How To Freeze Credit

Identity theft has become more and more prevalent in recent times, a credit freeze is a tactic you can take to help prevent this from happening. By putting a freeze on your credit with the 3 major credit bureaus, nobody will be able to open a new line of credit under your name while the freeze is in place. This makes it extraordinarily difficult for criminals to commit fraud with your credentials (Social Security number, address, passwords, etc.).

Unfreezing your credit, or “thawing,” for your own use is very simple and easy. Most of us aren’t looking for a new credit card or loan on a whim, it’s important to keep your information protected during those in-between times. There are certainly protections out there for those who become victim to identity theft, but this simple precautionary measure will save you time and energy in the case of fraud. Best of all, it’s completely free! (Like actually free, not some temporary gimmick to set you up for a subscription. 🤪)

Freezing your credit will not impact your credit score or affect your existing lines of credit. You can still use your existing lines of credit (credit cards, HELOC, etc.) the same way you normally would. This process simply prevents new lines of credit being opened in your name without your approval.

Technically, anyone can physically mail a request to the 3 major credit bureaus to have their credit frozen. 😂 It’s 2025 guys, let’s keep it easy and do it online. All you really need to get started is some basic info (like SSN, DOB, address, etc.), things you should probably know off the top of your head.

You’ll want to freeze your credit with each of the 3 major credit bureaus individually. Here are the 3 links to get there:

• Experian
• Equifax
• TransUnion

If you don’t already have an account, it’s safe and easy to set one up. You’ll even stumble upon your credit score if you haven’t already been monitoring it. Keep in mind, these 3 credit unions are for-profit companies. They will attempt to get you signed up for some type of upgraded membership or a new credit card, ignore all of it and click on through.

Once you are all set up this is the screen you’ll want to be on for each website:

Experian

Equifax

TransUnion

All you need to do is hit the tab that initiates the freeze. Then, that’s it! The freeze should take place the next business day, and there’s nothing more you need to do!

As you can see, my accounts are already frozen. Lurking criminals out there can move on to the next. 😛

You’ll see tabs on the above screen shots that offer to completely remove or temporarily “thaw” the credit freeze. If you are applying for a new credit card or car loan, scheduling a thaw will unfreeze your credit temporarily for a set period of time that you choose. It will automatically freeze after said time period ends, so you don’t have to remember to sign back in.

If you have some big money moves coming up (like buying property), you’ll want to completely remove the freeze for now to avoid any disruption. My personal experience with closing was a nightmare, it would have created even more obstacles had a credit freeze popped up in the middle of things. Once moved in don’t forget to log back in to freeze your credit again!

You’ll want to schedule a thaw not only when applying for any type of new credit, but for shopping insurances as well. We have discussed in the past that certain types of insurance will involve your credit score/report in factoring your premiums. Having a credit freeze in place while they make a risk assessment (i.e. generate your premiums) will sometimes result in some pretty wonky quotes.

I’ve advised in the past to shop insurance once every year or two, so it might sound like a headache to set up the freeze and thaw several times a year for car insurance, house insurance, applying for a new credit card, etc. Instead, try doing them all at once! Set up a list of all the insurances and loan applications you want to shop and set up a thaw for a few weeks while you reach out to companies about applications and quotes. It might be a busy week/weekend, but it’s hard to hate the optimization!

First off, don’t do it. All 3 credit bureaus are going to offer you to buy some type of paid subscription service that will “lock” your credit. Seem a bit redundant? It should. Don’t forget, these are for-profit agencies we are working with here.

Usually a credit lock, depending on the variety, will offer the same aspects of a credit freeze along with some type of monitoring service. The only real benefit I can make out of these is that you’ll have the ability to unlock your credit in real time. Like if you happen to be at the car dealership and forgot to thaw your credit the previous day. The credit monitoring agency will contact you in real time to see if it actually is you applying for credit and offer to open your credit profile to this lender at that moment.

The other thing a credit lock may allow you to do is to lock one specific line of credit. For example, if an existing credit card has a fraudulent charge on it, you can lock that credit card without locking your other lines of credit. In truth, if it actually is a fraudulent charge, your credit card company isn’t going to hold you liable anyway. There are consumer protections in place for this. Contacting the credit card company about a fraudulent charge, which will lock the line of credit temporarily anyway, is going to take the same (if not less) time out of your day. Plus, you’ll get to avoid all those pesky texts and emails from the service about the purchases you are actually making. 🤪

A credit freeze is going to stop criminals from opening new lines of credit regardless, and most of your existing lines of credit already have consumer protections in place. Most importantly, it’s free! If, for whatever reason, a credit monitoring service appeals to you, there are companies that offer this for free (along with non-stop advertisements). Again, don’t sign up for a credit lock.

Just about everyone out there should have a credit freeze in place most of the time. It’s simple to thaw when applying for credit cards, or to completely unfreeze for a period when buying a house. Once we have our base level of credit lines open (mortgage, car loan, revolving credit lines, etc.), it’s best to keep our credit frozen during the time inbetween.

It’s also a good idea to freeze your child’s credit. It would not be fun to wake up and find out they suddenly owe money on a mortgage for a property in Waco, Texas 😬. Man, that 8-year-old is a real go getter! Lord knows I should have been buying property in 1994 instead of playing with my ninja turtles! 😂

At the same time, almost nobody should need the services of a credit lock. Why pay for any service that you can get for free? It might be easy to mix them up, so keep this in mind:

CREDIT FREEZE = FREE = GOOD

CREDIT LOCK = LOCKED INTO SUBSCRIPTION = BAD

Stay classy Solos! ✌️