 TITLE: What Is a Credit Freeze? CONTENT: When Should I Unfreeze My Credit?\n---------------------------------\nYou should unfreeze your credit report anytime you plan to apply for credit, to give lenders access to your credit reports and credit scores. Be sure to lift your freezes at all three credit bureaus because lenders may work with any bureau (or all three) when checking your credit.\nThe same webpages you'd use to request a credit freeze can also be used to lift a freeze. You can also lift a freeze by phone, using the password or PIN linked to your freeze at each bureau.\nWhen you thaw your credit, you may have the option to either lift the freeze permanently or suspend it temporarily, or to grant one-time access to a particular creditor or specifying the duration of the suspension (an hour, a day or a week, for example). If you know only one lender will be checking your credit, you can request a one-time PIN instead and provide that PIN to the lender (just be sure the lender has the ability to enter a single-use PIN when they are accessing your credit). Policies vary by bureau, so make sure you understand your options are before you begin the process.\nWhen you enter your password or PIN online or by phone, your credit will be thawed within one hour. If you lose your password or PIN, the credit bureaus will need to verify your identity, which will delay the process. END