PrivacyGuard Review: What You Need To Know Before Buying

Is PrivacyGuard Worth It?

PrivacyGuard is an established identity theft protection provider that offers budget-friendly introductory plans for identity monitoring. However, despite its reputation, PrivacyGuard lacks many modern features found in other identity theft protection services, such as Aura, Identity Guard, and LifeLock. 

• What users like about PrivacyGuard: Users appreciate PrivacyGuard’s split plan options for identity and credit monitoring, as well as its Financial Calculator Suite and Credit Score Simulator.
• What users don’t like about PrivacyGuard: Many customers are unhappy with PrivacyGuard’s customer service, with reviews citing slow response time, random service cancellations, and poor communication [*].

Whether you’re considering purchasing a PrivacyGuard plan or are trying to find the best identity theft protection service, it’s worth knowing the areas where Privacy Guard shines, where it fails, and how it stacks up when compared to competitors.

Key takeaways

• PrivacyGuard plans start at just $9.99/month for identity theft protection only — you’ll need to pay at least double that amount if you want to receive credit monitoring and protection features.
• Tenerity — the company that owns PrivacyGuard — claims that it may collect and share your personal data with its other companies as well as third-party marketing and business partners [*].
• Aura is a top PrivacyGuard alternative, which offers more protection, 24/7 support, three-bureau credit monitoring, digital security, and more — all for $9.99 — the same price as PrivacyGuard’s basic plan.

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PrivacyGuard Review: Plans, Pricing, Features, and Potential Issues

PrivacyGuard claims to have helped protect millions of Americans since its founding in 1992. 

The company offers two different feature sets, with one PrivacyGuard plan for identity protection and a separate plan for credit monitoring — as well as a third option that combines all features for a premium price. 

Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of how PrivacyGuard’s plans are set up:

While PrivacyGuard has positioned itself as a leader in identity theft protection services, its parent company — Trilegiant Corporation — has a concerning privacy policy that states it may provide your sensitive personal data to marketing companies, partners, and others.

These privacy issues, coupled with the fact that PrivacyGuard identity theft protection is more expensive than its competitors, may have you questioning whether the service is truly worth the cost. 

Here’s a closer look at some of the main reasons why you might consider signing up for PrivacyGuard.

Specialized plans for identity and/or credit protection

Many other identity protection services take a tiered approach to their plan options, which can result in paying for features that you may not want or need. Instead of tiered plans, PrivacyGuard splits its plans between two main focus areas – identity monitoring and credit protection.

What you need to know: If you only want identity or credit monitoring and don’t want to be bogged down with features you don’t need, PrivacyGuard allows you to do that at a fair price. However, if you need comprehensive coverage, you’ll have to opt for PrivacyGuard’s premium plan option, which, at $24.99/month, is more expensive than other services.

Dedicated ID fraud resolution agents

If your identity is stolen while using PrivacyGuard, you’ll not only be covered by the company’s insurance policy — you’ll also get access to a dedicated Identity Theft Resolution agent to help you recover your identity and any stolen funds.

PrivacyGuard also offers medical records reimbursement, essentially paying you back for the cost of obtaining your medical records and checking for identity fraud. 

What you need to know: PrivacyGuard claims that its dedicated resolution team will be with you every step of the way if you need help recovering your identity. However, user reports on the unreliability of PrivacyGuard’s customer support put into question the quality of its fraud resolution service.

Credit monitoring, credit score simulator, and credit information hotline

PrivacyGuard offers several credit protection features to help keep your credit score, reports, and financial accounts in good standing. On the Credit Protection and Total Protection plans, you get:

• Triple-bureau credit monitoring with daily updates on your credit reports from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
• Monthly credit score updates from all three major credit bureaus, using the VantageScore® model. 
• Credit score simulator that shows the impact of certain decisions, such as opening new accounts or taking advantage of pre-approved credit card offers. 
• Access to the company’s Credit Information hotline where a representative will walk you through the items on your credit reports.
• Neighborhood reports with information on home valuations, crime rates, and demographics for most major U.S. locations. 

What you need to know: These tools are only available on PrivacyGuard’s Credit Protection and Total Protection plan. That means you’ll have to pay at least $19.99 per month to access them.

Emergency travel assistance

Discovering your wallet is misplaced or your identity is compromised while away from home can completely derail your travel plans. PrivacyGuard offers Stolen Wallet Protection and Emergency Travel Assistance for travelers, so you’ll be covered in a pinch.

What you need to know: In order to take advantage of PrivacyGuard’s emergency travel assistance, you must be traveling at least 100 miles from home. You’ll also only be able to receive assistance if you have a designated credit card with funds available. Any emergency cash you receive will be subject to your bank account’s interest rates [*].

