MyFICO 2023 Full Review: Read This BEFORE You Get It
I gave myFICO a three-month evaluation and found that it’s great for monitoring credit, but if you want thorough identity protection, Aura is the better choice.
Here’s why.
Where myFICO falls short, Aura excels. Aura features truly comprehensive identity protection, covering everything from home title monitoring to criminal records monitoring. They also offer family plans with up to $5 million in theft insurance coverage.
myFICO offers none of that. They’re mainly a credit protection service, and for that, they’re one of the best. But if you want identity protection, look into Aura instead.
You can lock in our OFF discount on Aura, they won’t increase your price next year.
- You want to protect your family from identity thieves with award-winning identity and credit monitoring tools that cover everything from your home and auto title to criminal records.
- You want to include up to five adults on your family plan and give them $1 million each in theft insurance coverage.
- You want additional features that protect you online, including a VPN, antivirus software, and safe gaming features.
- You want maximum value with high-end services at an affordable rate.
- Monitoring your credit is your number one goal, and you’re willing to pay a substantial amount for it.
- You want to work with an excellent customer service team.
- You don’t have a family that you need to protect.
That said, if you want to learn more about myFICO ID theft protection, read on. I’ll discuss all the ins and outs of this review report and explain why it’s not really the identity protection tool it claims to be.
How Accurate is myFICO?
myFICO might be worth getting if you want to monitor your credit first and foremost. It’s not worth it if identity protection is your goal.
Here’s a little background…
It comes from the company FICO, the inventors of the FICO credit score – as in the score that virtually every lender uses to determine whether or not they should lend to you, as well as to calculate your interest rate.
As you might guess, the service is very focused on your credit. If you took their word for it, you might think your credit score is your identity.
So, while it features an excellent user interface, myFICO customer service is incredible, but its identity protection coverage is lacking. And, there are no family plans.
I wouldn’t pick this company for my family, and I wouldn’t suggest it for yours. I’d suggest Aura instead. However, if you need more evidence, allow me to explain.
Editors Ranking Table
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Renewal Price Increased After 1st Year? |
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myFICO Identity Theft Protection Monitoring Features & Plans
Monitoring & Alerts: 7/10
myFICO is great at monitoring your credit score, but, as I’ve said, it’s far less effective at monitoring your identity.
Here’s what I mean.
With the Premier plan, you get:
If you’re familiar with any other identity protection services, this will probably strike you as a short list, and it is.
It misses essentials like payday loan monitoring, bank account monitoring, and criminal records monitoring. Not to mention the high-end extras like investment account and home title monitoring which services like Aura include.
That said, when it comes to monitoring your credit scores, it would be hard to find a service that’s better. It offers some of the most comprehensive credit protection tools I’ve seen. Keep reading…
Dark Web Alerts
myFICO claims to offer dark web surveillance with their Advanced and Premier plans. However, I’m not so sure it’s effective.
I’m used to protection services finding eight to 10 dark web alerts for me. Aura stands out by finding an impressive 15, but if it had found even a few, I would accept it. Unfortunately, it didn’t find a single one.
It flagged 10 alerts during its initial scan, all of them in public records.
Dark web surveillance is one of the reasons I use an identity protection service, and given the cost, I expected more thorough coverage here.
Alerts Dashboard
I will say this, myFICO’s alerts dashboard is clean and easy to use.
When you log in, you’ll see alerts populate under your three-bureau credit scores. The alerts give at-a-glance information, including the date of the alert and what it’s for.
As an example, if a lender makes a credit inquiry, you’ll see an alert populate that reads “Inquiry” in bold with the date beside it. Beneath the bold heading, it would list the name of the credit bureau that received the inquiry. You can click the alert to get more information.
Credit and Financial Monitoring
If credit monitoring is your only goal, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a tool better than this company. It’s extremely thorough, covering all of the following for each of the three major credit bureaus:
Plus, it offers a full suite of credit tools like a score simulator and score history graph.
When it comes to deeper financial monitoring, though, this company doesn’t stand up to other services. It doesn’t offer 401(k) monitoring like Aura does. It also fails to offer bank account monitoring.
All of this reverts back to my main point, it is fantastic if you only care about your credit scores, but it’s not a complete identity protection tool.
Public Records Monitoring
myFICO monitors some public records, but not all. As part of its credit monitoring, it looks for declared bankruptcies. It also looks for changes to names and addresses tied to your Social Security number.
However, it doesn’t monitor court and criminal records. It also doesn’t watch for home title fraud. For those services, you need a more complete identity protection tool (Aura would work).
Threat Resolution: 7/10
Expertise |
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US Based Support? |
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Customer Hours |
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Concierge Resolution |
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Lost Wallet Protection |
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Once you get access to their support, you’ll find out that their customer service team is knowledgeable, compassionate, and U.S.-based. If I needed their help to resolve an identity threat, I’d trust them to get it right.
