📋 Table of Contents
Credit Freeze Guide
A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report, preventing new accounts from being opened in your name — a strong, free protection against identity theft.
How a Credit Freeze Works
With a freeze in place, lenders can't access your credit report to approve new credit applications, effectively blocking identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name, even with your Social Security number.
Freezing With All Three Bureaus
| Bureau | How to Freeze |
|---|---|
| Equifax | Online, phone, or mail — free |
| Experian | Online, phone, or mail — free |
| TransUnion | Online, phone, or mail — free |
Temporarily Lifting a Freeze
When you need to apply for new credit, you can temporarily lift the freeze (often instantly online) for a specific lender or time period, then it automatically re-freezes.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting which bureaus you've frozen, or forgetting to lift the freeze before applying for new credit, causing unexpected application delays or denials.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — federal law requires credit freezes to be free at all three major bureaus, both to place and to lift.
No — a credit freeze doesn't affect your credit score. It simply restricts who can access your report, not the score calculation itself.