How to Unfreeze Credit for Free

Let’s say you’ve frozen your credit to protect yourself from identity thieves and other fraudsters who might look to profit from your good name (and excellent credit history). But now, that small SUV is calling your name. Or maybe you’re applying to refinance your mortgage. How do you unfreeze your credit to allow these transactions? 

Unfreezing your credit for free can be fast and easy at all three major credit reporting agencies, as long as you have carefully preserved your account passwords. It was for me – and it can be for you, too. The process for unfreezing credit, the time it takes, and its for-free nature are all stipulated in the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which went into effect in September 2018.¹ 

This article provides step-by-step instruction for how to unfreeze your credit, drawn from my experience doing so at all three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Note that the steps provided were accurate as of November 2022, and navigation on external websites is subject to change.

Unfreezing credit is about restoring access to your credit report, assuming you’ve already chosen to do a credit freeze (which the credit bureaus generally refer to as a “security freeze”). Some people are confused about credit freezes. Many think it means freezing their current credit card accounts – which would be a major pain for most Americans – rather than freezing access to reports about their credit history. So, they miss the point that credit freezes are about protecting you from the cost and disruption to your life that can happen when identity thieves attempt to open new accounts in your name. Freezing your credit does not protect you against criminals who might steal from your existing credit card, bank accounts, etc.

You’ll want to at least temporarily unfreeze access to your credit report for many big steps in life. Your credit report is obviously important if you’re trying to buy a house or a car, or to open a new credit card account. Other purposes are less obvious. 

• American society is very credit-oriented – cumulative household debt rose to $16.15 trillion during the second quarter of 2022, according to the Federal Reserve.²
• The extensive credit report information used to support all that borrowing can be valuable for many other purposes.
• Employers use it in screening job applicants, landlords use it to vet tenants, and insurers use it in the underwriting process, to name just a few.

Do you need to unfreeze your credit for a background check? It’s a good bet. Technically, the 2018 law has you covered, listing a few exclusions such as background checks. But in reality, experts – such as the New Hampshire Department of Justice – say you still have to unfreeze, and the Federal Trade Commission does not list exclusions.^3,4

The unfreezing process is pretty similar at all three credit bureaus. And it can be fast and easy if you’ve safeguarded your account logins and passwords (many people apparently don’t, leading to frustration later). 

• You can unfreeze your credit online (fastest), by phone, or by mail (takes longest).
• The law requires a credit bureau to remove a freeze within one hour if the request is made online or by phone, or three business days after receipt if it’s made by mail.
• Still, online is faster than phone because it is far less time-consuming than using an automated phone system.