What is a credit freeze and how does it work?
A credit freeze blocks most new credit applications by preventing lenders from pulling your credit reports. It's free, federally protected, and the strongest single tool against identity-theft-driven new accounts. A freeze affects bureau pulls — including services like CreditRefresh — so frozen reports need to be temporarily thawed for scans and disputes.
What a freeze does
A credit freeze, sometimes called a security freeze, blocks the credit bureaus from releasing your credit file to most new lenders. Without a credit file, lenders can't run the credit check that's part of approving a credit application — which means new accounts can't be opened in your name.
Under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, freezes are free at all three bureaus. You can freeze, unfreeze (called a "thaw"), and re-freeze without paying.
A freeze is the single strongest tool for preventing identity-theft-driven new accounts. If someone has your Social Security number and tries to open a credit card in your name, a freeze stops the application from going through at the underwriting stage.
What a freeze doesn't do
A freeze isn't a wholesale block on access to your credit information. Several things still happen even when your file is frozen:
- Existing creditors can still view your reports. Companies you already have accounts with can pull your file for account review.
- Debt collectors can still see your file. Collectors retain access for collection purposes.
- Some pre-screened offers can still happen. You can opt out of prescreened offers separately at optoutprescreen.com.
- Government agencies can still access your file for tax compliance, child support, and other authorized purposes.
- You can still apply for credit — you just have to thaw the freeze first.
A freeze is targeted at new credit applications, not at every form of access.
How to freeze and unfreeze
You have to freeze with each of the three bureaus separately. Each one runs its own freeze/thaw process:
- Equifax — equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
- Experian — experian.com/freeze
- TransUnion — transunion.com/credit-freeze
The process for each is similar: identity verification, account creation, and a PIN or password used to manage the freeze going forward. The bureau is required to put the freeze in place within one business day of receiving the request online, or three days for requests by mail.
Thawing — temporarily lifting the freeze — is also free and can usually be done online in real time. You can thaw permanently, or for a specific time window, or only for a specific creditor.
How freezes interact with CreditRefresh
A frozen credit file affects all bureau pulls, including the soft pulls CreditRefresh runs to do dispute work. If your reports are frozen at all three bureaus, the platform can't pull them and the work can't run.
To use CreditRefresh with frozen reports, you have two options:
- Thaw temporarily for each pull. Lift the freeze with the relevant bureau before each scan, then re-freeze. Workable but tedious if you want regular monitoring.
- Thaw indefinitely and rely on monitoring for new account alerts. Less protective than a freeze, but allows the dispute work to run continuously.
Most CreditRefresh users who want both active dispute work and freeze-level protection thaw the bureaus while they're actively working on disputes, then re-freeze once they're satisfied with the state of their reports.
If you're dealing with active identity theft and don't want to thaw, reach support@creditrefresh.ai — there are workflows for handling cases where keeping the freeze in place is important.
When a freeze makes sense
A few situations where a freeze is the right move:
- Active identity theft. New accounts are being opened or attempted in your name.
- Recent breach exposure. Your Social Security number was exposed in a corporate data breach.
- Stolen wallet, ID, or mail. Documents that could enable identity theft are out of your control.
- You're not actively applying for credit. A freeze is low-cost protection if you don't have any near-term credit needs.
For most people not facing an active threat, a freeze is still a reasonable default — but it does add friction every time you apply for credit, which can be a real consideration if you apply more than occasionally.
What about a "lock" instead of a freeze
Each bureau offers a "credit lock" product, sometimes packaged with paid monitoring services. Locks function similarly to freezes — they block access to your file — but they're contractual products rather than federally protected rights.
Practical differences:
- Freeze. Free, federally protected under the FCRA, slightly more friction to manage, but the right is yours by law.
- Lock. Sometimes free, sometimes part of a paid monitoring product, often more convenient app-based controls, but governed by the bureau's terms rather than federal statute.
For pure protection, the freeze is the stronger tool because it's a federal right. For convenience-first use, locks are often easier to manage day to day. Many people use freezes during periods of high risk and rely on monitoring during lower-risk periods.
Related articles
Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information to open accounts or make purchases in your name. Signs on your report include unfamiliar accounts, hard inquiries you don't recognize, addresses you've never lived at, and collections for debts that aren't yours. Active theft requires filing an FTC report at IdentityTheft.gov, freezing your credit, and disputing fraudulent items.
A soft pull is a credit check that doesn't affect your score and isn't visible to other lenders — covering things like checking your own credit, pre-approval offers, and the pulls CreditRefresh runs on your reports. A hard pull is a credit check tied to a credit application that does affect your score, usually by a small amount, and stays visible to lenders for two years.
Yes. CreditRefresh treats credit and personal data as sensitive by default. Bureau pulls are soft inquiries that don't affect your score. Credentials are encrypted, used only for dispute work. Your data isn't sold to advertisers or third parties — it stays in our systems for finding errors, drafting letters, and tracking outcomes.
At minimum, once a year per bureau — and right now you can pull free reports weekly from all three bureaus at annualcreditreport.com. Annual review catches errors before they hit major applications. Step up to monthly during active dispute work, and every two weeks after identity theft. CreditRefresh also pulls automatically.