Credit freeze (security freeze)
Also known as: Security freeze, Credit lock
A no-cost lock on your credit file at each of the three major US credit bureaus that prevents new lenders from accessing the file, blocking new credit account opening until temporarily or permanently lifted. Free at all three bureaus since 2018.
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A credit freeze prevents the three major US credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) from releasing your credit file to any new lender. Without access to your file, a lender cannot underwrite a new credit account in your name — credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, personal loans, store financing, and most other forms of credit are effectively blocked. The freeze is the strongest available identity-theft defense for the typical US consumer because it prevents the most common harm (someone opening accounts in your name) at the file level, before any inquiry or approval can happen. Existing accounts are unaffected — you can continue using cards and loans you already hold while the freeze is in place.
Since September 2018, federal law requires all three bureaus to offer credit freezes free of charge to all US consumers, regardless of state of residence. Each bureau must process freeze, temporary lift, and permanent removal requests within one business day for online requests and three business days for mail. Freezes can be placed by phone, online, or by mail at each bureau separately — there is no single point that freezes all three at once. The bureau URLs: experian.com/freeze, equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services, transunion.com/credit-freeze. Each bureau issues a freeze PIN or password the consumer needs to retain for future lifting; loss of the PIN can be recovered via identity verification but adds friction.
The practical workflow: freeze all three bureaus right now if not already done (15 minutes total online per bureau). When applying for new credit, identify which bureau the lender will pull (most credit card issuers favor Experian or Equifax; mortgages typically pull all three; auto loans vary), then temporarily lift the freeze at that specific bureau for the duration of the application (typically 1-30 days). After the application is decided, the freeze automatically re-applies. There is no fee for the lift or the re-freeze. The minor friction of lifting at application time is the only downside, balanced against the substantial security upside of a permanently frozen file.
A credit freeze does not affect your credit score, does not prevent existing creditors from accessing the file for periodic reviews, does not stop pre-approved offers (those are handled via a separate opt-out at optoutprescreen.com), and does not block employment background checks (employment-purpose pulls require separate consent regardless of freeze status). It also does not prevent insurance pull (life and auto insurance underwriting pulls), tax authority pulls (rare), or court-ordered pulls. For protections beyond what a freeze provides, the additional layer is a fraud alert (free, requires creditors to take extra verification steps) which can stack on top of a freeze.
CFPB — Place or lift a security freeze on your credit report
- Credit freeze + fraud alert — the layered identity defense The two free CFPB-mandated tools that stop identity theft at the credit-bureau level. How each works, how they stack, and the 30-minute setup.
- Should I freeze LexisNexis before disputing my credit report? Freezing LexisNexis does not auto-delete tradelines before a dispute. Here is why the FCRA reinvestigation duty makes that myth fail.
- Soft pull vs hard pull: which credit inquiries affect your score A soft pull never affects your FICO. A hard pull drops it 2–5 points for about 12 months. Which is which, when each happens, and the 45-day rate-shopping rule.
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