.
What does that get you?
LifeLock’s plans come with a number of bundled services, whether you go for the Core plan or the Total plan.
LifeLock’s core services include identity theft protection via automatic data broker removal, identity verification alerts, dark web monitoring, breach alerts and social media monitoring. LifeLock also monitors your credit card and savings accounts to flag suspicious activity, monitor your credit and alert you of new cards being applied for with your name or credit card number.
In case of identity theft, LifeLock offers identity restoration services, reimbursement for identity theft, coverage for stolen funds and scam reimbursements with the Advanced and Total plans. So you’ve got an extra safety net in case your identity is stolen.
It’s worth remembering that you can only use LifeLock’s identity recovery service if you're subscribed to LifeLock’s protection plan. You won’t get assistance in recovering your identity if you wait until after your identity or Social Security number has been compromised to purchase a LifeLock plan.
Plus, all tiers get access to a 24/7 virtual advisor and 24/7 phone support. So if you have any concerns about alerts, potential breaches or scams, you have a second set of eyes and a phone support line to help give you a second opinion or guide you through a crisis.
Is it worth it?
In a simple cost-benefit comparison, subscribing to an identity theft protection service is almost immediately worth it — just for the peace of mind. So the only real question is: Which tier of protection do you need?
