🎯 In 30 seconds: A freeze stops new credit in your name and is free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. A fraud alert only asks lenders to double-check. Beyond the big three, a handful of smaller agencies track bank accounts, phone and utility accounts, insurance and employment, and most let you freeze those files too. One evening covers the lot, and you thaw only the file a lender needs.
Freeze, fraud alert or lock?
| Tool | What it does | Cost and length | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit freeze | Blocks most new lenders from seeing your report, so new accounts are usually refused. | Free by federal law at the big three; lasts until you lift it. | Everyone who isn’t applying for credit this week. |
| Initial fraud alert | Tells lenders to verify your identity before opening credit. Does not block access. | Free; 1 year, renewable. Place at one bureau and it tells the other two. | A quick first step after a scare. |
| Extended fraud alert | Same, plus removal from prescreened offer lists for 5 years. | Free; 7 years. Needs an FTC Identity Theft Report or police report. | Confirmed identity theft victims. |
| Active duty alert | Lenders verify identity; off prescreened lists for 2 years. | Free; 1 year, renewable during deployment. | Deployed service members. |
| Credit “lock” | A bureau’s own product, set by its contract rather than federal freeze law. | Sometimes bundled with paid plans. | Optional; the free freeze does the job. |
A freeze doesn’t hurt your score, doesn’t stop your existing cards and loans, and doesn’t stop you from checking your own reports.
The legal deadlines
Since 2018, federal law sets the clock at the three nationwide bureaus:
| Place a freeze, online or by phone | Within 1 business day |
| Place a freeze by mail | Within 3 business days |
| Lift a freeze, online or by phone | Within 1 hour |
| Lift a freeze by mail | Within 3 business days |
Lift online when you can. A one-hour thaw means you can freeze by default and still get a same-day car loan.
Step by step for the big three
- Set aside 30 minutes and use a computer, not a public network.
- Create an account (or use the phone line) at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, one at a time. Each needs your SSN, birth date and addresses for the past few years.
- Place the freeze. Save each login, plus any PIN, in your password manager with the label “credit freeze”.
- Take a screenshot of each confirmation.
- Before any credit application, ask the lender which bureau it will pull, and thaw only that one, for a set number of days.
- Repeat for a spouse; parents can also freeze a child’s file (see Child identity theft).
The agencies most people never hear about
Many companies decide using reports from specialty agencies, not the big three. The CFPB publishes a yearly list of consumer reporting companies. These are the ones most worth freezing or at least checking:
| Agency | What it tracks | Who uses it | Freeze? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innovis | Credit history, like a fourth bureau | Some lenders, for identity checks and marketing | Yes: online, by phone (1-866-712-4546) or mail; you get a 10-digit PIN by mail. |
| ChexSystems | Bank account history: closed-for-cause accounts, bounced items | Banks and credit unions opening checking accounts | Yes: online account, phone or mail; PIN by mail. |
| Early Warning Services | Bank account and payment data | Banks | Ask for your report through its consumer site. |
| NCTUE | Phone, pay-TV and utility account history | Phone carriers and utilities | Yes: phone or mail; keep the PIN. |
| LexisNexis Risk | Insurance claims, public records, identity data, its own credit score | Insurers, lenders, identity checks | Yes: online, phone (1-800-456-1244) or mail. LexisNexis says it charges nothing. |
| The Work Number (Equifax) | Employment and income records from payroll | Lenders, landlords, benefit agencies verifying jobs | Yes: a “data freeze” by form, email request or phone. |
Moneydesks is not affiliated with any of these companies. Freeze steps and contact details change; confirm on each company’s own site or through the CFPB list before you send documents.
A worked example: Sam’s busy month
Sam, 31, froze everything last year. This month he is financing a $24,000 car, opening a new checking account and switching phone carriers.
| Car loan | Dealer says it pulls Experian. Sam thaws Experian online for 3 days; it lifts within the hour. |
| Checking account | Bank says it checks ChexSystems. Sam calls with his PIN and thaws it for a week. |
| New phone line | Carrier uses NCTUE and a credit bureau. Sam asks which bureau, thaws that one plus NCTUE. |
| Still frozen | Equifax, TransUnion, Innovis, LexisNexis, The Work Number |
Four short thaws, no fees, and five files stayed locked the whole time.
Free reports from the specialty agencies
Nationwide specialty agencies must give you a free copy of your file once every 12 months when you ask, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Pull ChexSystems before opening a bank account and LexisNexis before shopping for insurance, and dispute errors in writing. The big three’s free weekly reports are covered on Money Theft & Forensics, and how scores work is in Credit scores and credit reports.
- How fast must a big-three bureau lift a freeze you request online? Answer: Within one hour.
- Which alert lasts seven years, and what do you need for it? Answer: The extended fraud alert; it needs an FTC Identity Theft Report or a police report.
- Which agency does a bank usually check before opening a checking account? Answer: ChexSystems (some use Early Warning Services too).
- Do you need to thaw all files to get a car loan? Answer: No. Ask the lender which bureau it uses and thaw only that one.