What Are Equifax Plans?

• Real‑time alerts when a new credit inquiry, account, or loan shows up on your report.
• Daily updates of your Equifax credit score and a personalized risk dashboard.
• Continuous scanning of the dark web for your personal data, email, or SSN dark web monitoring service.
• Access to an identity restoration team that guides you through disputes and recovery identity restoration assistance.
• Monitoring of public records such as bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens, plus optional fraud‑alert placement.

Equifax plans continuously scan your credit profile, public records, and the dark web for any activity that could affect your financial identity.

• New credit inquiries (hard pulls) on your consumer report
• Opening, closing, or status changes of credit cards, loans, and mortgages
• Updated personal information such as address, phone number, or email linked to your consumer file
• Public records including bankruptcies, tax liens, civil judgments, and court filings
• Appearance of your name, Social Security number, or other identifiers on data‑broker or dark‑web sites (for consumer plans)
• Fraud alerts or identity‑theft claims you file through Equifax (for both consumer and business plans)

For a full breakdown see the Equifax credit monitoring overview.

Pick the Equifax plan that fits you by matching your credit‑monitoring needs and budget to the four consumer tiers or the two business solutions.

1. Determine your audience - If you want personal credit scores, fraud alerts, or identity‑theft protection, look at the consumer lineup. If you manage a company's credit file or need employee‑level monitoring, focus on the business lineup. (See 'decide if you need a consumer or business Equifax plan' for deeper guidance.)
2. Match core features -
   
   • Equifax Credit Monitor: basic credit‑score updates and monthly report alerts.
   • Equifax Complete: adds identity‑theft monitoring, dark‑web scanning, and up to $100,000 reimbursement for stolen‑money losses.
   • Equifax Complete Premier: includes everything in Complete plus $1 million insurance for legal fees and lost‑wage reimbursements.
   • Equifax Identity Theft Protection: focuses on identity‑theft alerts and dispute support without credit‑score tracking.
   • Equifax Business Credit Monitor: monitors company credit reports, alerts on new inquiries, and flags adverse changes.
   • Equifax Business Credit Solutions: combines credit monitoring with risk‑management tools and customizable alerts for larger enterprises.
3. Check pricing - Consumer plans typically range from $9.99 /month (Credit Monitor) to $29.99 /month (Complete Premier). Business Credit Monitor usually starts around $29.99 /month per entity, while Business Credit Solutions is priced per custom quote. Look for free‑trial terms and any auto‑renew fees in the fine print (see 'check Equifax pricing, fees, and trial fine print').
4. Select the plan - Choose the consumer tier that covers the alerts you need within your budget, or pick the business solution that aligns with the size of your organization and the depth of monitoring required. Once decided, you can proceed to sign up or compare alternatives in the next section.

Official Equifax plan overview

If you protect a single Social Security number, a consumer Equifax plan usually meets your needs. It monitors your personal credit report, alerts you to new accounts, scans the dark web for your SSN or email, and supplies a monthly credit score - features highlighted in the 'see what Equifax actively monitors about you' section. Typical consumer pricing starts at a low monthly rate and includes a trial period discussed later in 'check Equifax pricing, fees, and trial fine print.'

If you manage employee data, a business Equifax plan typically fits your requirements. It watches business credit filings, flags changes to your Employer Identification Number, scans the dark web for corporate and employee credentials, and offers an admin dashboard for multiple users. The plan often includes compliance tools and higher‑volume alerts, which you'll compare against alternatives in the 'compare Equifax plans with top alternatives' section.

Equifax plans cost a set monthly or annual fee depending on whether you choose a consumer or business option, and the free‑trial terms are spelled out in the fine print.

• Consumer plans -  Complete: $19.99 per month or $199 per year; Complete +: $24.99 per month or $249 per year. Both include a 30‑day free trial that automatically converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel before day 31. No activation or cancellation fees are listed.
• Business plans -  Credit‑monitoring packages start around $29.99 per month, with custom pricing for larger enterprises; a 14‑day trial is offered for most tiers, also auto‑renewing unless cancelled.
• Auto‑renewal -  Plans renew automatically at the chosen interval; you must opt‑out in your account settings or contact support to stop renewal.
• Refunds -  Equifax states refunds are not provided after a trial ends or once a paid month has begun, so timing the cancellation is critical.
• Additional fees -  Optional add‑ons such as dark‑web monitoring or identity‑theft insurance may add $5‑$10 per month per feature.