Secure browser and keyboard

PrivacyGuard plans don’t include much when it comes to digital security, but you do get access to a  Digital Protection mobile app, which includes a secure browser and keyboard. 

Enabling these tools can prevent you from accidentally entering a phishing site or downloading malware. The secure keyboard protects you against keylogging — a crime that involves a cybercriminal recording your keyboard activity without your knowledge — while you bank and shop online.

What you need to know: While these tools are certainly helpful, PrivacyGuard simply doesn’t stack up to modern ID protection providers that offer more extensive features. Aura, for example, includes a full suite of digital security tools on its plans — including a virtual private network (VPN), antivirus software, Safe Browsing, and a secure password manager.

What Are the Downsides of Using PrivacyGuard?

Despite the flexibility in plan options and its over 30-year reputation as an identity theft provider, PrivacyGuard comes with some serious drawbacks. 

Before you sign up for PrivacyGuard, make sure you know the potential risks and downsides, including:

• May sell your sensitive personal data to third parties. PrivacyGuard’s parent company, Tenerity, states in its privacy policy that it may share your personal data to third-party marketing companies, partners, and others [*].
• Very limited digital security tools to proactively prevent fraud. PrivacyGuard’s digital security tools are limited to its Secure Browser and Secure Keyboard. It lacks a virtual private network (VPN), antivirus, and password manager that other platforms like Aura provide. 
• The Total Protection plan is much more expensive than competitors. PrivacyGuard is one of the most expensive identity theft protection services out there. The Total Protection plan, which combines both identity and credit monitoring, costs $24.99 per month. Compare that to Aura, which offers the same value starting at just $9.99 per month.
• Reports of poor customer support. According to some user reviews, PrivacyGuard’s customer support leaves a lot to be desired. Inquiries aren’t always responded to in a timely manner, if at all, and responses may not always be helpful. One user waited two days longer for a response than PrivacyGuard’s five-day stated turnaround time [*].
• PrivacyGuard’s parent company has been penalized for unfair business practices. For example, in 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a complaint against Trilegiant Corporation (which owns PrivacyGuard), alleging that the company billed consumers for full fees for a product or service but failed to provide full credit monitoring services [*].

How Does PrivacyGuard Compare to Aura?

While PrivacyGuard can be a good choice if you want flexibility in plan options, it may not be the best option out there if you’re looking for true, comprehensive coverage. 

Aura is a modern, all-in-one cybersecurity service that offers identity theft protection, credit monitoring, and digital security tools — all under one affordable pricing umbrella. 

In the past few years, Aura has been rated #1 for its identity monitoring by Forbes, TechRadar, Money.com, and others.

To get the same level of protection as Aura’s Individual plan, you’d need to sign up for PrivacyGuard’s highest-priced Total Protection plan. Here’s how those two plans stack up against each other:

Aura not only offers more features at less than half the price — it poses none of the privacy concerns that you’ll find in PrivacyGuard’s policy. But these aren’t the only reasons to choose Aura over PrivacyGuard. 

With Aura you get: 

• Faster fraud notifications. A recent mystery shopper survey found that Aura sent more reliable fraud alerts that were up to 250x faster than competitors³.
• True “all-in-one” protection at a more affordable price. All Aura plans include both identity and credit monitoring, plus online and device protection. Unlike PrivacyGuard, you don’t have to worry about choosing the wrong plan and going without features you need.
• Advanced digital security tools for all of your devices. Aura offers significantly more device protection than PrivacyGuard. Every plan comes with a full suite of digital security tools for all your devices (desktops and laptops, Android, and iOS devices), including Safe Browsing tools, a VPN, antivirus protection, and a password manager. 
• Reliable 24/7 U.S.-based support. Aura offers better support that’s there when you need it. Its U.S.-based team of support specialists is available 24/7.
• Robust family protection including parental controls. While PrivacyGuard only offers plans for individuals, Aura offers protection for the whole family — including adults of all ages and family members in additional households (such as elderly grandparents or kids away at college). You can cover up to five adults and unlimited children, starting at just $24.99/month.‍
• More identity theft insurance coverage. PrivacyGuard memberships include up to $1 million in ID theft insurance. Aura plans offer up to $1 million in coverage per adult, for a total of up to $5 million in identity theft insurance on family plans.

The Bottom Line: PrivacyGuard Could Put Your Privacy at Risk

PrivacyGuard markets itself as a protector of your identity and finances; but its privacy policy, expensive plans, and limited features could put you and your family at risk.

While its premium plan option provides comprehensive identity and credit monitoring, it has some significant flaws — namely, limited online and device protection and no coverage options for families.

While PrivacyGuard is a trusted name with more than 30 years of positive history in identity theft protection, some of its competitors including Aura have managed to surpass its features and overall value.