Important: You must contact all three credit bureaus separately. Freezing your credit with one bureau does not automatically freeze your credit with the others.
How does a credit freeze work—and when should you do one?
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Key takeaways
- A credit freeze helps block new creditors from accessing your credit report, making it harder for someone to open a new account in your name.
- It is free to place and free to lift. A freeze does not hurt your credit score, and it stays in place until you remove it.
- To freeze your credit, contact each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Identity theft, fraud and data breaches can put your personal information at risk. A credit freeze, also called a security freeze, is one way to help protect your credit by limiting access to your credit report. Here is what to know about when a freeze may make sense, how to place one and how to lift it when you need to apply for credit.
What is a credit freeze?
A credit freeze locks your credit report until you approve its release—making it harder for identity thieves to open new credit accounts in your name. If you’ve frozen your credit, new creditors can’t look at your credit report without your permission. (Your current creditors, government agencies and debt collectors can still access your data.) A freeze doesn’t affect your credit score or prevent you from accessing your own credit report. Your accounts remain open, so it’s a good idea to keep monitoring your bank and credit accounts for signs of fraud.
When should you consider freezing your credit?
- You believe your personal information has been exposed in a data breach.
- You are a victim of identity theft or see accounts you do not recognize.
- You do not plan to apply for new credit soon and want an added layer of protection.
- You want to help reduce the chance that someone can open new credit in your name.
How to freeze your credit
To place a credit freeze, contact each of the three major credit reporting agencies. You may be asked to verify your identity by providing personal information and, in some cases, supporting documentation.
| Credit bureau | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|
| TransUnion | ||
| TransUnion | 888-909-8872 | |
| Experian | ||
| Experian | 888-397-3742 | |
| Equifax | ||
| Equifax | 888-298-0045 | |
How to lift or remove a credit freeze
If you plan to apply for a mortgage, auto loan, credit card, home equity line of credit, apartment lease or another product that requires a credit check, you may need to lift your freeze before applying. You can usually lift a freeze temporarily for a specific period or remove it permanently.
Placing and lifting a credit freeze is free. If you are applying for credit, ask the lender which credit bureau it plans to use so you can lift the freeze with the right bureau. If you are not sure, you may need to lift the freeze with all three bureaus.
A credit freeze stays in place until you lift it. To end a freeze permanently, submit a request to each of the three credit bureaus.
Quick Tip
If fraud has already occurred, take immediate action to close any unwanted accounts opened in your name. You should also visit www.identitytheft.gov to file an identity theft report. Filing this report serves as proof that you are a victim of identity theft and will also afford you some important rights when you begin to clean up your credit.
Credit freeze vs. fraud alert
If you want to protect your credit but don’t want to place a freeze, you can issue a fraud alert for free instead. A fraud alert doesn’t prevent creditors from accessing your credit report, but it requires them to verify your identity before issuing credit.
Frequently asked questions
No. Placing, temporarily lifting and permanently removing a credit freeze is free.
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