Experian IdentityWorks℠ Logo

Experian IdentityWorks℠

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4.5

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: February 19th, 2024

Experian, which is the world's largest credit bureau, launched IdentityWorks in 2010 to provide identity protection services to consumers. 

IdentityWorks offers up to $1 million in identity theft insurance as well as a suite of identity theft protection services that are divided into three distinct categories: detect, protect, and resolve.

With IdentityWorks, members can also get an easy lock and unlock credit file service and access to a credit monitoring service as well as three-bureau FICO scores.

Read on to learn more about Experian IdentityWorks and to see verified customer reviews. 

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The Good

  • Affordable Plans
  • Free Trial Period 
  • Enhanced Login Security
  • Identity Theft Insurance

Affordable Plans

IdentityWorks' services are considered to be more affordable for most consumers, especially when compared to what other companies in the identity theft protection industry charge for similar services.

The company offers two different plan options— the Plus plan and the Premium plan. Each plan comes with various identity theft monitoring services including dark web surveillance, three-bureau credit monitoring, social security number monitoring, financial account monitoring, and more.

Plans are offered for one adult, one adult and up to 10 children, and two adults and up to 10 children. It's important to note that IdentityWorks provides coverage for families while many other companies in the identity theft protection industry do not provide any type of family plan option. 

Free Trial Period 

IdentityWorks offers a free 30-day free trial membership for each of its provided identity protection plans.

The credit bureau's identity protection service also has an annual option available that allows consumers to get two free months of service. 

Enhanced Login Security

In addition to the standard email and password line of defense, IdentityWorks also requires users to input the last four digits of their social security number in order to log in, which provides an additional layer of security to their account.

Identity Theft Insurance

IdentityWorks provides its customers with up to $1 million in identity theft insurance with zero deductible. In the event of identity theft, this policy covers expenses such as fraudulent electronic funds transfers, lost wages, legal fees, and private investigator costs.

Although it's not unheard of for an identity protection service to provide identity theft insurance, some companies only offer up to $25,000. 

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The Bad

  • Limited Customer Support
  • Lack of Recovery Services
  • Additional Charge for Credit Reports
  • Credit Card Required for Free Trial

Limited Customer Support

IdentityWorks' customer support center is only open 12 hours per day on weekdays and 8 hours per day on weekends. This means that customers may not be able to get ahold of the company during an emergency.

Meanwhile, there are many other companies in the identity theft protection industry offer 24/7 customer support services. 

Lack of Recovery Services

Not surprisingly, IdentityWorks offers great detection services-Experian is a credit bureau, after all.

However, the company's identity theft resolution services are somewhat lacking when stacked up against competitors. For example, IdentityWorks does not offer the limited power of attorney or follow-through options on surveillance alerts.

Additional Charge for Credit Reports

While many identity theft protection companies offer free credit reports, IdentityWorks charges a fee each time a customer would like a credit report copy. 

Credit Card Required for Free Trial

In order to sign up for an Experian IdentityWorks 30-day free trial, consumers must input their credit card information. Once the free trial is over, the company automatically bills the consumer's credit card if the consumer does not cancel services within that 30-day period.

Those who choose to try out the Plus plan will be automatically billed for $9.99 per month and those who choose to try out the Premium plan will be billed for $19.99 per month once the free trial membership expires. 

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The Bottom Line

Experian IdentityWorks is a credible organization backed by one of the largest credit bureaus in the world. The company offers a number of attractive features, including affordable identity protection services, a 30-day free trial membership, and significant identity theft insurance.

When it comes to identity restoration and recovery services, the identity theft protection service does lack a bit compared to other companies in the industry. Additionally, many other companies offer around-the-clock customer support and do not require credit card information for free trial services.

If you are looking for an all-in-one, trustworthy service that includes identity theft monitoring, credit monitoring, and more for an affordable price, then IdentityWorks may be a good service option for you. However, we encourage you to conduct your own research and read Experian IdentityWork customer reviews to see if the company's identity theft protection service is right for you. 

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Star Rating

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2.3

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128 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

27%

4 grade

5%

3 grade

5%

2 grade

1%

1 grade

63%

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Mary Centreville, VA

I have a subscription running out March 16th thru a data breach at a college. Coincidentally I was also caught up in the Target breach and they offered a year of free membership. I signed on for this end of Jan 2014 assuming Protect My ID would reconcile the 2 accounts so that I wasn't receiving the unnecessary double coverage. I continued to get warning emails that my account was expiring and asked why they didn't know about my new agreement from Target. I feel they are more interested in their bottom line than the actual consumer. If their systems cannot identify customers and avoid double coverage I have concerns about how they monitor credit. They have been reluctant to start my new service after the older one expires, great customer service. Would not pay for this service. Just my thoughts.

