Costco offers credit monitoring and identity theft protection services at a discount for its members. That’s right, Costco members save as much as 50% when signing up for the IdentityGuard Total Protection plan. With that said, there are dozens of big-name issuers of credit monitoring and identity theft coverage. You can find these services through many banks and financial institutions. Even Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus, offers paid protection.
What Makes Costco IdentityGuard Services Better?
- Heavy discount on monthly costs, which can run as much as $29.99 a month.
- Stronger review history than just about every other credit and identity monitoring program around.
- Comprehensive coverage won’t leave you paying out of pocket, thanks to the whopping $1 million in identity theft insurance.
A Quick Review of IdentityGuard Costco Total Protection
Costco Total Protection plan is a form of comprehensive coverage. You have protection against credit fraud, identity fraud and theft, and much more. Plus, with their quality credit monitoring, you can always stay on top of your credit report.
You never have to worry about your credit report again. Costco IdentityGuard Total Production package offers you credit reports and scores four times a year. Even better, these come from all three of the major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
The Benefits of Costco IdentityGuard Plan
- Credit monitoring & alerts.
- $1 million identity theft insurance.
- Lost wallet protection.
- Victim recovery service.
- Internet Surveillance.
- Public record report.
That’s just the start. You get everything you would need in both a credit monitoring and identity theft plan. Plus, the Costco IdentityGuard app takes all the hassle out of watching your credit report and identity. You sign in through the app’s login screen, and then you have access to everything you need to know. Set up alerts to your mobile, and you have 24/7 monitoring, so long as your phone is with you.
Is Costco Total Protection Plan Right for You?
You must review everything that comes with the Costco Total Protection plan before knowing if it’s appropriate for your needs. But, most are more than satisfied with what they get for the price. The discount for Costco members is staggering, amounting to 50% off for those with Executive memberships.
An Executive member can pick up their comprehensive protection package for a mere $9.99 a month. Gold star and business members have to pay out $13.49 a month for coverage. The amount of coverage you get is the same for each Costco membership level. As such, you could even argue for a Costco membership upgrade. Executive members pay $55 more a year, but the cost would drop to $13 a year with the protection plan. Add the 2% annual rewards factor, and you could argue that your coverage costs you nothing!
Can You Trust Costco Identity Theft Protection?
IdentityGuard holds an A+ BBB rating.
Costco offers their protection services through a branded package under the IdentityGuard name. IdentityGuard first started in 1996 and now has millions of subscribed users.
Costco offers identity theft protection that works. On top of that, you never have to worry about whether you can rely on the company if an issue comes up. They have a toll-free phone number to call, which is available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
The use of bank-level encryption makes your login safe and secure. Further, their website is PCI-compliant, so you know your payment information is safe. Even when the Heartbleed bug compromised many popular websites, the IdentityGuard member pool remained unaffected. Their annual SSL license alone exceeds $1,000 for a single year of certification. Further, when requesting sensitive information, they often ask for the last four digits or letters.
Are There any Costco IdentityGuard Complaints?
While it’s rare to hear of complaints from Costco members who have used this service, it’s also true that a company cannot ever satisfy 100% of its users. So, it’s always a good idea for interested Costco members to first run the free trial. That way, you know what to expect before you do dish out the $9.99 a month for your subscription.