Understanding these costs and trial conditions helps you decide if the Equifax consumer or business plan fits your budget before you move on to compare alternatives in the next section. Equifax's official pricing page provides the most up‑to‑date figures.

Equifax plans bundle credit‑report monitoring, dark‑web scanning, and identity‑theft insurance into a single subscription, and they split into consumer and business tiers. Compared with other identity‑theft protection services, the consumer tier usually offers three‑year credit‑report access, alerts for new accounts, and up to $1 million in coverage, while the business tier adds employee‑level monitoring and breach‑response consulting.

Alternative providers - such as the credit people identity protection service - often focus on broader credit‑score tracking but may limit insurance payouts or omit certain dark‑web alerts.

When you weigh features against price, Equifax's monthly fees typically range from $19.99 for basic consumer coverage to $39.99 for the full business suite, whereas alternatives may price lower but exclude insurance or limit the number of monitored accounts.

Your choice hinges on whether you prioritize comprehensive coverage and higher insurance limits (Equifax) or a leaner, cost‑focused package (other services). The next step shows how to sign up, pause, or cancel your selected plan.

You can sign up, pause, or cancel your Equifax plan directly through the Equifax website or mobile app.

1. Sign up - Visit the Equifax plan sign‑up page, pick the consumer or business plan you reviewed in 'choose the Equifax plan that fits you,' enter your personal or business details, select a payment method, and confirm. Access to monitoring begins within minutes.
2. Pause - Log in, open Settings, and choose 'Pause protection.' Choose a duration (typically up to 30 days) and confirm. Your data remains in Equifax's system, but alerts are temporarily suspended until you reactivate.
3. Cancel - Log in, go to Subscription, click 'Cancel plan,' and follow the on‑screen prompts. You will receive a cancellation email confirming the end date. If you are still in a free trial, cancel before the trial expires to avoid charges. Canceling ends future monitoring and any associated benefits, such as eligibility to 'file an identity theft claim with Equifax' later in this guide.

File an identity theft claim with Equifax by calling 1‑800‑525‑6285 or by using the Equifax identity‑theft portal.

When you call, a fraud‑victim assistance specialist will verify your name, Social Security number, and the date you discovered the theft, then open a claim in their system. If you choose the portal, select 'File a Claim,' create a secure account, and enter the same personal details; Equifax only asks for a photo ID, proof of address, or a police report later if additional verification is required.

Once the claim is active, Equifax plans typically place a fraud alert on your credit file, offer a free credit freeze, and may reimburse eligible restoration costs; you can monitor progress from your online dashboard or by calling the same 1‑800‑525‑6285 line, which sets up the discussion in the next section on how Equifax helps after a breach.

When a breach exposes your personal data, Equifax notifies you right away (via email, app, or SMS if you're enrolled in a monitoring plan), lets you request a free credit freeze that stays in place until you lift it, and assigns a case manager to walk you through recovery steps.

• Immediate breach alert sent to your preferred channel (requires monitoring enrollment)
• Free credit freeze you can request online or by phone; remains active indefinitely until you remove it
• 24/7 access to credit monitoring and identity‑theft detection tools included in most plans
• Dedicated case manager to guide dispute filing and document preparation
• Reimbursement up to $10,000 for legal fees and up to $1,000 for unauthorized purchases related to the breach
• Assistance with filing police reports, creating fraud affidavits, and restoring credit scores
• Ongoing alerts for any new activity on your reports while the breach response is active

For step‑by‑step instructions, visit the Equifax breach response portal.

Maximize every feature of your Equifax plan with these five practical steps.

• Turn on all alerts (credit, fraud, dark‑web) in your dashboard so you receive real‑time notifications instead of checking manually.
• Install the Equifax mobile app and log in daily; the app aggregates scores, reports, and alerts, letting you spot changes on the go.
• Examine the monthly credit report before the free freeze deadline; fixing errors early typically prevents long‑term score damage.
• Add eligible family members to a consumer plan (when allowed) to protect multiple identities under one subscription and lower overall cost.
• Enable the optional credit‑lock feature and confirm your identity‑theft insurance limit, ensuring coverage for reimbursement if fraud occurs.