10 years ago

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Josh Hartmann San Marino, CA

I signed up for Experian Identity Protection after the Equifax breach. They do a great job of blending credit monitoring and id protection features into the product. I trust them more than Lifelock because Lifelock uses Equifax credit information to "protect" their customers. I am happy with this service and would recommend to anyone looking to feel safer about their identities.

7 years ago

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Ron Mueller

I was using ProtectMyID until I received an alert and could not access my page on-line to find out what the alert was about. I called their customer service and they initiated a trouble ticket. A week later they called to tell me due to security reasons my account was cancelled and that they would pro-rate a refund. No further explanation was given. What poor service! I also use LifeLock and have never had an issue with them. My advice is to avoid ProtectMyID and use LifeLock.

11 years ago

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Dan Wandell Murfreesboro, TN

I was enrolled in the Experion IdentityWorks program as a result of an Equifax data breach. This enrollment was a way to enable me, and other consumers similarly enrolled, to monitor our credit. I used this service for several years, and I am pleased with the quality of the service. The reports that were provided to me monthly, and during other periodic intervals, were informational. I did not have much in the way of credit activity needing to be reported during this time, so much of the reporting was advising me that there was nothing to report. Regardless, the information that was reported did seem to be accurate and encompassing. I felt confident that my credit was being monitored in an accurate and complete manner, and I would recommend IdentityWorks to anyone that needs, or who would feel more comfortable with, a credit monitoring service.

2 years ago

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Sarah Berks Fayetteville, GA

Experian IdentityWorks monitors for new credit accounts and other significant changes. It's worthwhile for that and won't cost you anything. The credit bureaus already have your information, so you're not giving up anything in that regard. Furthermore, most everyone's SSN and various other personal data is already out there far and wide. After signing up for monitoring with them, freeze, "credit lock" and other terminology is not the same, your credit reports at each of the big three bureaus. Cost is free. Adds another layer of protection. Not ironclad but will dissuade most fraudsters from bothering.

2 years ago

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William Hart Jamison Atlanta, GA

I signed up for Experian's Identity Protection after seeing their promotion for a free dark web email scan. The scan showed that my email had been breached and I figured I better start protecting myself from identity theft. I immediately locked my credit report which provides a big relief for me.

7 years ago

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Harold Honeyman San Jose, CA

I have been an Experian Customer for at least four years, probably longer, and have been very pleased overall. I have found the customer service to be very good, they were great when I notified them of my wife's passing. I especially like being able to lock my credit file, and it actually is locked. I have forgotten to unlock it a couple of times when applying for a loan so I know it actually works. The monthly fee is worth it for the peace of mind it provides me.

2 years ago

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M. Nielsen South Bend, IN

I didn't even know that Experian offered Identity protection until I logged on to get my credit report. I checked it out and asked questions and was very pleased with customer service and how knowledgeable they were in answering them. I signed up and have been made aware of breaches where my info was compromised but was given the tools to make sure I was protected. I am recommending this protection to everyone I know!!

2 years ago

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Carolyn Hazleton, PA

When I found out my identity was compromised I was completely scared, confused and mad. So I reached out to Experian who got me in touch with their identity works team and it was such a huge relief. They worked diligently with me to help get my issues resolved timely and gave great advise to keep my identity safe. Thank you as at the time that happened was the most vulnerable I could ever be.

2 years ago

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Lisa Wyatt Lake Saint Louis, MO

I used Experian’s Identity Works as part of their credit monitoring package. I was very satisfied with this service and felt secure knowing that this trusted company was protecting my information. This service even has a Sex Offender alert that alerted me to sex offenders that were in my area. Unfortunately due to my own financial issues I was not able to continue this service. Once my financial issues are resolved I will definitely be restarting this.

2 years ago

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RONALD WHITE Phoenix, AZ

Excellent experience with Experian in setting up our EIW account. Our info was exposed a few months back and they worked with us in closing any and all loopholes. It was fairly simple once we got in and set up our information so we would not be exposed to any kind of Identity Theft. We know it is not 100% foolproof but feel more comfortable in knowing that we have a high degree of protection. Thanks Experian for watching our backs.

2 years ago

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Joanne_motherofanangel Shelby, NC

At first I was hesitant about using any of the identity protection companies. I honestly thought it was a way for them to collect a dollar from everyone. However, I decided to try Experian despite how I felt. Once signing up, I had questions and called them. They explained what they did, what would happen and they also explained why it was so important to have identity protection! I will always be thankful to Experian. They were the first company I've ever used. Definitely a 5 star for me!

