How to freeze your credit at all three bureaus for free

Step-by-step instructions with links only to official Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion pages.

Written November 12, 2026.

A credit freeze, sometimes called a security freeze, restricts access to your credit report at that bureau when a lender wants to open a new account. You can place, lift, or remove a freeze at each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — at no charge. You have to contact each bureau separately. Freezing one does not freeze the others.

What a freeze does — and what it does not

While a freeze is in place at a bureau, that bureau generally will not release your credit report to a new creditor. That can make it harder for someone else to open a new credit card, loan, or similar account in your name. A freeze:

• is free to place, temporarily lift, or remove;
• does not lower or raise your credit score because you placed it;
• does not close your existing accounts or stop charges on a card you already have;
• does not stop every kind of identity theft or every scam (for example, a tech-support or impostor call that talks you into sending money);
• stays in place until you lift or remove it.

If you plan to apply for credit, you will need to lift the freeze at the bureau the lender uses — sometimes at all three, if you are not sure — and you can freeze it again afterward. You can also still request your free annual credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site for that purpose.

What you will need

Each bureau will ask you to verify your identity. Online, that usually means creating or signing in to that bureau’s account and providing information such as your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. Phone and mail options exist if you do not want to do this online, but they are slower. Keep any PIN or password the bureau gives you in a safe place you can find later. Do not give that PIN to a caller who reaches you first.

Step-by-step: freeze all three

Set aside time to do all three in one sitting if you can. Use a computer or phone you trust, not a kiosk or a device a stranger is “helping” you with.

1. Equifax

1. Open Equifax’s official freeze page: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/.
2. Follow Equifax’s instructions to place a security freeze. Equifax states that placing, temporarily lifting, or removing a security freeze is free, and that you can also manage a freeze by phone at (888) 298-0045 after identity verification.
3. Save any confirmation, and store any PIN or login you create.

2. Experian

1. Open Experian’s official freeze page: https://www.experian.com/help/credit-freeze/.
2. Follow Experian’s instructions to place the freeze online, or use the phone number published on that official page, 888-397-3742.
3. Save the confirmation and any login or PIN.

3. TransUnion

1. Open TransUnion’s official freeze page: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze.
2. TransUnion states it is free to create an account and free to add, remove, or temporarily lift a freeze in its Service Center. You can also call the number published on that official page, 800-916-8800, or use the mail instructions TransUnion provides there.
3. Save the confirmation and any login or PIN.

After the freeze is on

Write down, in a notebook you keep at home, that all three freezes are in place, the date you did it, and where you stored the logins. If an adult child is helping, agree in advance who is allowed to help lift a freeze later. A freeze is not a substitute for reading your existing bank and card statements.

For a broader official overview of credit reports and freezes, see USA.gov’s page on credit reports. If you already need an identity-theft recovery plan, use IdentityTheft.gov.

If you later want a paid monitoring product for alerts and services a freeze does not provide, read what paid monitoring adds over a free freeze before you pay anyone.