Freeze your credit
What a credit freeze does, and that your own cards keep working.
A freeze stops anybody opening new credit in your name, including you, until you lift it.
Do it three times: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion each hold a separate file.
Key points
- A freeze stops new credit being opened in your name
- It has to be set at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion separately
What to remember
- Your own cards keep working. Only new credit is stopped.
- A freeze blocks the new, never the old.
Try this
Look up one of the three bureaus and read its freeze page. Setting one takes minutes.
Practice: Freeze your credit. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.