The short version: A credit freeze is a lock on your credit file. It makes it much harder for someone to open a new loan or card in your name. In the US, it is free, it is set by law, and it takes about 5 to 10 minutes at each of three companies. In the UK, you cannot freeze your file at all three agencies at once, and there is no free freeze like the US one. But you can check your credit report for free.
What a credit file is, and why it matters
A credit file is a record about how you use credit. Think of a folder with your name on it. It lists your loans, your credit cards, and whether you paid on time. A lender is a bank or company that lends money. Before it lends to you, it opens your folder to see if you are a safe choice.
A credit bureau is a company that keeps these folders. In the US, three of them matter: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. In the UK, they are called credit reference agencies.
Here is why this matters. Someone who has your name, birth date, and ID number may try to borrow money as you. A lender that cannot open your folder usually cannot approve the loan. A credit freeze closes the folder to new lenders.
US: the credit freeze
A credit freeze is a lock on your folder. While it is on, nobody can open a new credit account in your name. That includes you, until you unlock it.
- It is free. The law says it costs nothing to place or lift a freeze.
- It does not change your credit score (a number that rates how you handle credit).
- Anyone can do it, at any time. You do not need to wait for a breach.
- It lasts until you lift it.
Each bureau keeps its own folder, so you freeze each one yourself. Type each address yourself. Do not use a link from a message.
- Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze
- Experian: experian.com/freeze
- TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze
Each site will ask you to make an account and answer questions that prove it is you. You can also place a freeze by phone or by mail.
Lifting it. Lift your freeze before you apply for a loan, a card, a rental, a job check, or insurance. Ask the lender which bureau it will use. You can lift the freeze at only that bureau, then turn it back on. The law says a bureau must lift a freeze within one hour of an online or phone request. A request by mail can take up to three business days.
Keep the login safe. Save each login and any PIN in a safe place. A password manager can hold them.
What a freeze does not do
A freeze is about new credit accounts. It is not made to stop someone using a card or bank account you already have. So keep reading your statements.
Some groups can still see your file. Examples are lenders where you already have an account, some government offices, and companies you hired to watch your file. A freeze can also block a real application that you made. That is why you lift it first.
US: fraud alerts
A fraud alert is a sticky note on your folder. It asks lenders to check that it is really you before they open a new account. Unlike a freeze, it does not stop lenders from seeing your file.
- Initial fraud alert. It is free and lasts one year. You can renew it. You can place one if you are, or think you may be, a victim of identity theft. You ask one bureau, and that bureau must tell the other two.
- Extended fraud alert. It is free and lasts seven years. It is for people who already had identity theft and made a report at IdentityTheft.gov (the US government’s site for reporting identity theft, run by the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC) or to the police.
About “locks”. Bureaus also offer “locks”, often as part of a paid plan. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says locks are no more effective than freezes. The free freeze is the one the law sets. You do not need to pay for a lock.
US: children and family
If your child is under 16, you can ask for a free freeze for them. It stays until you ask the bureaus to remove it. Someone with legal authority for an adult who cannot manage their own money can ask too.
UK: what you can do
UK box. In the UK, you cannot freeze your file at all three agencies at once, and we found no free freeze like the US one. You have three things you can do.
1. Check your credit report for free. The law says each credit reference agency must give you a free copy of your statutory credit report (the official copy the law lets you ask for). It does not affect your score, and you can ask as often as you like. The three main agencies are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You can usually see it online. A copy by post can take several working days (up to a calendar month at one agency). Look for accounts you do not recognise.
2. Cifas Protective Registration. Cifas is a fraud-prevention group. It puts a warning flag on your name and details. Organisations that use Cifas data then carry out extra checks that it is really you. Cifas says it is for people whose details are at higher risk, for example after a data leak or stolen documents. It costs £30 for two years (price checked 28 Oct 2026; it can change). It does not affect your score. It does not block credit. It is not insurance against fraud. Real applications can take longer. It ends after 24 months unless you remove it sooner, and Cifas does not send a reminder. Apply only on cifas.org.uk. Type the address yourself.
3. Report fraud. If someone has used your details, report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Some paid services lock one agency’s file only. We do not recommend any.
When to do it
- After a breach letter that lists ID numbers. See our guide on how to check if your details were in a breach.
- After an account was hacked, if it may have held ID numbers or your birth date. See our guide on the first hour after a hack.
- After you lose a wallet or papers that hold your ID numbers.
If someone has already used your details, US readers can go to IdentityTheft.gov.
Do this today (about 5 to 10 minutes)
US: Freeze your credit at one bureau. Then plan to freeze the other two this week.
UK: Ask one agency for your free credit report. Look for anything you do not recognise.Type each address yourself. Do not follow a link in a message, and do not share a code with anyone who contacts you.
Another day (US): At AnnualCreditReport.com you can read your free credit reports every week.
Checked: 4 Nov 2026. The steps are for the US credit bureaus, UK credit reference agencies, and Cifas. Prices, screens, and rules change. If a page looks different, search the organization’s help page.
Our disclosure. SafeinAI has no affiliate links and earns nothing from the sites or tools named on this page. If this ever changes we will say so here, on this page.
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