Identity theft has become a distressingly common occurrence in our increasingly digital world. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there were a record 1,862 data breaches in 2021, a 68% increase from 2020. With personal information readily bought and sold on the dark web, consumers need proactive protection more than ever.
Allstate Identity Protection, formerly known as InfoArmor, aims to provide that protection. This comprehensive service offers multiple layers of security for your identity, credit, and finances, backed by one of the biggest names in insurance.
In this in-depth review, we‘ll examine how Allstate Identity Protection works, what features it offers, and how it stacks up against the competition. By the end, you‘ll have a clear idea of whether this service is the right choice for safeguarding your sensitive data.
Plans and Pricing
Allstate Identity Protection keeps its pricing structure simple with three plan tiers for individuals and families:
| Plan | Individual | Family |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $10.99/month | $20.99/month |
| Premier | $19.99/month | $37.99/month |
| Blue | $22.99/month | $41.99/month |
All plans come with a 30-day trial, so you can test out the service risk-free. The company also offers a 15% discount if you pay annually instead of monthly.
The Essentials plan provides basic coverage, including credit monitoring from one bureau (TransUnion), dark web surveillance, and up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement. It‘s a solid entry-level option for individuals on a budget.
The mid-tier Premier plan adds some significant extras like enhanced financial monitoring, social media monitoring and additional alerts for a bit more per month. It‘s a good compromise between price and features.
The top-tier Blue plan goes all-out with triple-bureau credit monitoring, top-end $2 million family stolen funds coverage, and bonus cybersecurity tools. For high risk individuals or large families, it‘s the most comprehensive protection Allstate offers.
Compared to similar services, Allstate Identity Protection‘s pricing falls into the mid-range. It‘s not the cheapest option, but the price is reasonable considering the breadth of features and insurance coverage.
For example, IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit is slightly cheaper at $19.95/month for individuals, but only includes $1 million in insurance. LifeLock Ultimate Plus is pricier at $29.99/month for the first year, with comparable features. Overall, Allstate delivers solid value for the cost.
How It Works
Signing up for Allstate Identity Protection is straightforward. You provide some basic personal information, choose your plan, and enter payment info. The whole process takes under 10 minutes.
Once you‘re registered, you‘ll be prompted to set up your online dashboard. This is where you‘ll manage all your alerts and monitoring settings. The dashboard is well-designed and easy to navigate, with intuitive controls for adjusting your preferences.
The first step is linking your accounts for monitoring. Allstate can track your bank accounts, credit cards, investment accounts, retail credit cards, and more. You‘ll need to provide login credentials for each account you want to monitor. It‘s a bit tedious, but only takes a few minutes per account.
With your accounts linked, Allstate will begin watching them for any unusual activity. You can set custom alerts for transactions over a certain dollar amount, new accounts opened, suspicious logins, and more.
In addition to financial monitoring, Allstate continuously scans the dark web for any appearance of your private data. This includes your social security number, driver‘s license number, medical ID, bank details, online credentials, and more.
If your information is ever detected on these seedy sites, you‘ll get an immediate alert so you can take steps to protect yourself. This proactive 24/7 surveillance is a crucial way Allstate works to keep your identity safe.
Credit Monitoring
Perhaps the most critical aspect of identity protection is credit monitoring. Allstate Identity Protection offers this on all plans, but there‘s an important distinction between the tiers.
The Essentials and Premier plans only monitor your TransUnion credit report. That means activity with lenders or accounts that report to Experian or Equifax could go unnoticed. It‘s still better than no monitoring at all, but leaves some gaps in coverage.
For the most thorough protection, you‘ll need the high-end Blue plan. This keeps tabs on all three major credit bureaus, so no changes to your credit reports will go unnoticed.
Ken Chaplin, senior vice president at TransUnion, explains why triple-bureau monitoring matters:
"Some lenders may only report to one or two of the national credit bureaus. If you‘re not monitoring all three, you could miss signs of fraud. Comprehensive monitoring across all bureaus helps ensure the earliest possible detection, when identity theft is often easier to repair."
Whichever plan you choose, Allstate will watch your credit report(s) nonstop and alert you to any significant changes. This includes new accounts, credit inquiries, address updates, public records, and more. You can adjust your alert settings in your dashboard.
You also get access to your TransUnion credit report and VantageScore 3.0 credit score. You can check this as often as you like to stay on top of your credit health. Blue plan subscribers can view their credit reports and scores from all three bureaus for the full picture.
Insurance and Restoration
Even the most sophisticated preventative measures can‘t stop identity theft 100% of the time. That‘s where Allstate‘s insurance coverage comes in. All plans include at least $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement per individual – Blue subscribers get up to $2 million per family.
This crucial safety net covers most out-of-pocket losses you might incur from identity fraud. Eligible expenses include:
- Lost wages due to time off work dealing with fraud
- Legal fees
- Stolen funds that aren‘t reimbursed by banks or credit cards
- Miscellaneous expenses like notary fees, postage, and phone charges
To file a claim, you simply contact Allstate‘s 24/7 hotline and provide documentation of your losses. The company says 98% of valid claims are paid within 72 hours, providing swift relief when you need it most.
Beyond the financial protection, Allstate also provides hands-on assistance to resolve identity theft. Their certified Resolution Specialists will guide you through every step of the process, from placing fraud alerts to contacting police to disputing fraudulent charges.
Having expert support in your corner can make a stressful situation much more manageable. Justin Grooms, a Navy veteran whose identity was stolen, shared his experience:
"After months of feeling overwhelmed and alone, I finally contacted my identity theft service. They immediately sprang into action, helping me freeze my credit reports, file a police report, and dispute over $6,000 in fraudulent charges. Those Resolution Specialists became my advocates and gave me peace of mind during the most difficult time."
