Aura Identity Theft Protection Review: The Benefits and Drawback

Last Updated on September 10, 2024

Daily the news talks about violent crimes, and it is easy to think that this is where criminals are focused. However, these are the crimes that are interesting and sell advertisements. 

The crime that you donโ€™t hear about is identity theft, and it is one of the most prolific and damaging crimes today. It also can impact anyone, no matter your social, economic, or cultural status. It is a faceless crime with millions and millions of victims each year.

Why You Should Get Aura:

  • You want the best in threat monitoring and alerts.
  • $5 million theft insurance for your (even extended) family appeals to you. (Get Auraโ€™s family plan.)
  • 24/7/365 US-based customer care is important to you
  • You want to get the most identity theft protection value for what you pay for.

What We Liked

All-in-one comprehensive identity protection solutions.
Provides additional features, and stronger protection by incorporating digital security tools.
24/7 customer support via phone and live chat.

What We Didn’t Like

Quite expensive compared to other brands
Might have the inability to access some features in iOS

If you are considering a subscription to an identity protection product, Aura is worth your consideration. In this Aura review, we will give you some details on this product, its features, and how it works to protect you and your family from the unseen threat lurking on the internet or around the corner. 

Aura Identity Guard Reviews: Is it Worth the Price?

When we first looked at Aura the first thing that struck us was the simplicity of their packages and pricing structure. If you are looking for a product that provides a wealth of features without boosting the price, Aura is a winner. 

aura identity protection is worth it

However, that is not the only benefit that you get when you consider Aura for your identity protection. You will really love their website and purchase transaction platform. They are clean, and organized and it is easy to find all the information you need about their products.

If that doesnโ€™t mean much to you, then let’s get into the good stuff. Aura offers one of the fastest, most accurate monitoring programs you can buy. This product watches all the normal places (internet, dark web, criminal court servers, credit reporting agencies, etc..) but they do it faster and better than just about every other identity theft protection product. If you want to know if your identity has been compromised, Aura will tell you faster and give you more information.

Their product is also an all-in-one offering. They only offer one package and it has, literally, everything you need. Here are the Aura package highlights:

VPN and antivirus products
Broad monitoring service.
Monitoring of all three credit reporting agencies
Monthly credit report and score from one bureau.
Monitoring of bank/credit/investment accounts
Monitoring of your home title
401(k) monitoring
Threat resolution services
Identity Theft Insurance Coverage

There are not many negative things we can say about Aura. In our opinion, it is a comprehensive product that comes with all of the normal features, along with features that youโ€™ll pay more for with other products.  

Aura Identity Theft Protection Video Review

How to Use Aura Identity Theft Protection

Aura is pretty easy to get started with. All of their product information is listed clearly on their website, along with their purchasing portal. To sign up for one of Auraโ€™s plans the process is pretty simple.

  1. Select the plan that you need. This is based on the number of adults you are covering, not the features you want.
  2. Create an online account. You will provide basic information at this stage. This includes a username and password.
  3. Provide your first payment.
  4. Using their secure system provides your personal information including social security number, birth date, and bank account information.

This is all you need to do to get started with Aura. If you have issues, you can always call their customer service representatives for assistance.     

Aura Identity Theft Protection Features

Weโ€™ve already given you a brief overview of the features that Aura offers to their customers, but now we want to take a closer look at some of their offerings. Auraโ€™s package is a comprehensive, all-in-one plan that provides protection, monitoring, and resolution services.

Protection

One of the highlights of Aura is that it comes standard with some of the protection features that many other identity protection products make you pay more for.

VPN – This is one of the biggest advantages you receive with Aura. A VPN is standard and it is a relatively decent option.
Antivirus Software – Auraโ€™s software isnโ€™t just for your computer. It can also be used on your smartphones and other mobile devices.
Credit Lock – Aura will help you lock your credit with all three credit reporting agencies. This service keeps unauthorized individuals from opening lines of credit or making large purchases using your social security number and credit rating.
Password Manager – This feature keeps your online passwords secure so you donโ€™t have to worry about someone accessing critical information or accounts on the internet. This product also can generate passwords if you need a more secure option.
Parental Controls –ย  This is a huge benefit if you are a parent. Auraโ€™s family plan comes with a full suite of tools parents can use to protect their childrenโ€™s identity. Features of the parental controls include: Device management, website content blocking, screen time limits, and internet search monitoring.

Monitoring

The real selling point of Aura as an identity theft protection product is its robust monitoring package.

Personal Information Monitoring – This is the basic stuff you want to keep an eye on. Auras program scans for your ID numbers, birth dates, and other personally identifiable information.
Social Security Monitoring – Aura will scan the internet for your social security number. Criminals can use your social security number to open bank accounts, credit cards, and even loans for large purchases.
Online Account Monitoring – This service looks at your usernames and passwords and keeps an eye out for breaches.
Home Title Monitoring – This is one of the newest and scariest ways your identity can be compromised. If your home is used to leverage another large purchase, you could lose your home to foreclosure and never know.
Criminal Court Monitoring – Aura will watch for your name and identifying information in the criminal court system. You donโ€™t want someone who has done something really bad to pin their actions on you.ย 
Credit Monitoring – This is another place where Aura shines. They will monitor all three credit reporting agencies for no additional costs. They will also provide you with a monthly credit report and score from one of the three bureaus.
Financial Account Monitoring – This includes your bank accounts, credit card accounts, investment accounts, and even your retirement funds. Unauthorized charges to credit or debit cards are one of the most frequent types of fraud committed against unsuspecting individuals. This can cost you lots of money upfront and in the costs for assistance in getting your money back and opening new accounts.

