 TITLE: What’s the Difference Between a Credit Freeze and a Credit Lock? CONTENT: Federal law allows you to activate and remove a credit freeze on your credit report from each credit bureau at no cost.\nTo block all access to your credit history using credit freezes, you must request a separate freeze from each of the three national credit reporting agencies. To request a free Experian security freeze, visit Experian's Security Freeze Center or call 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) and provide the required information.\nWhen you place a security freeze on your credit report, the relevant credit bureau provides you with or lets you set up a PIN or password to use when lifting the freeze.\nBy law, credit bureaus must activate a credit freeze within 24 hours of receiving a request by phone or online, and they must lift a freeze within one hour of receiving a request to do so accompanied by your PIN or password. If you lose your PIN or password, you can request a reset from the respective credit bureau, but the one-hour time requirement will no longer apply.\nCredit freezes are effective at thwarting unauthorized access to your credit file, but they also block authorized access to credit information. Because they prevent lenders from checking your credit, you'll need to \"thaw\" your credit freezes before applying for a loan or credit account.\nBecause they prevent credit checks, credit freezes may interfere with your ability to get instant credit authorizations at online or at retail checkouts, but they do not harm your credit or have any impact on your credit scores. END