My only gripe is that the service isn’t very good at catching threats to your identity. You can’t fix an issue you don’t know about.
Still, their team is better than average. I had nothing but good experiences when calling their helpline.
Customer Service
I called their customer support line at 8 a.m. on Thursday and was connected to Juanita in less than one minute. She was personable and able to answer all my questions. I even hung up smiling, which says a lot. Customer service calls aren’t exactly my favorite activity.
Based in Texas, their customer service team is available 24/7/365 by phone. They don’t offer a live chat, but when you can reach a friendly human that easily, why would you need one?
Concierge Service
myFICO’s concierge threat resolution services are as good as most other services.
Here’s what they offer to do should you become a victim of identity fraud:
- Use limited power of attorney to work on your behalf to restore your identity
- Work directly with creditors, government agencies, and credit bureaus when possible
- Provide personalized guidance
- Help you complete an Identity Theft Affidavit
Overall, I have no complaints here. After my experience with their customer service team, I have no doubt that their threat resolution specialists are also top-notch.
Wallet Protection
myFICO’s wallet protection service offers to help you recover your:
This is exactly what I expect identity protection services to offer, and I have no complaints here. Again, given how well my test call to the customer service team went, I have no doubt that they would be able to assist with lost wallet recovery.
Theft Insurance: 7/10
Theft Insurance Score | ||
Theft Insurance |
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myFICO offers $1 million in theft insurance coverage with all of their plans. Even their Basic plan, which doesn’t offer identity monitoring, provides insurance coverage.
This coverage includes lost wages, elder and childcare, and the cost of hiring a private investigator or legal advisor to help you restore your identity.
Interestingly, the policy doesn’t state a limit on lost wages the way most plans do (usually $1,500 to $2,000 for five weeks). Instead, it will cover full base wages based on the prior year’s tax return.
Otherwise, their theft insurance meets industry standards but is nowhere near what Aura offers.
With Aura, you get $1 million in coverage per adult, or up to $5 million total. So, if theft insurance is important to you when choosing an identity protection plan (and it should be), Aura is the better choice.
Family Plans: 0/10
myFICO used to offer family plans, but they’ve revoked them. When I called customer service, I asked about this. Juanita kindly told me that there were no firm plans to bring family coverage back but that it also wasn’t out of the question at some future point.
If you’re trying to protect your spouse and children, or even your parents and in-laws, a family plan is crucial. Otherwise, you’d end up spending way too much on identity protection. That means this is a huge flaw in their services.
For family protection at a great price, you should consider Aura instead. They allow you to include up to five adults with their family plans. So you can cover adult children, parents, in-laws, and your spouse. Plus, they offer $1 million in theft insurance per adult.
Ease of Use: 9/10
This is an area where myFICO excels. Their user interface is smooth, aesthetically pleasing, and functional.
My only issue is that some of the identity protection services are a little trickier to find. Their fraud resolution service is listed under your profile, for example. That’s not the most intuitive place.
Overall, though, it is incredibly easy to use.
Additional Services: 5/10
Additional Services |
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When I evaluate additional services, I look for a few key things:
Aura offers all of the above, allowing entire families to stay safe online. Their privacy suite even includes the ability to detect cyberbullying and harassment, ensuring children are safe from predators.
myFICO offers NONE of them.
What it does offer is a very nice credit simulation tool. It’s one of the best I’ve ever used. So, if you’re trying to improve your credit, it’s a great additional feature. If you’re trying to protect yourself or your children, Aura offers more.
How Much Does myFICO Cost: 5/10
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Covers 5 adults & unlimited kids |
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I’ll be blunt – myFICO is incredibly expensive.
The Basic plan, which doesn’t include any identity monitoring, is $19.95 per month. The Premium plan is $39.95 per month. That’s really high for a service that doesn’t offer comprehensive identity protection tools.
Of course, I also have to mention, it has a free plan, too.
However, the free version can’t even pretend to be an identity protection tool. It only provides one-bureau credit monitoring and regular credit reports. It might be worth signing up for alongside your identity protection service, but it’s not going to protect your identity on its own.
myFICO FAQ
Final Verdict myFICO’s Ratings: 7/10
myFICO impressed me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s easy to use and offers fantastic credit monitoring tools. Plus, their customer service team is impressive.
Unfortunately, they’re not fully-fledged compared to other identity theft protection. my FICO misses key coverage areas, doesn’t offer family plans, and doesn’t offer any additional services.
For truly comprehensive identity protection for you and your family, Aura is the best choice. And, with our discount code, it’s available at a much better price than my fico.
Read Our Other Reviews:
Citations:
1. https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-rafael/profile/financial-services/myfico-1116-37316
3. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mnd-0_06-cv-04112/pdf/USCOURTS-mnd-0_06-cv-04112-0.pdf
4. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/customer-service/faq.fico-score.html