Is My Credit Frozen? What to Do If You’re Not Sure

If you apply for a loan or a credit card, forgetting your credit is frozen, your application likely won’t be approved. That’s because a credit freeze blocks anyone from accessing your credit reports, and a potential lender is unlikely to extend credit without a credit check. That means the freeze is doing its job.

Some good news: The failed application won’t hurt your credit — there was no hard inquiry on your credit because your file couldn’t be accessed. You'll just need to unfreeze and apply again.

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How to check if your credit is frozen

Here’s how to find out at each credit bureau whether your credit is already frozen.

Equifax

The easiest way to check if you have a credit freeze in place is to log into your myEquifax account. When you log in at myEquifax.com, there is a tile on the right side of the dashboard that indicates your freeze status.

If you don’t have an account, or simply would rather use the phone, call 888-298-0045 and follow the prompts to verify your identity. If your credit report is not frozen, you will only hear options for freezing it. If it is frozen, you will hear only options for unfreezing.

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TransUnion

If you already have a TransUnion account, the fastest way to check is online at the TransUnion website. You’ll need your username and password. After you log in, click on the “Credit Freeze” tile to see whether your account is frozen.

You can also call 800-916-8800. You’ll go through a verification process before you can get the information. Be prepared to provide information like your date of birth, address and Social Security number.

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Experian

You can go online to Experian’s “Security Freeze Center” page, which looks like this:

You can also call 888-397-3742 and follow the prompts. You will be asked for your Social Security number. That, plus the number you are calling from, will be used to identify you and you'll be given the option to unfreeze if your account is frozen, or to freeze if the account is not frozen.

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