Credit lock vs. freeze: How they differ, and when and how to use each

What is a credit lock?

A credit lock is a service that limits access to a credit file and notifies a customer if someone tries to access it without their authorization. A customer who’s locked their credit file must verify any access attempts. This prevents criminals from using personal information maliciously in financial scams.

A credit lock is typically a paid service. Credit bureaus offer it as part of a bundle with other security perks, which can vary based on the subscription plan you select.

• Experian: Customers with a premium identity protection subscription get CreditLock as part of the included services.
• Equifax: Credit lock is available with the Complete, Complete Family, Complete Premier, and Credit Monitor products.
• TransUnion: Credit lock is available as part of the monthly Credit Monitoring service.

Due to differing requirements, you must manually set up a credit lock with each credit bureau. Unlocking is likewise manual. However, this lets you control how long you want the credit lock to last without a predetermined deactivation date. Once it’s set up, the activation and deactivation are instant.

A credit lock offers strong protection against identity fraud. To grant access to your credit history, you must verify and approve the requests yourself. Although the risk of a locked credit being breached is low, it may be vulnerable to exploitation if your identification data or credentials have been compromised.

When should you use a credit lock?

A credit lock is an effective preventative measure against financial scams. If you suspect your personal information has been compromised and someone might try to access your credit information, you can set up the lock instantly. That way, if someone tries to steal your records or apply for fraudulent loans, the credit bureaus will alert you immediately, and you’ll be able to reject unauthorized access requests.

What is a credit freeze?

A credit freeze, or a security freeze, is a way to temporarily block access to your credit report. By restricting access to your credit file, a freeze helps prevent identity theft and stops criminals from attempting to open credit cards or take out loans in your name.

Unlike a credit lock, a credit freeze is a free service backed by federal law. This means you have the right to freeze your account for free with any of the credit bureaus. It doesn’t affect your credit score or ongoing loans.

To request a credit freeze, you must provide your personal information to the credit bureaus. This includes your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, email address, phone number, a copy of an identification document and bank statement, and a list of your addresses from at least the past six months. The requirements may vary slightly based on the service provider. The bureaus may also ask additional security questions to verify your identity.

Only requests sent after the freezing are automatically rejected. However, it also prevents you, as the credit owner, from applying for new loans or credit cards, because all access requests are rejected until you unfreeze your file. A credit freeze doesn’t impact your own ability to check your credit reports.

When should you use a credit freeze?

Credit freezes are effective for short-term restrictions on your credit report. If you set a deadline, the freeze ends automatically, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to thaw the account. Credit bureaus allow you to unfreeze your account temporarily. For instance, you can request a temporary freeze lift if you need to submit a financial request. Once it’s processed, you can freeze the account again.

Security freezes can be effective at preventing credit card fraud. They completely block access to your credit file for almost everyone. Exceptions only apply to yourself, your existing credit card providers, insurance companies, and government agencies. Even if someone tries to use your Social Security number, any request they submit will be automatically dropped.

A credit freeze is an effective way to prevent criminals from claiming fraudulent loans using children’s sensitive information. Parents, guardians, and individuals with power of attorney can manage a credit freeze on behalf of their dependents.

Credit lock vs. freeze: What’s the difference?

The main difference between a credit lock and a credit freeze is how they block your report. A security freeze is more restrictive, automatically denying access to lenders. A credit report lock limits access to your file by requiring you to verify each access attempt yourself.

A credit freeze is backed by federal law, making it freely available to all customers who are 16 years old or older. Customers who want to lock access to their credit report must be at least 18 years old and pay for a specific plan offered by each credit bureau. A credit freeze offers broader security by allowing parents and guardians to manage children’s credit files.

A credit lock can be handled more flexibly than a freeze. The customer decides when they want to lock or unlock their account and can do so using the credit bureau’s app or website. However, if they end their subscription to the appropriate plan, the lock is automatically switched off and can only be reactivated if the customer resubscribes. To activate or deactivate a security freeze, the customer must contact Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion via one of their main communication channels.

Both credit lock and freeze help protect financial information if a customer experiences identity fraud and ensure that the credit score remains largely unaffected. However, a credit lock still allows access permissions to be verified by the customer, which, in rare cases, can make it possible for criminals to compromise the account if they gain verification details.

How it works:

• Credit lock. Restricts access requests to the credit file, requires the owner's verification to grant access
• Credit freeze. Completely restricts access requests to the credit file from anyone

Availability:

• Credit lock. Equifax, Experian, TransUnion
• Credit freeze. Equifax, Experian, TransUnion

Pricing:

• Credit lock. Based on the selected subscription tier with a credit bureau
• Credit freeze. Free

Additional features:

• Credit lock. May be available based on the credit bureau subscription plan
• Credit freeze. None

Legal status:

• Credit lock. Not backed by federal law
• Credit freeze. Backed by federal law

Age restriction:

• Credit lock. For consumers over 18 only
• Credit freeze. For consumers over 16; guardians and parents can apply on behalf of children under 16

Inclusion of dependents:

• Credit lock. Applies only to the requester's credit file
• Credit freeze. Includes dependents

Approval and rejection:

• Credit lock. Requires your verification to approve an access request
• Credit freeze. Rejects all access requests automatically

Activation method:

• Credit lock. Online using the website or app
• Credit freeze. Requests can be submitted online, by phone, or by mail

Duration deadline:

• Credit lock. Until the customer switches it off or the subscription expires
• Credit freeze. Until the customer requests a freeze lift or on a predetermined date

Activation time:

• Credit lock. Instant
• Credit freeze. Up to one hour if requested via email or phone, up to three days if requested by mail

Deactivation time:

• Credit lock. Instant
• Credit freeze. Up to one hour if requested via email or phone, up to three days if requested by mail, or automatically on a predetermined date

Management of activation and deactivation:

• Credit lock. Manual by the customer
• Credit freeze. Manual by the credit bureau or automatic on a predetermined date

Temporary deactivation:

• Credit lock. No formal feature, but customers can adjust the lock manually
• Credit freeze. Available

Managing your credit

Restricting access to your credit file can be an efficient way to protect your personal information following a data breach or identity theft. It restricts suspicious financial activity and helps preserve a good credit score.

