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Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. A credit freeze is free, does not change your credit score, and stays in place until you lift it. It limits access to your credit report for most new-credit decisions, making it harder for an identity thief to open an account in your name. It does not stop every kind of identity theft, protect accounts you already have, or prevent unauthorized charges on an existing card.
You do not need to wait for a breach or confirmed fraud. Anyone can place a freeze at any time. If you already see fraudulent activity, freeze the reports while you follow the separate account-recovery steps below.
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What a credit freeze does
A freeze restricts a credit bureau from releasing your report to businesses making most new-credit decisions. A lender that cannot access the report may be unable to approve an application until you temporarily lift the freeze. The freeze itself is not a negative mark, does not lower or raise your score, and does not expire on a preset date.
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The restriction applies to the bureau where you place it. A request sent to one bureau does not freeze the other two, so complete the process with all three. You can still use existing credit cards and loans, check your own reports, and carry out ordinary financial activity while the freeze is active.
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The Federal Trade Commission summarized the cost and score impact in a September 2025 consumer alert: “A freeze is free to place or lift — and doesn’t affect your credit score.” Its separate guidance also says, “A freeze lasts until you lift it.”
Think of the freeze as a setting on each credit file, not as a lock on your entire financial life. It is designed mainly to make new-account fraud harder. It will not investigate suspicious activity, reverse a transaction, or tell you whether an account was opened elsewhere.
Credit freeze or fraud alert: which fits your situation?
Both tools address new-account fraud, but they work differently. Use the comparison to choose a response that matches your plans for applying for credit.
| Question | Credit freeze | Fraud alert |
|---|---|---|
| How does it affect the report? | Restricts access to the report for most new-credit decisions. | Leaves the report accessible but tells a business to verify your identity before opening new credit. |
| How many bureaus must you contact? | All three: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. | One bureau is enough for an initial alert; that bureau must notify the other two. |
| How long does it last? | Until you lift it. | An initial alert lasts one year. An eligible identity-theft victim can request an extended alert lasting seven years. |
| What happens when you apply? | You may need to lift the freeze at the bureau the lender checks before approval. | The business is asked to contact you or take reasonable steps to verify that the applicant is you. |
| Can both be used? | Yes. A freeze and an alert can coexist. | Yes. An alert does not replace monitoring or account-recovery work. |
A freeze is the stronger barrier if you do not expect to seek new credit and are willing to manage temporary lifts. An alert is more convenient when you want reports available while adding an identity-check prompt. Neither option substitutes for reviewing statements, checking reports, or responding to an account takeover.
An alert is not a lighter version of a freeze in every practical sense. A freeze requires three separate requests but then stays until you remove it. An initial alert requires only one request because the contacted bureau notifies the other two, but it expires after one year unless you renew it. If identity theft has already occurred, ask whether you qualify for the seven-year extended alert.
How to freeze all three credit reports
- Start with the FTC’s current credit-freeze guidance. Use its bureau links and contact details rather than an old phone list or an advertisement. The agencies can change page addresses and verification procedures.
- Open the freeze request for each bureau. Submit separate requests to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can generally complete the request online or by telephone; mail is also available.
- Complete identity verification. Each bureau may ask for identifying information or additional verification before it places the restriction. Enter information only on the bureau’s official site or provide it through the bureau’s published telephone channel.
- Save confirmation details. Keep usernames, passwords, confirmation numbers, and any instructions for lifting the freeze in a password manager or another secure location. Do not leave them in an unprotected email account or wallet that was lost with your identification.
- Repeat until all three confirmations are recorded. A single confirmation proves only that one bureau processed your request. Check that you have a separate record for each agency.
Official bureau contact pages listed by the FTC
| Bureau | Online contact | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Equifax | Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services | 1-800-685-1111 |
| Experian | Experian.com/help | 1-888-397-3742 |
| TransUnion | TransUnion.com/credit-help | 1-888-909-8872 |
Because contact information and page flows can change, use the FTC’s current bureau-contact page to verify these details before submitting sensitive information. The freeze costs nothing to place or lift; a paid “lock” or monitoring subscription is not required to obtain the statutory freeze.
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Verify that every freeze is active
After each request, read the confirmation carefully. Record the bureau name, confirmation number, date, login or recovery instructions, and any information about temporary lifts. Then sign in to each bureau’s account and verify that its status shows an active freeze. Do not assume that one bureau’s confirmation covers the others.
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How to lift a freeze for a legitimate application
A freeze does not mean you must leave it off whenever you apply for a card, loan, apartment, or other service. Plan a temporary lift instead.
