Contact the Credit Bureau: Visit the website of the credit bureau you need to unfreeze your credit with and look for their “freeze” or “security freeze” page.You’ll need to contact each of the 3 major credit bureaus where your credit is frozen, including Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, to unfreeze your credit.įollow these steps to unfreeze your credit: While a credit freeze can help protect your credit from fraud and identity theft, it does not prevent all types of fraud, such as the type that involves existing accounts. It’s a good idea to unfreeze your credit when applying for a new credit product, such as a credit card or loan. Lenders and creditors can access your credit report and use it to make decisions about lending you money, extending credit, or offering you other financial services once your credit is unfrozen. You can unfreeze your credit by contacting the credit bureaus and requesting to lift the freeze temporarily or permanently. What Does It Mean To Unfreeze Your Credit? Read on to learn the steps required to unfreeze your credit with each of the major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - and find out when it’s a good idea to unfreeze your credit. There’s no cost associated with unfreezing your credit reports, and if you make your requests online or by phone, the credit bureaus have to unfreeze your credit report within an hour, so you can count on speedy service. There’s a simple process to follow to freeze or unfreeze your credit - all it takes is logging in online or making a phone call to unfreeze your credit and open access to your credit reports either temporarily or permanently. Unfreezing your credit lifts this restriction and allows access to your credit report again. If you're just going to do one thing, like ordering a new phone or buying a new car, you should check with the service provider or auto dealer to find out which credit-monitoring agency it uses, then grant access to that agency.When you freeze your credit, you restrict access to your credit report by potential creditors and lenders. In addition, you may not have to thaw your report at all three credit bureaus. The credit-reporting agencies have a feature that lets you select a window for when a thaw goes into effect and when it will automatically refreeze. If you only need to give one creditor access for a specific amount of time, you can impose a temporary thaw. Once you've taken care of your business, you can freeze your credit once again. You may want to enroll in a credit-monitoring program, but be aware that these often carry additional costs. Creditors now have access to your data, but criminals also have the opportunity to open accounts in your name if your information has been compromised. Once you impose the thaw, make sure you monitor your credit report. If you're planning lots of financial moves without a clear timetable, such as applying for a mortgage, you can simply thaw your credit report indefinitely.Ĭontact each of the three major credit bureaus either by going online, calling them on the phone, or by mail. To place, temporarily lift, or permanently remove a security freeze from Experian and TransUnion, the other two major credit reporting agencies, you'll still need a PIN number. "Credit freezes are consumers' best protection against new account fraud, and consumers should take advantage of free freezes, lifts, and removals at the three major credit bureaus to help reduce the risk of identity theft," says Maureen Mahoney, policy analyst for Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports. Any previously frozen credit reports will remain frozen until a consumer changes the report's status. If you've lost your number, a new one can be requested by downloading, filling out, and mailing this form to Equifax. Your old Equifax PIN will still be valid in these instances. However, if you want to manage your Equifax report by phone or by mail, Bistritz-Balkan says you'll still need a PIN number. A username and password will be necessary to thaw or lift your credit freeze online, she says. "We wanted to create an online experience that enables consumers to securely and conveniently manage security freezes and fraud alerts," says Nancy Bistritz-Balkan, Equifax's vice president of consumer education & advocacy. To create the account you'll have to provide information such as your name, Social Security number, and home address. Now, you need to open a new online account with Equifax in order to manage your credit, even if you've already been issued a PIN number by the company. Before the new law was enacted, Equifax would give you a PIN number to initiate a credit freeze.
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