How to Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus for Free

calendar May 27, 2026 / · 4 min read · opt out identity protection credit freeze  ·
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The Single Most Effective Anti-Fraud Move Is Free

A credit freeze — also called a security freeze — restricts access to your credit report, which means lenders cannot pull it to open a new account in your name. Because almost every new credit card, loan, or line of credit requires a hard inquiry first, a freeze stops most new-account identity theft before it starts. The Federal Trade Commission calls it the best way to protect against new-account fraud.

Freezing used to cost a fee in many states. That ended on September 21, 2018, when the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act made credit freezes and unfreezes free nationwide at all three nationwide credit bureaus. There is no longer any reason to pay a third-party "credit lock" subscription for the core protection — the statutory freeze is free and federally backed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

A freeze does not affect your credit score, and it does not stop you from using existing accounts. It only blocks new credit pulls until you lift it. The one catch: you must freeze at each bureau separately, because lenders may pull from any of the three. Freezing one and skipping the others leaves a door open.

How to freeze your credit: step by step

  1. Freeze at Equifax — Go to equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze or call 1-800-685-1111. Create a myEquifax account (or use the phone option) and request the security freeze. You'll receive a PIN or account login used to lift it later.

  2. Freeze at Experian — Go to experian.com/freeze or call 1-888-397-3742. Experian issues a PIN you must keep — you'll need it to thaw the freeze temporarily.

  3. Freeze at TransUnion — Go to transunion.com/credit-freeze or call 1-800-916-8800. Set up the freeze through your TransUnion Service Center account.

  4. Don't forget the two smaller bureaus — Innovis (innovis.com/securityFreeze) and the National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange (NCTUE, 1-866-349-5355) hold data some lenders and utilities check. Freezing them closes the remaining gaps.

  5. Store your PINs and logins securely — You cannot thaw a freeze without the bureau's PIN or account credentials. Save them in a password manager. Losing an Experian PIN in particular means a recovery process by mail.

  6. Thaw temporarily when you apply for credit — When you need a new card, loan, or apartment, lift the freeze at the relevant bureau (the lender will tell you which one they pull). Each bureau lets you set a temporary thaw window, then refreezes automatically. Lifts are free and take effect within minutes online.

What to expect

Online and phone freezes take effect within one hour under federal law; mail-in requests are slower. Once frozen, your reports stay frozen indefinitely until you lift them — there is no expiration. You can still get your free annual reports, your score will not change, and existing creditors, debt collectors, and government agencies can still access your file.

The most common friction is the temporary thaw. Plan ahead before applying for credit: ask the lender which bureau they use, thaw just that one for a short window, and let it refreeze. If you are not sure, a one-to-three-day thaw across all three is the safe default. For ongoing protection on top of the freeze, the FTC notes that fraud alerts (free, renewable) are a complementary layer, not a replacement.

References

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