- Ask the lender which bureau it will check. Some lenders use one bureau; others check more than one. If the lender cannot tell you, you may need to lift the freeze at multiple bureaus or ask how to avoid a failed application.
- Use the bureau’s online or telephone process. Sign in with the credentials you saved or complete the bureau’s identity-verification steps. Choose a temporary lift and specify the period or lender when the form offers that option.
- Apply during the lift window. A lender may submit an inquiry outside the exact moment you expect, so follow the bureau’s instructions for the effective dates. A lift does not erase the freeze permanently unless you select permanent removal.
- Reinstate the freeze immediately after the application is resolved. Sign back in to confirm that the report is restricted again and save the new confirmation.
FTC guidance lists statutory processing deadlines: an online or telephone request to place a freeze must be processed within one business day, and an online or telephone request to lift it within one hour. A mailed request must be processed within three business days. These are processing deadlines, not a promise that identity verification, a website outage, a lender’s queue, or a postal delay will be instantaneous. Allow extra time when a loan closing or other deadline is fixed.
Lift only the report or reports the lender needs. Leaving all three unfrozen for convenience creates a wider window in which a different lender could access a report. When the application is complete, restore every freeze you lifted, even if the lender ultimately used only one bureau.
Common freeze mistakes and how to avoid them
- Freezing only one report: A request is bureau-specific. Finish all three requests.
- Paying for a freeze: Placing and lifting the statutory freeze is free. Be cautious of advertisements that turn a free action into a subscription.
- Confusing a freeze with a lock: A commercial “lock” or monitoring package is not required for the free freeze described by the FTC.
- Removing the freeze permanently: Select a temporary lift when possible and restore the restriction after the lender finishes.
- Losing access credentials: Save each bureau’s login and confirmation information securely before you need to apply for credit.
- Assuming a freeze handles existing fraud: It does not stop charges, close an account, or correct a report entry.
- Using an old contact list: Verify current pages and telephone numbers through the FTC’s guidance.
What a freeze does not protect
- Existing accounts: A freeze does not block use of a credit card or bank account that is already open and does not stop a thief from charging an existing account.
- Other forms of identity theft: Someone may misuse your information for a tax filing, medical service, employment matter, utility account, or account takeover without opening a conventional credit account.
- Routine non-credit checks: FTC guidance says a freeze does not generally block checks for employment, rental housing, or insurance.
- Your own access: You can continue to obtain and review your reports. The freeze is about businesses accessing a report for new-credit decisions.
Continue checking bank, credit-card, and insurance statements for unfamiliar transactions. Review your credit reports for accounts or inquiries you do not recognize. A freeze reduces one avenue of fraud; it is not a substitute for account security, transaction alerts, strong authentication, or prompt reporting.
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If fraud has already happened: a recovery sequence
When you find an unauthorized account, charge, or account takeover, work through the company involved and the FTC’s recovery process. A freeze alone will not reverse a charge or close an account.
- Contact the company where the fraud occurred. Ask for its fraud department, explain which activity is unauthorized, and request that the account be closed or secured so additional charges cannot post. Follow its instructions for replacing cards, changing account ownership, or documenting the dispute.
- Change compromised passwords and PINs. Start with the affected account, then change any other account that reused the same password or security answers. Use unique passwords and enable multifactor authentication where available. Change email credentials first if the email account could be used to reset other logins.
- Place a fraud alert. An initial alert is free, lasts one year, and can be requested from any one of the three bureaus; that bureau must notify the other two. If you have experienced identity theft, ask whether you qualify for the seven-year extended alert.
- Obtain and review your reports. AnnualCreditReport.com is the FTC-identified source for free reports from the three bureaus. Look for unfamiliar accounts, hard inquiries, addresses, and collection activity. Dispute inaccurate or fraudulent information with the relevant bureau and the company that supplied it.
- Report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC site uses the information you provide to generate an Identity Theft Report and a personalized recovery plan. Follow the plan’s issue-specific instructions, which may include additional notifications or documents.
- Freeze all three reports. If you have not already done so, complete the separate freeze requests described above, then keep the confirmations with your recovery records.
Keep copies of correspondence, dispute dates, case numbers, police or incident reports if requested, and receipts for mailed documents. Record when an account was secured and when you checked that unauthorized activity had stopped. This paper trail makes follow-up with a creditor or bureau easier.
Practical responses to common situations
You received a breach notice but see no fraud
You can freeze all three reports immediately; no confirmed misuse is required. Save the breach notice, use unique passwords for any exposed login, and turn on transaction or login alerts. Continue reviewing statements and reports because a freeze does not cover existing accounts or non-credit misuse.