2 years ago

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JenniGSN Chicago, IL

I'm a bit confused if Protect My ID is a separate company from Experian, or if it's the same. I hope its the same, but I just sign up today got my scores, and feel better already!

10 years ago

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Mandy Chen Orange, CA

My Chase bank has Experian Identity Works linked in the Chase bank app. I used this almost every month to check my credit. So far it has been awesome. It gave me a warning when Tmobile leaked their guests information to a dark web.

2 years ago

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Autumn Lewiston, ID

With Experian IdentityWorks I was able to receive text alerts for financial-related things from opening new accounts in my name to checking my FICO score on a daily basis. I was impressed by the low subscription cost and the focus on my credit reports and scores.

2 years ago

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J. Garrett Detroit, MI

I didn't know much about identity theft when I became a member with Experian but I learned a lot from them in a short time. I was surprised by the extent of ways someone's identity can be used illegally. Very informative and helpful company!

2 years ago

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Fernando

I was a victim of one of the many company breaches and I love this. I get email notifications anytime there is a detection of my information being found in the dark web or of any changes to my credit score. It puts me at ease knowing I have someone watching over my information.

2 years ago

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Ryan Vett Phoenix, AZ

The best identity theft and credit monitoring tool I’ve used. They offer great features like dark web monitoring if your identity is stolen and someone tries to sell it online, as well as monitoring all three bureaus. Being able to see credit scores from all three bureaus is a huge plus.

2 years ago

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James MOLINA MN

It's a great company and feature to have on your side. While daily life goes on they work behind the curtains to make sure your credit and identity stay safe and secure . Easy website to navigate and great staff for any given situation!!

2 years ago

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Jlbflatx New Braunfels, TX

After a medical breach, I enrolled in experience identity works which offers excellent help to monitor accounts. Easy access to view and follow your credit reports and notify when caution is needed. Haven’t been on for very long but it offers good support and options.

2 years ago

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Erinmarie Xian Seffner, FL

Experian has always been a leader in credit and so its no surprise they were so good with identity monitoring. I had them when I worked for a cell phone company just because I knew the name had been in this game for a long time. App was easy to use and navigate. Luckily no big hits on my indentity but the peace of mind was there at least.

2 years ago

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Eddie Rios Ogden, UT

Experian IdentityWorks is super helpful at keeping my private information secure. They help monitor on an ongoing basis and send alerts when questionable activity surfaces. They keep me apprised of all activity that involves my information, they are trusted and helpful. i highly recommend this service for identity protection.

4 years ago

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Anne Kimball Salt Lake City, UT

My husband and I got a letter from the IRS this year saying that there may have been some activity going on which out social security so we immediately signed up for Experian and we were able to lock any activity having to do with our social security numbers and we were be able to track all activity. It gave us incredible peace of mind.

6 years ago

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Samarra Miller Hialeah, FL

I love this company I have the app and every time something changes I'm notified immediately. I changed my address on my bank app and Exprian notified me asking if I changed my address. Amazing I love it

2 years ago

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Angela Moisant Choctaw, OK

I feel a peace of mind with Experience Identity Works, it notifies me of threats on the dark web or breaches in real time, allowing me to lock my credit file to protect myself.

2 years ago

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Frank Barreca MN

This Product was provided to me as part of a settlement for information information breach with experian.. It worked as expected but seemed to be a little delayed in its responses

2 years ago

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Rischelle Mikkelson American Fork, UT

I like the ease of use with Experian to look up any issues with my security. They would send me alerts on a regular basis, either to tell me that everything was OK or to alert me of something that looked possibly suspicious.

6 years ago

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Noa Ranoa Vista, CA

I've been with ExperianIW's for years. A breach with my yahoo account led me to them. EIW is live data and let's you know what your online presence is 24/7.

2 years ago

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PessoaJ Herriman, UT

Had to get identity protection when my purse was stolen. Experian was great to work with and I was notified when anything under my name looked suspicious.

5 years ago

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L Turner Avon, IN

Used Experian with to verify credit issues I had. It was quick and easy to use. Experian show my open accounts and monitored all transactions.

2 years ago

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Anonymous

I find this the easiest site to read and understand our if all the ones out there. It is also one of the major companies used for credit inquiries.

5 years ago

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Derek Scoville Pleasant Grove, UT

We were given credit watch service since our info was hacked. Experian was very helpful in sending notifications for any inquiry to our credit.

6 years ago

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Ronalee Hardy

I have Experian identity works because of a data breach. This service was supplied to me free of charge for 4 years.

2 years ago

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Robin Brooks Dallas, TX

watching out for emailing and texting me

2 years ago