Civic, the identity protection startup that launched this past summer to alert users when use of their social security number was detected, is growing up.
It is introducing membership levels and pricing plans, according to an email sent to members on Friday afternoon. The levels are Basic, which is free, Standard, which costs $2.95 a month or $29.95 a year, and Premium, whose pricing is currently undisclosed. Many of the new features will be unveiled in early spring 2017.
Founded by Vinny Lingham, who previously founded the crypto-friendly Gyft, Civic currently seeks to partner with banks to help manage customer identities.
Civic provides $1 million in identity theft insurance and notification of breaches or new account openings within the Civic network to all members. Standard account holders will additionally get chat support, “24/7 identity restoration support,” credit bureau monitoring alerts, and some form of stolen funds replacement. Inaugural members, of which I am one, are grandfathered into Standard accounts for life, according to the email.
While the free Basic plans are assumed to be of use to anyone worried about identity theft (and if you’re not, go back to sleep), the upper-tier plans are designed to provide “comprehensive protection options” to “those who need that extra coverage and support,” the email said.