Did you know that over 278 million people in the U.S. were affected by data breaches and other security compromises last year? A record-high number of security failures took place in 2026, leaving more people vulnerable to crimes such as identity theft and credit fraud than ever before.
If you’ve been impacted by a security breach, or if you had your personal information stolen in some other way, there’s a chance the criminal(s) could try to apply for credit cards or loans in your name.
How can you protect yourself against these crimes? As a financial educator and former NFCC-certified credit counselor, I’ve spent over a decade teaching consumers how to protect their credit, and one of the most underutilized tools available is a free security measure called a credit freeze. Here’s what you need to know.
What does it mean to ‘freeze’ your credit?
A credit freeze, sometimes called a security freeze, is a free setting you can activate through the credit bureaus to protect your credit information. When you put a credit freeze in place, you stop creditors and other companies from being able to pull your credit reports. After you put a credit freeze in place, you’ll need to remove it if you want to apply for new credit cards or loans.
Why should you freeze your credit? Here are the main reasons I recommend considering this free security measure:
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Identity theft: If you’ve been a victim of identity theft or a data breach, putting a credit freeze in place can prevent the criminal(s) from using your stolen information to apply for credit cards and loans in your name.
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Child protection: Most people don’t check their children’s credit files. Unfortunately, there are criminals who take advantage of that fact by using childrens’ identities to obtain debt. To stop fraudsters from using your child’s credit information, you can put a credit freeze in place for any of your dependents who are under the age of 16.
How to freeze your credit
Each of the three major credit bureaus has its own process for setting up a credit freeze. For each bureau, it takes a few minutes to complete the process online, including setting up an account. Be prepared to provide your contact information, Social Security number, and a government-issued ID to get started.
Once you complete the process, the credit freeze should go into effect almost immediately, and you can remove it at any time.
Experian
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Create or log in to your Experian account.
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Go to the Security freeze setting in your account and toggle it to “Frozen.”
Equifax
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Create or log in to your account at my.Equifax.com.
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Visit the myEquifax main page.
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Select “Place a Freeze.”
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Follow the instructions to complete the process.
TransUnion
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Create or log in to your TransUnion account.
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Click on the “Credit Freeze” button on the homepage.
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Hit the “add Freeze” button.
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Hit “continue” on the pop-up page.
How to unfreeze your credit
Unfreezing your credit is easy. You’ll simply need to log in to your credit bureau account and follow the steps to manage the freeze, which usually takes just a few clicks. Here are the options you can expect to see:
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Permanently remove the credit freeze
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Temporarily “thaw” or unfreeze your report
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Schedule a thaw for a future date
Once you submit your request, the change should take effect right away.
Credit freeze vs. credit lock
Credit freezes and credit locks can both offer you protection, but they’re not the same.
A credit lock is a paid service that restricts access to your credit report, often allowing you to instantly lock or unlock it with one click in the app.
If you’re concerned about protecting your identity, I recommend going with a credit freeze since it’s the only free option and it gives you indefinite protection against credit fraud. Here’s how the two compare:
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CREDIT FREEZE |
CREDIT LOCK |
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|---|---|---|
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Cost |
Free |
Up to $24.99/month, depending on service |
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How to remove |
In the credit bureau’s app or website |
Provide a password or PIN |
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How long it lasts |
Until you remove it |
Until you remove it or cancel payment |
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Activity alerts? |
No |
Varies by credit bureau |
|
Impact on credit scores |
None |
None |
Alternatively, you might consider setting up a fraud alert.
A fraud alert is another free measure, but it’s designed to help people who have already been damaged by fraud on their credit reports. The main benefits of fraud alerts are that you only have to contact one credit bureau to place an alert on all three, and creditors will be required to verify your identity any time someone applies for an account in your name.
