A low price can’t hide the fact that AllClear ID is a confusing product
Our series on identity theft protection apps will evaluate the features, pricing options, competition, and also the overall value of using each app. However, these are not full hands-on reviews since evaluating identity theft protection apps is almost impossible. It would require several months of testing, purposefully hacking accounts to see if the protection app works, handing over personally identifiable information, performing multiple credit checks, and risking exposure of the reviewer’s personally identifiable information. The worst thing you can experience is confusion when trying to select an identity theft protection app. After all, there is already enough anger and chaos over being hacked, and losing access to a bank account. There’s the anxiety about damage to your credit history and credit score. These days, cybercriminals can easily cause devastation and heartache, not to mention being in the middle of the pandemic. Let’s face it, there’s really no good time to have to deal with identity theft. Against that background, AllClear ID is an uber frustrating product. While the low price is tempting, consumers may have the temptation to sign up. After all, what’s the downside? Well, the website for this product hardly supplies the guidance you would need to make a quality decision. There was previously a choice of plans, now there is just one for an individual, and the prior free plan is also no more. You just see a basic laundry list of what is available on the single tier of plan, without any further detail. Even worse, the product is set up for those who have a code from an employer who provides AllClear ID as part of its benefit package. (A report in Tom’s Guide from 2016 does mention that the non-employer version doesn’t even work anymore.) The website and app feature the bare minimum in details about the available protection, and a blog offering financial and online protection guidance gives a vibe of being too generic. (Here’s one featuring voice assistants that overflows full of blanket statements sprinkled with fear-mongering, and short of any actual details.) AllClear ID offers a single plan for individuals, but just has a laundry list of features without any real specifics.
