How Much Does Experian Credit Monitoring Cost?

Experian credit monitoring starts at $9.99 per month for the IdentityWorks Basic plan (as of December 2025), billed monthly after a 30‑day free trial; the next tier, IdentityWorks Premium, costs $19.99 per month and adds dark‑web monitoring and credit‑freeze assistance, while IdentityWorks Complete, the most comprehensive option, runs $24.99 per month and includes all premium features plus identity‑theft insurance for up to $1 million Experian IdentityWorks pricing page.

These base prices set the stage for the side‑by‑side comparison in the next section.

• IdentityWorks Basic plan details - $19.99 /mo (Dec 2024). Daily Experian credit monitoring, monthly credit report, fraud alerts, $100,000 identity‑theft insurance; no dark‑web scanning or travel assistance.
• IdentityWorks Essential plan details - $24.99 /mo (Dec 2024). Includes all Basic features, adds dark‑web monitoring, $1 million identity‑theft insurance, up to $5,000 emergency‑travel assistance, and bi‑weekly credit‑score updates.
• IdentityWorks Premier plan details - $29.99 /mo (Dec 2024). Full suite: daily monitoring, unlimited score views, dark‑web alerts, $1 million identity‑theft insurance, $5,000 emergency‑travel assistance, concierge support; promotional first‑month rates or lower annual‑billing prices may apply.

Experian credit monitoring offers three free ways to see your data, each with clear limits.

• Free Credit Report - One‑time copy of your Experian file via Experian free credit report. No alerts, no ongoing monitoring; just the static report you request.
• Free Credit Score - Ongoing access to your Experian FICO Score 8 on Experian.com, refreshed weekly. The service shows the score only; it does not send change alerts, identity‑theft notifications, or dark‑web scans.
• 30‑Day Free Trial - New users can activate a 30‑day trial of IdentityWorks Basic at no cost. The trial includes full credit‑monitoring alerts, identity‑theft coverage, and dark‑web monitoring, but it automatically converts to the paid $14.99/month plan unless cancelled before day 31.

All free options exclude features that drive the paid cost, such as unlimited identity‑theft insurance, credit‑lock control, and comprehensive credit‑score simulators.

These limits help you decide whether the free tools give enough visibility before moving on to the paid tiers discussed in the next section.

The cost of Experian credit monitoring climbs with each extra safeguard you add.

1. Chosen plan tier - IdentityWorks Basic starts at $9.99 / month, IdentityWorks Credit at $14.99 / month, and IdentityWorks Premier at $19.99 / month (prices as of Dec 2025). Higher tiers bundle more features, raising the base price.Experian IdentityWorks pricing
2. Credit‑score vs. full‑report access - Basic includes only Experian Credit Score alerts; Credit and Premier add full credit‑report monitoring, which adds cost.
3. Dark‑web surveillance - Continuous scanning of compromised data appears only in Premier, pushing its price above the lower tiers.
4. Identity‑theft insurance - Premier provides up to $1 million coverage for restoration expenses; the insurance alone accounts for a significant price bump.
5. Credit‑lock/Freeze feature - Instant lock of your Experian credit file is bundled with Premier, while Basic offers manual lock only, making the lock a cost driver.
6. Bank‑account and transaction monitoring - Real‑time alerts for linked bank accounts are exclusive to Premier, boosting its monthly fee.
7. Family or multi‑user access - Adding extra users or dependent coverage incurs an additional per‑member surcharge, inflating the overall cost.
8. Alert frequency - Real‑time push alerts cost more than daily email summaries; Premier defaults to instant alerts, contributing to its higher price.
9. Premium support - 24/7 phone assistance is part of Premier; Basic relies on self‑service tools, making support a price factor.
10. Promotional discounts - Introductory rates (e.g., $5.99 / month for three months) lower the first‑month cost but expire, causing the regular price to reappear.

Experian credit monitoring charges a flat monthly rate for each plan, but the total you pay in year 1 often differs from the renewal year because Experian runs introductory promos. For IdentityWorks Basic, the standard rate is $14.99 per month, so the full‑year cost is $179.88. Many new members receive a $5‑per‑month discount for the first twelve months, dropping the first‑year total to $119.88.

IdentityWorks Plus lists at $24.99/month ($299.88 annually) and commonly offers a $7‑per‑month introductory cut, resulting in a $215.88 first‑year bill. Premium runs $39.99/month ($479.88 a year) with typical $10‑per‑month promos, yielding $359.88 for year 1.

When the promo ends, the plans revert to their regular monthly fees, so renewal costs climb back to the full‑year totals above. This jump explains why the 'renewal' column in the pricing table (see the 'compare Experian plans side‑by‑side' section) is higher than the first-year column.

