Complete ID Identity Theft Protection Cost & Pricing Plans

Understanding Complete ID’s Plans and Pricing

Discounts for Costco Members Only

First off, if you’re new to identity monitoring services, most core features are similar from provider to provider. That’s why pricing plays a big role in whether or not we recommend a service at SafeHome.org. After all, why pay more when you don’t have to?

In Complete ID’s case, I found that price was a factor. Complete ID is a little cheaper than comparable IDShield packages, a close competitor. But it’s not a huge savings. There’s also the fact that in order to sign up for Complete ID, you actually need a Costco membership. This is great for Costco members (and for anyone who’s been thinking of signing up with Costco), but maybe not a whopping incentive to dump your Sam’s Club membership.

Complete ID Dark Web Surveillance

Families and Multi-User Households

Another thing to keep in mind about Complete ID is that they charge for every user. Not the end of the world by a long shot, since some services do offer “family plans” that include partners and kids. (In fact, Zander Insurance’s family plan is one of them.) But if you go with Complete ID, just remember that if you’re a two-user household, you’ll need to pay for two separate accounts. You’ll also need to pay extra for child monitoring. But the good news here is that Complete ID covers up to five children on one plan!

Complete ID Savings Tiers

Finally, keep in mind that there are different savings tiers for Complete ID. Costco’s Executive members pay less for the service, for instance, while Gold Star and Business members pay a bit more.

Snapshot of Complete ID Prices

Complete ID Plans Breakdown

Complete ID keeps things very simple. In fact, there’s only one plan on Complete ID’s menu.

This might not seem like much of a selling point, but some ID theft protection providers have a huge variety of plans on offer (each with its own set of options). This can make it even more difficult to choose the right one. With Complete ID, you pay for the adult plan, and the only upgrade or add-on you need to think about is child monitoring, if you want it. Easy does it.

Complete ID Primary Plan: What You’re Paying for

Complete ID Credit Monitoring for Peace of Mind

Subscribing to Complete ID nets you plenty of coverage, none more important than triple-bureau credit monitoring. Monitoring from all three bureaus is a huge plus in my book, and something that typically only comes with the highest-tier ID theft protection packages.

Why do I love having monitoring from all three major bureaus? Because, by checking in with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, Complete ID makes sure I don’t miss any important financial events that might slip through the cracks, causing real havoc when I least expect it. That’s why I always recommend signing up with a service that offers triple-bureau coverage.

Complete ID Credit Monitoring

Using Social Security Number Monitoring to Combat Fraudsters

Your Complete ID plan also includes SSN monitoring, which is incredibly important. Remember, once a fraudster nabs your SSN, they can really go to town. With SSN monitoring, you’ll know the minute your SSN has been used for anything out of the ordinary, like applying for a loan or opening a bank account.

Complete ID can also monitor other personal information, like driver’s license numbers and bank information. This is a first-rate perk, and I definitely recommend taking advantage of it. That said, Complete ID isn’t alone here. I found the same above-and-beyond monitoring coverage in my LifeLock review.

Recovery Services to Get Your Money Back

Obviously, this is the worst-case scenario, but if you ever become the victim of identity theft (which is, unfortunately, on a crazy upwards spike these days3), Complete ID’s recovery assistance team will jump into action and help you get back what you lost — to the tune of $1 million (maximum) in identity theft insurance.

Complete ID Neighborhood Watch

The last feature I wanted to touch on is sex offender registry alerts. If your ID theft monitoring service offers this feature, I highly recommend turning it on, especially if you have children. The idea is pretty simple: If a state-registered sex offender joins your community, sex offender registry alerts, like Neighborhood Watch, let you know.

While this might not be dinner conversation, or anything you even think about on the day to day, it is a fact of life. With this extra layer of security running in the background 24/7, you’ll at least have the peace of mind of never being caught off guard.

Complete ID Neighborhood Watch

Top Complete ID Deals Right Now

So what’s your best bet for saving on Complete ID right now? Basically, Complete ID’s prices. Starting at $8.99, they’re low-cost to begin with, especially for Costco’s Executive members. But there are savings for Gold Star and Business members, too.

Two things to note here: First, you can add identity monitoring for children to either plan at $2.99 and $3.99 per month, respectively. As I mentioned up top, that fee will cover up to five children.

Second, you’ve probably noticed that the core ID theft protection features are the same for both Business and Gold members, as well as for Executive account holders. The only difference is the price tag: $60 less a year for Executive members. Let me break that number down.

An Executive membership at Costco is $120 per year. Both Gold and Business memberships cost $60. So if you’re a current Costco member with a Gold or Business plan, and you upgraded to Executive, you’d essentially be getting your Complete ID subscription for free. Not bad.

Complete ID Value for Money

As I found out firsthand in my analysis of Complete ID, the service’s $8.99 per month price tag is competitive, if not cheaper than some other comparable plans on the market. The caveat? These savings are only available for card-carrying Costco Executive members. Otherwise, if you’ve got a basic Gold or Business membership, your bill would be $13.99 per month, which is par for the course for mid-tier ID monitoring coverage.

Bottom line? If signing up for Costco has been on your to-do list forever, bundling in a premium ID monitoring service at a discount might be a smart move. Just keep in mind that with Complete ID there are no family plans. This means two things: Spouses and partners will need separate subscriptions. Adding children to your account is possible, but this will cost extra, too.

These restrictions may not be for everyone. If you’re primarily in the market for ID monitoring for the whole family, for instance, and you aren’t planning on signing up with Costco anytime soon, you may want to check out services like Identity Guard, Zander Insurance, or Experian’s own IdentityWorks. All three have family plans.

About Complete ID

Complete ID is available through Costco and was developed by the credit reporting giant Experian.

Experian also has a couple of other identity monitoring options. IdentityWorks is at the top of that list, but the top credit bureau also has a product called ProtectMyID, which it offers in partnership with AAA (in pretty much the same way that it works with Costco on Complete ID).

How reliable is Experian? Let’s just say Experian has a pretty solid reputation in identity monitoring and protection. In fact, when hackers busted into fellow credit bureau Equifax in 2017,4 Equifax offered victims Experian’s identity theft services as part of their restitution package.

Complete ID FAQs