Identity Theft Resolution

If one of these monitoring features finds a threat, or if you end up being the victim of fraud or identity theft, Aura will help you with resolving the fraudulent activity and help you recover your identity.

24/7 Resolution Assistance – Aura has experts available no matter the time or day to help you fix instances of identity theft. Their representatives are experts in identity resolution. You will have a single point of contact who will help you through the process.
Identity Theft Insurance – Though Aura is a smaller company and is fairly new to the market, it has one of the best insurance products for its customers. Every plan comes with $1 million in coverage for legal expenses, up to $1 million in reimbursement for personal expenses, plus up to $5 million in coverage for lost funds.

Aura Pricing

Aura has one of the simplest pricing plans across the identity theft protection market. There are a couple of other products that have simple pricing structures, but they do not have the level of features or customer service. 

Besides being simple and easy to understand, Aura’s pricing is quite affordable. Sure, it may not be as inexpensive as other products seem to be, but you wonโ€™t have to pay more for features that other companies offer as upgrades.

Aura has a single package of features that is offered at three different plan levels. The levels are based on the number of adults you are covering with your service, not the features you choose.

Individual โ€“ $15/month or $144/year

This package covers one adult and no children. It gives you all of the package features and the VPN and antivirus can be used on up to 10 devices.

Couple โ€“ $29/month or $264/year

Covers two adults and no children. Digital security features can be used on up to 20 devices.

Family โ€“ $50/month or $444/year

This is a price you just cannot beat, and it gives you tons of coverage. This plan level covers up to 5 adults and an unlimited number of children. The VPN and antivirus protection can be used on up to 50 devices.

User Reviews of Aura

Overall, Aura receives an average of 4.5 stars out of a standard 5-star rating system. Generally, most customers have a favorable opinion of the service that Aura provides. Some customers did have negative feelings about Aura, but these were infrequently noted.

  •  Most reviews were favorable of the coverage provided by Aura
  • Customers had high praise for Auraโ€™s customer service.
  • Most customers had positive comments regarding the features of the Aura plan.
  • User reviews were typically unfavorable regarding the inability to access some features in iOS. 

Identity Guard

Aura and Identity Guard both come from the same parent company. However, each is a completely unique product and offers you different features. Identity Guard is structured more like traditional identity protection products where each pricing level offers additional features. Identity Guard also uses artificial intelligence to scan the internet, which is a unique selling point. When you consider the features offered on the three Identity Guard pricing levels, you will only get the same level of features as offered by Aura at the highest price point. And even with this higher price, you still wonโ€™t get a VPN or antivirus protection. 

LifeLock

LifeLock is a decent product from the makers of Norton Antivirus. Like Aura, it offers a wide range of identity monitoring products. However, LifeLock is one of those options that ask you to pay more for additional services. The upper level of the LifeLock plans is great, but you still have to pay an additional fee to get a VPN or Antivirus from LifeLock.   

Aura Security

We did find one surprising aspect of Aura that you may not see mentioned frequently. Most of the features available from Aura are accessible on Android and iOS platforms, but their malware is not. Appleโ€™s operating platform tends to be more secure than Android options, but you really need malware protection. If you have Apple products and select Aura, you will need to invest in an iOS-compatible malware protection program.    

Aura Subscription Options

Aura is one of the few identity protection products that give you 24/7 customer service. And this is real, talk to a person, customer service; not text a mystery person customer service. 

While actually being able to talk to a person is exciting, the better news is that Auraโ€™s customer service representatives are identity theft resolution experts. They have an average of seven years of experience in helping people solve fraud issues. Some companies have 24/7 customer service, but you will talk to a person who can only provide you with basic assistance and information. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Aura

What is Auraโ€™s trial period?

Aura gives you a 14-day trial period before they charge you for your first month or the yearly fee. You will need to input your payment information when you sign up. However, if you cancel before the end of the 14 days, your card will not be charged.  

Where Does Aura Look For Leaks?

  • The Internet โ€“ this is obvious but it is the most common place where you will find your information leaked and used for unauthorized purposes.
  • Data brokers โ€“ these are websites that provide your personal information to anyone interested in paying a nominal fee. These sites use information that can be publicly available, but, if it isnโ€™t on their site, someone has to work harder to steal your identity.
  • New accounts โ€“ this includes things like recently opened credit cards, bank accounts, and even utility (gas/electric/water) service accounts.
  • Public records โ€“ Think court records, arrest records, home titles, and vehicle licensing records.
  • Dark web โ€“ this one is tricky, but Aura does cast a net into the dark web. The challenge with monitoring the dark web is that it has layers of security that the internet doesnโ€™t have. Criminals like working in the dark web because it offers more secrecy.

Does Aura Offer Insurance?

The biggest selling point to Auraโ€™s identity protection product, other than the all-in-one package, is its insurance coverage. The insurance coverage offered by Aura is an industry leader. The real stand-out feature of Aura insurance is the $5 million maximum coverage for lost funds in their family plan. This is more than you will get from any other product on the market.  

How do I cancel Aura?

Aura prides their reputation on their outstanding customer service. This amazing service even carries on to that moment when you want to cancel your plan. Many other products have negative reviews for customer service representatives who are excessively pushy if you want to cancel. Not Aura.

To cancel your service you simply call their customer service line and ask for a cancellation. If you would rather not talk with a person, you can cancel from the account membership page on your personal home page.

When you cancel, Aura will maintain your service through the end of the period you have paid for, and will not continue charging your credit card after that time. One thing to note: you need to read the fine print of your membership closely. Aura does not offer a refund, for remaining time on your membership. If you arenโ€™t sure if you will want their service long-term, opt for the month-to-month payment option.


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