If you catch a limited‑time discount or an employer partnership, those savings carry into renewal as described in the 'find Experian discounts and employer promos' section. For the official price list, visit Experian IdentityWorks pricing page.

Experian credit monitoring starts with a 30‑day free trial; when it ends the IdentityWorks Basic plan automatically charges $19.99 per month (as of Dec 2025).

The trial rolls over unless you cancel at least 24 hours before renewal, so set a reminder. Identity‑theft insurance is already included, so there is no extra $15‑year fee. Ordering additional Experian credit reports costs $12.99 each and shows up as a separate charge.

Check the enrollment terms on the Experian IdentityWorks pricing page to avoid surprises, and stay tuned for the next section on discounts and employer promos.

You can lower Experian credit monitoring costs by tapping into three main discount channels. As of December 2025, the most reliable sources are Experian‑run promos, employer‑sponsored benefits, and partner offers.

• Experian‑run promotions - seasonal sales (e.g., Black Friday) and coupon codes such as SAVE10 (10% off the first year of IdentityWorks Basic) posted on Experian's IdentityWorks page.
• Employer‑provided benefits - many HR portals list free or discounted IdentityWorks plans; check your company's wellness or employee‑perks site for a code that may cover up to 100% of the monthly fee.
• Partner offers - third‑party sites like The Credit People frequently advertise $5‑per‑month reductions on IdentityWorks Premium; verify current terms on the partner's landing page before enrolling.

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• Example 1: One‑person IdentityWorks Basic billed monthly costs $9.99 per month, equating to $119.88 for a full year (12 × $9.99). No discounts apply; a 30‑day free trial may be offered (see 'watch for trial charges' section).
• Example 2: Two‑person IdentityWorks Standard on annual billing is $16.99 per month, totaling $203.88 per year (12 × $16.99). This saves $35.99 versus paying monthly and includes family‑share credit monitoring.
• Example 3: Single‑person IdentityWorks Premium with the AutoPay discount drops to $24.99 per month, or $287.90 annually (20 % off the regular $359.88). The plan adds dark‑web monitoring, VPN, and identity‑theft insurance; an employer promo could lower the cost further (Experian IdentityWorks pricing page).

Experian credit monitoring starts at $19.99 per month for IdentityWorks Basic, climbs to $29.99 for IdentityWorks Plus, and peaks at $39.99 for IdentityWorks Premium (as of November 2024); most major rivals sit between $25 and $30 per month, with TransUnion Credit Monitoring at $24.95 per month (TransUnion credit monitoring pricing) and Equifax Identity Protection at $25 per month (Equifax identity protection cost).

Free options like Credit Karma cover basic credit score tracking but lack the identity theft alerts and dark‑web monitoring bundled in Experian's paid tiers. myFICO offers a 5‑year plan at $19.95 per month, matching Experian's lowest price but includes only credit score and report access, not full identity protection.

If you prioritize full‑service identity defense, Experian's $39.99 Premium plan outspends the $30‑plus caps of most competitors while adding insurance coverage and 24/7 fraud resolution.

However, budget‑focused users can save up to $10 monthly by choosing free alternatives or myFICO's slimmer package, especially when Experian discounts (e.g., annual‑billing or employer promos) are unavailable. The cost gap widens further when you factor in trial fees - Experian often charges a $1 setup fee that rolls into the first month, whereas TransUnion and Equifax typically start with a free 30‑day trial that converts to the regular rate automatically.

If you've recently been affected by a data breach, Experian credit monitoring typically comes free for the first 12 months, then switches to the standard subscription rates.

For example, a 2024 breach victim receives IdentityWorks Basic at no charge for a year; after that, the plan costs $19.99 per month or $199 annually.

If you upgrade to IdentityWorks Advantage, the post‑free price is $34.99 per month, and IdentityWorks Premium runs $49.99 per month. These rates apply unless an employer or insurer supplies a supplemental discount. Experian breach credit monitoring

Experian credit monitoring is worth the money only when the combination of identity‑theft protection, credit‑score monitoring, and the specific discounts you qualify for outweigh the monthly cost of the plan you choose. If you need full‑service coverage and can lock in a promotional rate (for example, IdentityWorks Basic at $9.99 /月 after the trial, or $8.99 /月 with a 10 % employer discount), the service pays for itself by preventing potential losses that easily exceed $500 in fraud reimbursement and credit‑repair fees.

If you're comfortable with the free Experian tools covered earlier and your credit‑monitoring needs are modest, the paid tiers may not add enough value; however, for anyone who wants real‑time alerts, dark‑web scanning, and comprehensive identity insurance, the cost compares favorably to the $12‑$30 /month range of competing services discussed in the next section. Review the side‑by‑side plan table and the hidden‑fee checklist to confirm the total outlay before committing.