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Place the freezes first, then contact card issuers and your bank through numbers on their official statements or websites. Ask them to cancel exposed cards, review recent transactions, and add account-level protections. Change passwords and PINs that could be inferred from items in the wallet. A fraud alert can add an identity-verification prompt while you replace documents.
You see a new account or inquiry you did not open
Call the company’s fraud department, request closure or a security hold, and document the case number. Place a fraud alert and obtain all three reports. Dispute the unfamiliar entry with the bureau and the furnisher, then submit the incident to IdentityTheft.gov for a tailored plan. A freeze helps prevent additional new-credit accounts but does not remove the fraudulent entry by itself.
You need credit urgently
Ask the lender exactly which bureau or bureaus it will use and when it will pull the report. Lift only those freezes for the shortest practical window, submit the application, and verify that each freeze is active again. If online or telephone processing does not complete within the FTC-described deadline, contact the bureau and the lender rather than repeatedly submitting applications that could create unnecessary inquiries.
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You discover unauthorized charges but no new account
Start with the bank or card company’s fraud department because a freeze does not stop activity on an account that already exists. Secure or close the account as directed, change related passwords and PINs, and review recent statements. You can still freeze all three credit reports to address possible new-account risk while the company investigates the existing-account charges.
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Keeping the protection effective
- Store each bureau’s login and recovery information in a secure password manager.
- Use account alerts for purchases, transfers, password changes, and new payees.
- Review statements on a regular schedule, including accounts you rarely use.
- Check your credit reports for unfamiliar accounts and inquiries even while freezes remain active.
- When a lender asks you to lift a freeze, confirm the request through a known contact channel before entering credentials.
- After resolving an incident, follow the personalized IdentityTheft.gov plan until each affected company confirms closure, correction, or restoration.
Commercial credit or identity-monitoring companies may also offer recovery services, but those are optional services and are not needed to place a freeze or to use the FTC’s free recovery tools. Compare what a service actually covers and what it costs before enrolling. The free bureau freeze and FTC recovery process should come first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does freezing my credit lower my credit score?
No. The FTC says a freeze does not affect your credit score. It restricts access to a report for most new-credit decisions; it does not add a negative mark.
How much does a credit freeze cost?
Nothing. Placing and lifting a freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion is free. You do not need to buy monitoring or a paid lock to obtain the statutory freeze.
Do I need to wait for a data breach before freezing my credit?
No. Anyone can freeze their credit at any time. You can do it as a precaution, after a breach notice, or while responding to suspected fraud.
Is freezing one bureau enough?
No. Each bureau maintains its own report, and a request sent to one does not freeze the other two. Submit separate requests to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Can I still apply for a credit card or loan with a freeze?
Yes, but ask the lender which bureau or bureaus it will check. Temporarily lift only the needed freeze or freezes, apply during the lift window, and restore them afterward.
What is the difference between a credit freeze and a fraud alert?
A freeze restricts access to a report and stays until you lift it. A fraud alert leaves the report accessible but asks businesses to verify your identity. An initial alert lasts one year and can be requested through one bureau, which notifies the other two; an eligible identity-theft victim may request a seven-year extended alert.
Will a freeze stop fraudulent charges on my existing card?
No. A freeze does not affect use of existing credit or bank accounts. Contact the company’s fraud department, secure or close the affected account, and dispute unauthorized activity.
Can I check my credit reports while they are frozen?
Yes. A freeze does not prevent you from obtaining or reviewing your own reports. The FTC identifies AnnualCreditReport.com as the source for free reports from the three bureaus.
What should I do first if I find identity theft?
Contact the company where the fraud occurred, secure or close the account, change compromised passwords and PINs, place a fraud alert, review and dispute report entries, and report the incident at IdentityTheft.gov. Then freeze all three reports if you have not already done so.
How long does a bureau take to process a freeze or lift?
FTC guidance states that online or telephone placement must be processed within one business day, and an online or telephone lift within one hour. A mailed request must be processed within three business days. Identity verification or technical and postal delays can still affect how quickly the change is usable.
Does a freeze block employment, rental, or insurance checks?
FTC guidance says a freeze does not generally block those non-credit checks. It is primarily intended to restrict access for new-credit decisions.
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Yes. They can coexist. The alert adds an identity-verification prompt while the freeze restricts access, but neither replaces statement reviews or recovery steps.
The Bottom Line
Freeze Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately for free, keep each confirmation secure, and lift only the bureau a lender needs for a legitimate application. A freeze protects against many new-account attempts but not existing-account charges or every type of identity theft. Keep monitoring statements and reports, and use the company’s fraud team and IdentityTheft.gov if misuse has already occurred.
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