Ways to unfreeze your credit report | Chase (2024)

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Ways to unfreeze your credit report | Chase? ›

How to unfreeze your credit report. The quickest and easiest way to unfreeze your credit report is to contact the credit bureau (or bureaus) you used to freeze your credit either online or by phone. But you also have the option to contact them by mail.

The fastest and easiest way to remove a credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, is through a secure online account, but you can also thaw your credit by mail or by phone.

Like Equifax, you can also unfreeze your credit report over the phone or by mail. Here's how: Over the phone: Call 1-888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) and speak to a representative. They will verify your identity before lifting the credit freeze.

It's free to freeze and unfreeze your credit report as often as you like. Ultimately, freezing your credit adds an extra layer of security to your identity and accounts.

Online: Sign up and complete this form to remove a security freeze. You'll need the 5-10 digit PIN that was given to you when you first put a freeze on your credit. By phone: Call 888-397-3742 and request to unfreeze your credit.

If you want to unfreeze one or all three of your credit reports you'll have to contact the credit bureaus individually. With TransUnion and Experian, you'll need to provide the PIN you set up earlier. Once you ask a credit bureau to lift your credit freeze, it must do so within a specific time frame.

To unfreeze your Experian credit report, log in to your Experian account or create one for free. After you log in, you can navigate to the Help Center, where you can find quick actions to manage your freeze and toggle your freeze status to "Unfrozen."

How do you unfreeze at all three credit bureaus? You can't unfreeze at all three with a single action. You'll have to unfreeze your credit with each credit bureau individually.

In order to place or remove a credit freeze on your credit reports, you must contact each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) individually. It might be worth asking your potential creditor or employer which bureau it uses for credit checks.

What is the new rule affecting credit freeze? ›

A federal law that went into effect in September 2018 made placing, temporarily lifting, or permanently removing a security freeze free nationwide.

Locking or freezing your credit file may help prevent criminals from opening fraudulent accounts in your name. If you don't plan on applying for any new credit in the near future and your state doesn't allow credit freezing fees, a freeze may be the way to go.

All 50 states have such laws in effect. However, once you set up a security freeze, you might discover that hackers have unfrozen it without the credit bureau informing you. That's the case with Experian, which doesn't confirm you've lifted a security freeze unless you subscribe to the company's credit lock service.

Place or lift a credit freeze

Freeze or lift the freeze on your credit report for free by contacting each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax. Experian. TransUnion.

If your account was frozen due to suspicious activity

You can give your bank a call and should be able to clear everything up fairly quickly. Suspicious activities that cause the freeze are typically unreported activity abroad, a larger transaction amount, stolen card, etc.

If you'd like to remove or temporarily lift your freeze by phone, call TransUnion at 800-916-8800. To remove your freeze by mail, send a written request to the address above, the same address used to place the freeze, that includes your name, address and Social Security number.

In most cases, if you request to remove the freeze (also known as "thawing" your credit report) online or by telephone, your Experian credit file can be unfrozen within a matter of minutes—although you should allow up to an hour.

A credit freeze prevents lenders from checking your credit file. Freezing your credit has no effect on your credit score. But this doesn't mean that a credit freeze blocks your score from regular changes. It's still important to monitor your credit use and make payments on time to keep your score from falling.

Duration: A credit freeze lasts until you remove it. How to place: Contact each of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.