How to Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus
A credit freeze is a free, powerful way to stop scammers from opening new accounts in your name.
3 min read · 6 steps · Checked July 2026
Step 1. Gather your information
You will need your Social Security number, date of birth, current address, and a form of ID (driver's license number often helps speed things up). Have this ready before you start so you are not searching for it mid-process.
Step 2. Freeze your credit at Equifax
Go to equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services and look for "Freeze/Lock your Equifax Credit Report." Create a free account or log in, then follow the prompts to place a freeze. You will be asked to create a PIN or password — write this down and keep it somewhere safe, since you will need it to unfreeze later.
Step 3. Freeze your credit at Experian
Go to experian.com/freeze and select "Add a Security Freeze." Create an account, verify your identity by answering a few questions about your credit history, and confirm the freeze. Experian will give you a confirmation and PIN — save this too.
Step 4. Freeze your credit at TransUnion
Go to transunion.com/credit-freeze and select "Freeze my TransUnion Credit Report." Create an account, verify your identity, and confirm. TransUnion also provides a confirmation you should save.
Quick Tip
Quick Tip: Keep all three PINs and confirmation numbers together in one place — a password manager, a locked document, or a written note in a secure location. You will need them to thaw your credit later.
Step 5. Know how to temporarily thaw your credit when needed
If you are applying for a new credit card, loan, apartment, or phone plan, log back in to whichever bureau the business will check (they usually tell you, or you may need to thaw all three to be safe) and select "Temporarily lift freeze." You can choose a specific date range or thaw indefinitely, then refreeze when done.
Step 6. Also consider freezing your minor grandchildren's credit if you are a guardian
Children's Social Security numbers are often stolen for identity theft precisely because nobody checks a child's credit report for years. Parents and legal guardians can freeze a minor's credit at all three bureaus using a similar process, which requires extra documentation like a birth certificate.
A credit freeze blocks anyone — including you — from opening a new credit card, loan, or other account in your name. That's because lenders cannot check your credit report while it is frozen. This makes it very difficult for identity thieves to use stolen personal information to open new accounts, even if they have your Social Security number.
Freezing your credit is free by federal law. It does not hurt your existing credit score, and it does not affect accounts you already have — you can still use your current credit cards normally. You do need to freeze it separately at all three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — because each one keeps its own separate report.
If you ever need to apply for new credit, or if a business needs to check your credit for a legitimate reason, like a new apartment or a phone plan, you can temporarily "thaw," or unfreeze, it. This takes just a few minutes online or by phone. You can refreeze it again afterward.
This guide walks through freezing your credit at all three bureaus, which takes about 15-20 minutes total.
(Sources: Federal Trade Commission — consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts; Equifax, Experian, TransUnion official sites)
Official sources
- FTC Consumer Advice — consumer.ftc.gov
- IdentityTheft.gov — identitytheft.gov
- CISA — Stop.Think.Connect. — cisa.gov
- Have I Been Pwned — haveibeenpwned.com
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