Have you ever seen an ad or got an email to sign up for LifeLock or Reliashield to protect your identity? You most likely ignored it because it costs $100-$300 a year. But did you know you might be able to get this for FREE?
Considering how many data breaches have occurred recently, it’s almost guaranteed that your data has been compromised. In 2020, there were 155.8 million records exposed in data breaches.
If you’re not serious about identity theft protection, you should be. Since you can get it for free with Mastercard or Visa, there’s even more reason to sign up.
In this post, I will share a couple of credit cards that you can use to sign up for free identity theft protection and walk you through the steps.
Below is an overview of all identity theft protection programs offered by credit card issuers. I’ve added Discover and American Express to the list, but I won’t go into detail about these since they are paid. Instead, I will go through the two free options.
| Name | Issued by | Price | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID Theft Protection Assistance Mastercard | Mastercard | Free or discounted | Click here |
| ID Navigator Powered by NortonLifeLock | Visa | Free or discounted | Click here |
| CreditSecure | America Express | $16.99 | Click here |
| Identity Theft Protection | Discover | $15 | Click here |
You most likely have a Mastercard or Visa card that already offers free identity protection. You can confirm by clicking on the link above.
How to Sign up for Free Mastercard ID Theft Protection?
Mastercard ID Theft Protection is free for any Mastercard holders. Let’s take a look at some of the highlighted features:
- Dark Web Monitoring
- Single Bureau Credit Monitoring
- Online Monitoring Dashboard
- Identity Monitoring Alerts
- Identity Theft Protection Kit
- Detect Pre-Existing Conditions
- Monthly risk alert and tips
- Preventive Education
Here are a couple of cards you use this program with, for example:
- Apple Card
- Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card
- JetBlue Plus Mastercard
- Sofi World Debit (MasterCard debit cardholders should be eligible)
If you want to sign up, the first thing you want to do is head over to MasterCard’s website here. Then, enter your card number and click on Get Started to Enroll button.
It will ask you to enter your card number. I used my JetBlue Plus Mastercard for this example. Once you enter your card details, you will need to activate your account, confirm your identity via SMS and go through the set-up.
You should see the welcome screen after, and you detail about ID Theft Protection.
Below is a snapshot of the dashboard. You can click on the Monitoring button to add your social security number, address, date of birth, etc.
How to Sign up for Visa ID Navigator?
ID Navigator is free with many Visa debit cards, Visa Signature cards, and Visa Infinite credit cards. However, not all cards are eligible, for example, the CashApp Visa debit card. Below are the features of ID Navigator from Visa.
- Dark Web Monitoring
- One-Bureau Credit Monitoring Alerts
- Credit, Bank & Utility Account Freezes
- Data Breach Notifications
- Stolen Wallet Assist
- Restoration Assist
- U.S.based Identity Restoration Specialists
I have verified the eligibility with the following cards.
- Bank of America Cash Rewards
- Capital One Venture X
- Chase Debit Cards
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Fidelity Visa Debit Card
- US Bank Altitude Go
- US Bank Altitude Connect
- US Bank Cash+
To sign up, head over to the ID Navigator website. Enter your card number to verify that you are eligible for this benefit.
Once your eligibility is confirmed, you get redirected to Norton’s website to enroll.
Like Mastercard, you will need to confirm your details to sign up.
Once your identity is confirmed, you will be redirected to the dashboard. You will see active alerts they have against your information and the actions you can take.
One feature I like about the ID navigator is that they have the Freeze Your Information feature on the dashboard. They provide details and links to freeze your credit for three credit bureaus on the free plan.
If you sign up for either one of these services and do see alerts and breaches, don’t panic. Some of the alerts are historical alerts.However, the good news is that you have access to this information now and can monitor and set up alerts for any unusual activity.
You can also contact Generali Global Assistance (MasterCard ID Theft Protection) support at 866-805-7848 and NortonLifeLock (Visa ID Navigator) at 866-228-2261 if you have any questions or need assistance.
Feature image @FLY:D/Unsplash