While no one anticipates their identity being compromised, it‘s reassuring to know Allstate will be there with financial and logistical support if you ever become a victim.
Standout Features
Beyond the core monitoring and insurance services, Allstate Identity Protection packs in some unique features that help it stand out from the crowd.
Allstate Digital Footprint
This handy tool scours over 1,300 data broker sites to discover exactly where your personal information is exposed online. With your digital footprint mapped out, you can see your risk level for various types of fraud and take steps to remove sensitive info from circulation.
According to Avast, 60% of Americans want to delete personal information from the internet, but struggle to figure out how. Allstate Digital Footprint tackles this challenge head-on by helping you track down and remove your data across the web.
It‘s a powerful tool for minimizing your attack surface and staying in control of your digital identity. Just keep in mind that the initial scan can take up to 48 hours, so don‘t expect instant results.
Social Media Monitoring (Premier and Blue Plans)
Social media can be a treasure trove for identity thieves. The Identity Theft Resource Center reports that 54% of social media users are concerned their accounts might be hacked, but many fail to take proper precautions.
Allstate helps fill the gap by monitoring your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts for suspicious behavior. This includes:
- Unauthorized account access
- Impersonator accounts
- Hate speech or explicit content posted by imposters
- Signs your account may be buying fake followers
- Inappropriate photos or videos that could damage your reputation
If any red flags are detected, you‘ll receive an alert so you can secure your account and undo any damage. It‘s an extra layer of defense that‘s especially valuable for parents, small business owners, and anyone who relies on social media for networking.
Cybersecurity Tools (Blue Plan)
Blue subscribers gain access to a full cybersecurity suite powered by Zerofox Internet security. The bundle includes:
- Antivirus software to detect and block malicious programs
- Firewall to prevent unauthorized network access
- Virtual private network (VPN) to protect your browsing activity
- Password manager to securely store and autofill complex passwords
- Safe browsing tools to warn you about risky websites
These bonus features help protect your devices and data from the most common entry points for hackers and identity thieves. By combining device security with identity monitoring, Allstate Blue offers a holistic defense against digital threats.
Ease of Use
Powerful protection only matters if it‘s easy to use, and Allstate Identity Protection delivers on that front. The web dashboard is logically organized, with clear menus for viewing alerts, modifying account settings, and accessing support resources.
We experienced no issues manually adding linked accounts and personalizing our alert preferences. The visual design is modern and uncluttered, making it simple to navigate even for less tech-savvy users.
Allstate also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, so you can check your credit score or review alerts on the go. However, the app experience could use some polish.
During testing on an iPhone 12, we encountered a few bouts of unresponsive screens and unexpected crashes. The interface also felt a bit sluggish compared to the web dashboard. User reviews echo these sentiments, with the iOS app currently holding a lackluster 2.3 star rating.
The Android app fares a bit better with 3.6 stars, but still suffers from complaints about bugs and limited features compared to the web version. These gripes hold Allstate back from being a leader in the user experience category – the apps need some work to match the seamless web interface.
Customer Support
If you run into issues with your account or suspect you‘re a victim of identity theft, fast and effective customer support is crucial. Allstate Identity Protection offers a few ways to get help:
- 24/7 phone support for all customers
- Online knowledge base with helpful articles and FAQs
- Email support for non-urgent inquiries
The 24/7 phone line is staffed by knowledgeable reps who can walk you through any aspect of the service. Wait times are generally short, and our interactions were invariably friendly and productive.
For less pressing matters, the knowledge base offers a wealth of information on topics like placing credit freezes, filing police reports, and securing your devices. The articles are clearly written and up to date, making it easy to find answers to common questions.
Our only gripe is the lack of live chat support, which is quickly becoming standard for top-tier identity protection services. Email support was also disappointingly unresponsive, with multiple test inquiries going unanswered for over a week.
Despite those weaknesses, Allstate still provides dependable support when you need it most. The 24/7 hotline and robust knowledge base outweigh the minor inconveniences.
Conclusion
After an extensive evaluation, Allstate Identity Protection earns a high recommendation for its comprehensive monitoring services, generous insurance coverage, and practical cybersecurity tools. While it falls a hair short of perfection, it remains one of the strongest values on the identity protection market.
The main drawbacks are the inconsistent mobile experience and some frustrating customer support channels. But those flaws don‘t overshadow Allstate‘s core strengths.
The triple-bureau credit monitoring (on the Blue plan) and dark web surveillance provide substantial peace of mind for your critical personal data. Features like the Digital Footprint tool and social media monitoring add meaningful layers of prevention.
And if you do fall victim to identity theft, the 24/7 resolution support and $1 million+ insurance put a robust safety net under your finances. It‘s hard to put a price on that kind of security.
Allstate Identity Protection is a particularly good fit for a few key audiences:
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Families – The affordable family plans cover up to 10 people, making it one of the best values for households with kids.
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High-risk individuals – If you‘ve suffered from identity theft before or have reason to believe you‘re being targeted, Allstate‘s broad protection and speedy claims process can be a lifesaver.
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Frequent travelers – The financial monitoring features and device security tools help protect you when using unfamiliar networks away from home.
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Social media managers – People who rely on social accounts for work will appreciate the added defense against hacking and reputation damage.
If you fall into one of those groups or simply want the confidence that comes with proactive identity protection, Allstate Identity Protection is a worthy investment. Start with the Premier plan or 30-day trial, then adjust as needed. You may just gain the priceless comfort of knowing your digital life is in good hands.
