Start Building Your Child’s Credit
With advancements in technology making our lives increasingly digitally interconnected, the risk of falling victim to identity theft has only increased. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 2022 alone saw over 1.1 million reported cases of identity theft in the U.S. These alarming statistics highlight the need to safeguard personal information from potential threats, and various ID protection services offer incredible monitoring and detection services to protect your identity. In this guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at Discover Identity Theft Protection, including how it stacks up against other leading identity theft protection services and what you can expect from your coverage.
Discover Identity Theft Protection Review—What Is Included?
Discover Identity Theft Protection is a comprehensive service that offers a range of features to help protect your personal and financial information from the ever-evolving threats of identity theft. Here’s an overview of what’s included in this service:
- Credit monitoring—Discover closely monitors your credit report and provides you with alerts if any new accounts, inquiries, or anomalies are detected. This allows you to quickly respond to suspicious activity and take the necessary steps to mitigate potential damage
- Social Security number (SSN) monitoring—Discover monitors the dark web and other sources to check if your SSN is being sold illegally. If any suspicious activity is found, you’ll receive alerts so you can take immediate action
- Experian credit report—As part of the service, Discover provides you with access to your Experian credit report, which you can review to ensure the accuracy of your information and identify any potential signs of identity theft
- Identity restoration—If your identity is compromised, Discover’s identity restoration team will provide expert guidance and assistance. They’ll help you navigate the process of reclaiming your identity and restoring your credit. Phone support is available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT Sunday
- Identity theft insurance—Discover provides the industry standard of up to $1,000,000 in insurance coverage for eligible losses due to identity theft. This can include legal expenses, reimbursement of stolen funds, lost wages, and other costs
- Child identity theft protection—Every Discover account includes protection for up to ten children, including dark web alerts, Experian alerts, and coverage of its identity theft insurance and remediation services
In addition to these services, every Discover card has extra security measures, such as:
- Daily scans of your Experian credit file to notify you of potentially suspicious actions, such as the creation of new credit accounts, alterations to your credit history, or unfamiliar credit inquiries
- Regular dark web scans to check if your SSN is being sold illegally
Discover card members can also easily access their FICOⓇ credit score anytime through their online account. The swift alert system will notify you if there are any attempts by scammers to harm your credit.
Discover Identity Theft Protection Pros and Cons
While it offers useful features, Discover’s ID protection service also has its downsides. Here’s an overview of each:
| Pros | Cons |
| • Inclusion of children—The fact that children are covered in every plan is a significant advantage, as many identity theft protection services charge extra for child coverage • Three-bureau credit monitoring—The standard inclusion of three-bureau credit monitoring helps users keep a close watch on their credit reports and detect any suspicious activity promptly • Identity theft insurance—Discover typically includes identity theft insurance, which can provide financial protection in case you become a victim of identity theft • Remediation services—Discover offers assistance and support in case you do become a victim of identity theft, helping you navigate the process of restoring your identity and credit | • Limited coverage—Discover monitors limited amounts of personal information compared to other services. For instance, it doesn’t offer full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration • Cost—While some basic identity theft protection services may be included with your Discover card, more comprehensive protection may come at an additional cost • Lack of public data on alert speed or reliability—Information regarding the speed and reliability of Discover’s alert system may not be publicly available, making it difficult to assess how quickly you’d be notified in case of suspicious activity • Enrollment is possible if you are an existing customer—Availing of Discover’s identity theft protection services typically requires you to be an existing Discover customer, which may limit the accessibility for those who don’t have a Discover account |
Discover Identity Theft Protection Pricing
Discover Identity Theft Protection is priced at $15 per month for each user. If you wish to extend protection to a spouse or an elderly family member, each individual will need to pay a monthly fee of $15. As a result, the costs can accumulate significantly if you intend to safeguard more than just yourself. Here’s an overview of the monthly expenses you can expect for Discover Identity Theft Protection:
| Users Covered | Cost |
| 1 | $15/month |
| 2 | $30/month |
| 3+ | $45+/month |
How To Cancel Discover Identity Theft Protection
Discover’s Identity Theft Protection is a subscription service billed on a monthly basis, which means you have the flexibility to cancel it at any time without incurring charges for subsequent months. If you decide to cancel, you’ll receive a prorated refund for the portion of the month during which you didn’t use the service.