How to freeze your credit

To freeze your credit account, contact each credit bureau individually. You can request it online, by phone, or by sending a request form to the designated address. Keep in mind that mail requests take longer to process.

You can request a temporary freeze and set a deadline for when you want it to be lifted. The freeze will be automatically lifted on the selected date. If you request a temporary freeze lift, you can wait for the unfreeze period to end or request the credit bureaus to refreeze your account sooner.

How to unfreeze your credit

A credit freeze is a restrictive measure that can interfere with your financial plans. For instance, setting up a credit freeze causes delays if you want to apply for a loan or open a new credit card. If you plan to access your credit file during the freeze intermittently, you should know how to manage unfreezing automatically or through requests to the credit bureaus.

You can schedule when you want your credit file to “thaw” — for example, 15 days after it was frozen. Alternatively, you can request the credit bureaus to unfreeze it, and they are obliged to do so within an hour or up to three days if you send the request by mail.

You can choose to lift the credit freeze off your account temporarily or permanently. If you do it temporarily, you can use your credit file without restrictions for a short period, usually a few days, before the freeze is set back into place. This can be useful for taking out a loan or a new credit card that you need to access urgently. If you choose to unfreeze your file permanently, it returns to normal until the next time you decide to request a security freeze.

Although a credit freeze doesn’t impact your credit score, it may be more difficult to build it up as long as your file is restricted. You can use the temporary freeze lift to manage your financial operations intermittently.

How to lock your credit

To lock your credit file, log in to the Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion websites or apps. Each platform has dedicated settings to switch the lock on or off. Ensure that you’re subscribed to the plans that support credit lock services beforehand.

How to unlock your credit

You can control when you want to unlock your credit manually using the credit bureaus’ apps. Once you select to unlock the credit, the process is done immediately. If you have a subscription with credit lock as part of the services, you can set it back up anytime. The lock will automatically end if your subscription plan expires and you don’t renew it.

Key things to know about credit freeze and lock from Transunion, Equifax, and Experian

All three credit bureaus will offer different terms and conditions for their financial services. Keep that in mind and, if you have any specific questions, contact the bureaus directly. However, some general tips apply across the board when you plan to freeze or lock your credit.

• Contact each bureau about the credit lock or freeze individually. If you request one of the services from one bureau, this request doesn’t automatically carry over to the others.
• Likewise, ensure you contact all three when you want to unlock your credit. Locking is a manual process, so keep in mind that you need to make separate unlock requests.
• You can’t have both a credit freeze and a lock on your credit report at the same time. However, it’s possible to convert a credit lock into a freeze. To do this, switch off the credit lock first and submit freeze requests to the credit bureaus.
• If you want to set a credit freeze or lift it, plan ahead. If you request it online or by phone, it takes roughly an hour to activate. However, if you submit a request by mail, it will take up to three days to freeze or unfreeze it.

You can reach out to each bureau on their respective websites or using their contact details:

Equifax

Phone: 800-685-1111

Equifax Information Services LLC

P.O. Box 105788

Atlanta, GA

30348-5788

Experian

Phone: 888-EXPERIAN or 888-397-3742

Experian Security Freeze

P.O. Box 9554

Allen, TX

75013

TransUnion

Phone: 888-909-8872

TransUnion LLC

P.O. Box 2000

Chester, PA

19016

How to effectively manage your credit

Locking or freezing your credit account can be an effective way to protect your financial information from criminals. However, they can be pretty restrictive in your personal life. You can adopt a few other credit monitoring and management strategies to keep access to your finances secure and flexible.

• Remember to unlock your credit. Although credit freezes can be done automatically in some cases, you need to manually switch off the credit lock. This way, you can ensure you can provide access to your credit without restrictions when needed.
• Monitor your credit reports. Keep an eye on your credit to quickly lock or freeze your account if you see any irregularities. With a credit monitoring service like NordProtect, you receive monthly reports and get fraud alerts if it detects suspicious activity.
• Manage your payments. To keep a consistent credit card score, make sure you pay your bills and loans on time. If you see suspicious charges, dispute them to prevent financial fraud.
• Review your credit cards. Regularly review credit cards under your name and consider which accounts you should close or keep open.
• Use breach monitoring tools. Sometimes you learn about a data breach long after it’s occurred, which increases the risk of becoming a victim of identity fraud. You can use a dark web monitoring tool to track your personal data and alert you if it appears in a breach.
• Get identity theft protection services. Having your financial information stolen can have dire consequences on your bank account and identity security. By signing up for NordProtect’s identity theft protection service, you can get expert support if you become a victim. You can also be eligible for up to $1 million in identity theft recovery costs.