Key Takeaway: You can unfreeze your credit to give lenders, potential employers and other legitimate companies access to your credit reports by contacting the three major credit bureaus online, by phone or by mail. Then, verify your identity and request to unfreeze your reports.
To unfreeze your credit reports, contact each of the three major credit bureaus, verify your identity and lift each credit freeze permanently or temporarily.
If your identity is stolen or you believe your personal information has been compromised, you can place a freeze on your credit reports to help keep your data from being used for fraud. But a credit freeze also limits who can see your credit file for lawful reasons.
If you want to apply for new credit, rent an apartment or allow a prospective employer to conduct a credit check as part of a pre-employment background screening, you’ll need to unfreeze your credit reports with these steps.
- Contact the major credit bureaus
- Verify your identity
- Choose to unfreeze your credit temporarily or permanently
- How long does it take to unfreeze your credit?
- What’s the difference between a credit freeze and a credit lock?
- What’s next? Applying for credit
- FAQs about freezing or unfreezing your credit
1. Contact the major credit bureaus
You must contact each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — individually to unfreeze your credit reports. If you’re lifting a freeze for a specific reason, it might be worth asking which bureau the company uses for credit checks. That way, you only have to lift the credit freeze with a single bureau instead of all three.
You can unfreeze your credit by phone, mail, or online. Here’s a rundown of how it works at each of the three credit bureaus.
Equifax
The simplest way to lift a freeze on your Equifax credit report is through your myEquifax account. If you don’t have a myEquifax account, you can contact the company by phone at 1-888-298-0045 or by mail:
Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
Experian
You can manage an Experian credit freeze through its online Freeze Center, by phone at 1-888-397-3742, or by mail:
Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion
TransUnion lets customers make changes to a credit freeze using their online account, by phone through its automated system at 1-888-909-8872, or by speaking with a representative at 1-800-916-8800. Customers can also remove a freeze by mail:
TransUnion
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
2. Verify your identity
When you request that a freeze be lifted, the credit bureau must first verify your identity. If you created an online account when you placed the freeze, the verification process takes place when you log in. If you didn’t, you’ll likely be asked to provide the following personal information:
- Name
- Address
- Birthdate
- Social Security number
If you lift or remove the freeze by mail, you’ll need to send supporting documentation, such as a copy of your driver’s license, Social Security card or utility bills with your request to confirm your identity.
3. Choose to unfreeze your credit temporarily or permanently
A temporary lift gives creditors or companies access to your credit reports within a specific date range. For example, if you’re trying to get preapproved for a mortgage, you may lift the freeze from July 1 to July 31 while you compare rates between lenders. When the temporary lift expires, the credit bureau automatically reinstates the freeze.
When you permanently unfreeze your credit reports, they remain unfrozen until you freeze them again.
Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect at each of the credit bureaus.
Equifax
You can temporarily lift or remove a credit freeze from your Equifax credit report online, by phone or by mail. If you opt to remove the freeze by mail, you must complete Equifax’s Security Freeze Request form.
Experian
With Experian, you can schedule a thaw on your credit report to temporarily lift a freeze for a set amount of time, or you can permanently remove the freeze online, by phone or by mail.
TransUnion
TransUnion allows you to temporarily lift or permanently remove a freeze online if you placed the original freeze online. If you didn’t, you can request to have the freeze removed by mail or by phone.
You can schedule a lift up to 15 days in advance. This is especially useful if you’re expecting to apply for a loan, consent to a pre-employment background check, rent an apartment or have another reason for giving a creditor or other company access to your credit report.
How long does it take to unfreeze your credit?
You can expect the credit bureaus to unfreeze your credit within an hour to a few days, based on the contact method you use. The bureaus must lift freezes within an hour if you make your request by phone or online, but it could happen much faster — just a few minutes, in some cases.
If you send your request by mail, the credit bureau has three business days from the time it receives the request to lift the freeze.
What’s the difference between a credit freeze and a credit lock?
Both a credit freeze and a credit lock restrict access to your credit reports and can help protect you from identity theft and fraud. With a credit freeze, you have to ask the credit bureaus to lift it for you, which may take several days depending on how you send your request. But federal law requires the credit bureaus to allow consumers to freeze and unfreeze their credit for free.
Credit locks are products offered by the credit bureaus. Credit locks may be included with other benefits, such as credit monitoring and identity theft insurance, that require you to pay a fee to access.
With a credit lock, unlocking and locking your credit is generally instantaneous because you can do it yourself. You don’t have to wait for the credit bureaus to do it for you.
What’s next? Applying for credit
With your credit thawed, you can apply for new credit, including personal loans, auto loans, mortgages and credit cards. But if you plan to apply for a loan, it’s a good idea to check your credit first to make sure the information in your credit reports is accurate and your scores are where you want them to be.
If you find information that you believe is inaccurate, you can dispute the error on your credit report. If your credit scores are lower than you’d like, you can take steps to improve your credit, like paying down debt and making consistent on-time payments. Raising your credit scores can increase your chances of getting approved and qualifying for a better rate.
You can keep an eye on your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports and monitor your VantageScore 3.0 credit scores from those two bureaus for free through Credit Karma.
FAQs about freezing or unfreezing your credit
Unfreezing your credit online or by phone is the quickest way to lift a credit freeze. Credit bureaus have up to an hour to remove the freeze, but it often happens much faster. You can also submit your request by mail, but it may take up to three business days from the day the bureau receives it to lift the freeze.
No. You must contact each credit bureau individually, either by phone, online or by mail, to unfreeze your credit.
No. Freezing your credit prevents lenders from running a credit check. If you’re planning to apply for a loan or credit card, lifting the freeze before you begin comparing offers can help speed up the application process. If you don’t want to leave your credit reports unfrozen, be sure to reinstate the freeze after you complete the application process.
No, freezing your credit will not hurt your credit scores. Your credit scores are based off the history in your credit reports, and a credit freeze does not change that history in any way. Because it’s not affecting your credit report, a credit freeze can’t affect your credit scores.
Identity monitoring services scan data sources — including your credit reports, public records and the dark web — for signs that your personal information is being used without your authorization. When something suspicious is detected, you’ll receive an alert so you can take action.