A credit freeze (security freeze) is a free federal right. You tell Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion not to release your file for most new credit. A thief with your Social Security number has a much harder time opening a card or a loan. It does not lower your score, and it does not remove collections already on the report.
You must freeze each bureau separately. Freezing one leaves the other two open. A bureau “lock” in an app is not the same legal tool — see credit freeze vs credit lock.
Do this after a breach or a stolen SSN
How to freeze (all three)
- Equifax — freeze.equifax.com or the Equifax app. Create or sign in to an myEquifax account. Place the freeze. Save the PIN or login; you will need it to thaw.
- Experian — experian.com/freeze or the Experian app. Same idea: identity check, freeze on, store the credentials.
- TransUnion — transunion.com/credit-freeze or the TransUnion app. Repeat. There is no one-click that covers all three.
You can also mail a freeze request, but the websites are faster and still free. If a bureau cannot verify you online, they will tell you what document to send. Official consumer pages live on each bureau’s site and on IdentityTheft.gov.
Freeze and thaw by bureau
Each bureau runs its own freeze. These are the phone lines the FTC lists for placing or lifting one; online is usually quicker.
- Equifax: online through your myEquifax account, or call 1-888-298-0045. Thaw from the same account.
- Experian: online at the Experian Freeze Center, or call 1-888-397-3742. Keep the PIN or login you set up; Experian asks for it to lift the freeze.
- TransUnion: online through your TransUnion account, or call 1-888-909-8872. To thaw, sign in and choose a temporary lift (with an end date) or a permanent removal.
Can you lock Experian for free?
The free option at Experian is the freeze. Experian’s “CreditLock” toggle is sold as part of its paid membership. A lock and a freeze stop the same new-credit pulls, but only the freeze is a legal right with no fee and fixed deadlines. The same is true at TransUnion and Equifax: if you only want protection, the free freeze is enough.
How to thaw when you need credit
Lift the freeze at the bureau the lender pulls — or at all three if you are not sure. You can thaw for a date range or for a specific creditor, then the freeze goes back on. If you are rate-shopping a mortgage or auto loan, thaw before you apply or the pull can fail.
Timing is set by federal law: a bureau must lift a freeze within one hour of an online or phone request, and within three business days of a mailed request. Ask the lender which bureau it pulls so you only thaw that one.
Existing cards, your own report checks, and most insurance or employer soft pulls still work while frozen. New credit is what stops.
Freeze vs lock vs fraud alert vs opt-out
- Freeze — statutory. Use this as the default after identity theft or a major breach.
- Lock — bureau product. Convenient toggle; not a replacement for the freeze right.
- Fraud alert — lenders should take extra steps to verify it is you. Weaker than a freeze; useful as a complement. An extended alert is available with an identity theft report.
- Opt-out of prescreen — stops most firm-offer junk mail. Does not freeze the file. OptOutPrescreen.com.
What a freeze will not do
- It will not raise your score or delete a collection.
- It will not stop someone who already has an account in your name from using it.
- It will not replace a dispute or a CFPB complaint.
After you freeze, still read the file. How to read your credit report and the dispute-deadline calculator if you are already mailing letters. 850ai can analyze a report you upload even when the file is frozen for new lenders — a freeze does not block you from seeing your own data.
Educational only