To initiate the cancellation process for Discover Identity Theft Protection, you have two primary options:
- Reach out to customer support by dialing 1-800-347-3089 and request the cancellation of your service
- Access your account center and proceed to cancel the service through the online platform
Upon successfully canceling the service, you’ll no longer be billed for ID theft protection. However, it’s worth noting that Discover’s privacy statement indicates that they may continue to share your personal information for marketing and routine business purposes. The information they collect and share includes:
- SSN and account balances
- Credit scores and payment history
- Credit history and credit card or other debt
If you have inquiries regarding Discover’s data collection and sharing policies, you can get in touch with them at 1-800-347-7552.
Is Discover Identity Theft Protection Worth It?
Discover Identity Theft Protection offers a comprehensive set of features for safeguarding personal information and finances, including child protection, SSN alerts, credit monitoring, and up to $1 million identity theft insurance. However, it focuses mainly on monitoring and response, lacking proactive prevention measures like credit locks and digital security tools. At $15 per month per user, the service is relatively expensive compared to other popular offerings in the market.
If you value thorough monitoring and real-time alerts along with the peace of mind of identity theft insurance, it can be a valuable service. However, if you’re looking for more affordable identity theft prevention services that still offer a comprehensive set of features and a proactive approach, you may want to explore other options more suited to your preferences—like FreeKick.
Never Fall Victim to Identity Theft With FreeKick
With a child’s identity being stolen every 30 seconds, this crime is more common than you might think—and it’s important to take every precaution you can. That’s where FreeKick by Austin Capital Bank comes in—it’s a two-in-one platform that protects your family’s identities and helps build credit for your children.
How FreeKick Protects Identity
FreeKick offers multiple identity protection features for both adults and minors. For you and your adult children, FreeKick offers the following services:
- Credit profile monitoring
- SSN monitoring
- Dark web monitoring for personal information
- Up to $1 million identity theft insurance
- Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration
- Lost wallet protection
- Court records monitoring
- Change of address monitoring
- Non-credit (Payday) loan monitoring
- Free FICO® Score monthly
- FICO® Score factors
- Experian credit report monthly
For minor children, FreeKick offers:
- Credit profile monitoring
- Social Security number (SSN) monitoring
- Dark web monitoring for children’s personal information
- Up to $1 million identity theft insurance
- Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration
- Sex offender monitoring—based on sponsor parent’s address
How FreeKick Builds Credit
Once you’ve secured your family’s identities, it’s time to think about their financial future.
With FreeKick’s credit building service, which is available for children aged 13 to 25, you can give your child up to five years of credit history once they turn 18. This will help them save $200,000 during their lifetimes by giving them access to more favorable loan terms and other financial perks.
You have to take three steps:
- Create an Account—Go to FreeKick.bank, sign up for an account, and choose a deposit amount you’re comfortable with
- Set It and Forget It—FreeKick will automatically start building 12 months’ worth of credit history for your children
- Keep Growing—After 12 months, you can close the account without any fees or continue building credit for your family for another year
FreeKick Pricing
FreeKick offers flexible pricing. There are two plans you can choose from:
| FDIC-Insured Deposit | Annual Fee |
| $3,000 | $0 (Free) |
| No deposit | $149 |
Each plan offers:
- Credit building for six children aged 13 to 25
- Identity protection for two parents and six children aged 0 to 25
Protect your family from identity theft and financial hardship—sign up for FreeKick today.
Freekick provides a double dose of financial empowerment and security for your whole family. It helps teens and young adults build strong credit profiles and offers identity motoring for up to two adult parents and six children under 25.
