A credit freeze is the most effective tool for preventing someone from opening fraudulent new accounts in your name — and it costs nothing. It has zero effect on your credit score and takes roughly 15 minutes to place at all three major bureaus. Here is exactly how to do it.
What a Credit Freeze Does (and Doesn't Do)
When you freeze your credit, each bureau blocks most external access to your credit file for account-opening purposes. Lenders who attempt to pull your report to open a new account receive a restriction notice and generally cannot proceed — which stops the fraud at its source.
What a freeze does not do:
- Affect your credit score in any way
- Block access to your existing accounts — you can still use your credit cards and pay your loans normally
- Prevent you from accessing your own credit reports
- Stop all fraud — a freeze prevents new account fraud but does not protect your existing accounts from account-takeover fraud
Under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 115-174), credit freezes became permanently free at all three major bureaus effective September 21, 2018. Before that law, bureaus could charge up to $10 per freeze in most states.
How to Freeze Your Credit at Each Bureau
A freeze at one bureau does not affect the others. Different lenders pull from different bureaus — and some pull all three — so a complete freeze requires three separate actions.
Equifax
Create an account at equifax.com, navigate to the Credit Report Freeze section, and follow the guided online process. Equifax allows you to manage your freeze entirely through your online account. You will need your account login to lift the freeze later.
TransUnion
Create an account at transunion.com and navigate to the credit freeze section. TransUnion's online process typically takes 2–3 minutes. You can also manage freezes through their mobile app once an account is established.
Experian
Create an account at experian.com and use the Freeze Center in your account dashboard. Experian will assign a PIN you may need to lift the freeze by phone or mail if you lose access to your online account — save it.
For current phone numbers and mailing addresses at each bureau — these change periodically — the FTC's credit freeze guide is the most reliable reference and is updated by the federal government.
How to Temporarily Lift a Credit Freeze
When you apply for a mortgage, auto loan, business line of credit, or any other product requiring a new credit pull, you need to temporarily lift your freeze at the bureaus your lender will pull. Ask your lender which bureau they use, or lift all three to be safe.
Online lifts typically take under 10 minutes. Most bureaus let you specify:
- A date range (lift from date X through date Y) — the freeze reinstates automatically when the window closes, which is the most secure option
- Or a permanent lift if you are applying for multiple products over a longer window
Temporarily lifting a freeze is also free.
Credit Freeze vs. Fraud Alert vs. Credit Lock
| Credit Freeze | Initial Fraud Alert | Extended Fraud Alert | Credit Lock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | Indefinite | 1 year | 7 years | Varies by bureau |
| Legal basis | Federal law (P.L. 115-174) | Federal law | Federal law (for ID theft victims) | Bureau service agreement |
| Effect | Blocks most new-account access | Flags report; lenders must verify identity | Stronger flag; free credit reports included | Similar to freeze; easier to toggle |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Often bundled with paid subscriptions |
A fraud alert does not block access to your report — it signals lenders to take extra verification steps before opening an account. Placing a fraud alert at one bureau automatically notifies the other two; for a freeze, you must contact each bureau separately.
A credit lock is a bureau-offered service with similar protection to a freeze but relies on the bureau's service agreement rather than federal statute. It is convenient to toggle via a mobile app, but your legal recourse if the bureau fails to honor it is more limited. If you are not already paying for a credit lock subscription, a free statutory freeze is the stronger protection.
Should You Also Freeze at Smaller Bureaus?
The three major bureaus cover most credit and lending decisions. For more complete protection:
- ChexSystems (chexsystems.com) — used by banks and credit unions when opening checking or savings accounts; relevant if you are concerned about fraudulent bank account openings
- Innovis (innovis.com) — a smaller fourth bureau used by some lenders
- NCTUE (National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange) — used by some utility and telecom providers; accessible through TransUnion's site
Most people start with the three major bureaus. The specialty bureaus matter most for targeted fraud scenarios beyond standard credit fraud.
How This Affects Small Business Loan Applications
For small business owners, your personal credit report is a direct input into most business loan underwriting. Revenue-based financing, SBA loans, term loans, and business lines of credit all reference your personal FICO score as part of the file evaluation.
If you are actively seeking business funding, lift your personal credit freeze at the relevant bureaus before your lender runs their credit pull — an active freeze will block the pull and can delay or stall your application. Your lender can tell you which bureau they use.
For a breakdown of which personal credit factors carry the most weight across different business loan products, see How Your Credit Score Affects Business Funding.
Pair Your Freeze with Credit Monitoring
A freeze blocks new account fraud but will not alert you to suspicious activity on your existing accounts. For complete protection, combine your freeze with credit monitoring that notifies you when changes appear on your report.
The CFPB's credit reports and scores resource center covers your rights to free annual credit reports from each bureau, how to dispute inaccurate information, and what lenders are and are not permitted to do with your credit file.
For guidance on which monitoring level makes sense for your situation, see Identity Theft Protection vs. Credit Monitoring. To understand what the underlying scoring factors are in the first place, see How Your Credit Score Is Calculated.