I froze my credit score and it was SO EASY! (And Free)

Y’all – after years of purposely ignoring this for causes not even value mentioning (they’re all lame) I lastly froze my credit score AND IT WAS SO EASY!!

It actually took me beneath 5 minutes to do it and I really caught myself muttering out loud: “Gosh I’m an fool… shoulda simply finished it sooner.” However, with all issues boring and unimportant till they develop into essential (!), freezing credit score was simply by no means a precedence as a result of nothing dangerous ever occurred to date with out doing it.

After which all these main knowledge breaches occurred, and properly, as Jonathan from My Cash Weblog lately put it:

“The steadiness between the assured problem of sustaining a credit score freeze and the potential problem of coping with an identification theft try has lastly shifted sufficient in direction of simply having them frozen as a default place.”

I star’d this a month in the past for Future Jay to cope with, after which I began getting dinged left and proper with alerts final week telling me my knowledge is now public to the world (which I already assumed it was, as a result of man – we do EVERYTHING on-line!) and one thing about seeing it *in writing* lastly prompted me to take motion.

And identical to that my virginity was unfrozen (see what I did there?!)

And it actually was that simple to do!! Beneath 5 minutes at every bureau – no joke. When you’ve been placing it off and know you want to do it, simply cease studying this proper now and get it finished.

Listed below are the three locations you want to go to:

1. Experian.com/freeze/heart.html
2. Transunion.com/credit-freeze
3. Equifax.com/private/credit-report-services/credit-freeze

Create an account, fill in some private knowledge, after which click on that magical “freeze my credit score” button and BOOM – you’ll really feel superb.

(And sure – it’s silly you must go to a few (!) totally different bureaus and create three (!) totally different accounts, however you possibly can’t do something about it so don’t even waste your power. Methodically transfer by means of every considered one of them after which verify it off your checklist as soon as and for all! Imagine me once I let you know it’s oddly satisfying clicking that freeze button!! 😂)

You’ll really feel good for not having to consider it anymore, however much more importantly – you gained’t have to fret about dummies attempting to open credit score traces or loans beneath your title anymore too! Or no matter else these lame hackers love to do with their wasted abilities, ugh…

Why don’t they put it to GOOD use???

And FYI: you possibly can unfreeze them simply as simply at any level too. Additionally free! Simply log again in and click on “unfreeze” –  and voila! So even when you suppose it’s possible you’ll want entry to your credit score within the close to future, freezing it now gained’t maintain you up later within the course of. Simply bear in mind to return again later and log again in!

I may have sworn all this used to price like $10 or $15 a shot again within the day, including but another excuse to not be bothered by it, however in some unspecified time in the future alongside the best way I assume they nixed that and now you are able to do it with out even lifting your pockets. Or this put up wouldn’t have ever been written, as unhappy as that’s, lol…

When you’re finished freezing all of the credit, you possibly can then nerd out even *extra* by grabbing your credit score SCORE and credit score REPORT too! Additionally free at most bureaus!

I really spent far more time on the websites doing this than inserting my credit score freezes, lol…

Right here’s what I discovered:

(My Vantage 3.0 rating)

(My FICO^® Rating)

TransUnion affords the Vantage 3.0 rating too, nevertheless they cost $0.99 for it so I simply grabbed it from Equifax at no cost 😉 (Though weirdly, once I first created my Equifax account it mentioned you needed to pay in your rating, however once I logged off after which again on later to verify one thing totally different, it turned free?! So when you see the identical simply sign off after which again in and hopefully it resets the identical for you too.

Additionally – after we created my spouse’s TransUnion account it wouldn’t allow us to click on the “freeze” button for some cause, so I needed to name and wait on maintain for a bit however then they toggled one thing and it labored simply advantageous. So don’t let random snags maintain you up within the course of! Simply preserve going!)

You can even simply seize your credit score REPORTS from all three bureaus annually too – at no cost. Which is wise to verify nobody has *beforehand* finished something along with your identification earlier than you could possibly lock every part up.

Now this process takes wayyyyyy longer although, so don’t even get slowed down by it except you’ve already frozen your accounts and have some free hours in your hand 🙂

There’s additionally the choice so as to add “fraud alerts” to your accounts as properly so that you’ll get notified at any time when somebody tries to entry your credit score. And happily with this one you simply need to do it at *one* bureau they usually cross alongside the observe to the opposite two making it even sooner! We additionally did this as a double precaution.

The alerts solely final a 12 months although, so that you’ll need to renew it later as soon as the time comes once more (there’s additionally totally different sorts of alerts too which can be extra in depth it appears, like when you already had your credit score stolen and filed a police report, or when you’re on lively responsibility, however I simply caught with the 1 12 months regular alert since nothing dangerous has occurred but – no less than that I at the moment find out about! I nonetheless gotta pore over these 3 credit score reviews!!)

Now on the down facet you possibly can’t add any freezes or fraud alerts to KIDS’ credit as simply as you possibly can your self (anybody beneath 18). However you CAN do it, you simply need to undergo a extra prolonged technique of exhibiting social safety playing cards and beginning certificates to show who they’re, and who YOU are, after which wait some time for all of it to be verified. I’ve but to undergo this course of (and never wanting ahead to doing it 3x over!) however it’s on the checklist as there must be NO credit score being opened for years on behalf of any of those guys…

I must also observe that after you create all these credit score accounts, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax will equally bombard you with promotions and emails attempting to upsell you on a bunch of merchandise (and bank cards!! Which appear counterproductive!). However once more – nothing you are able to do about it besides to unsubscribe and avert your eyes, so don’t let it stop you from getting the job finished  😎

Listed below are some enjoyable examples of what’s to return although:

******

******

******

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******

And on and on and on…

Once more, simply hit “unsubscribe” and also you gained’t need to cope with it once more.

TL;DR:

Freezing your credit score is free, simple to do, and might prevent a butt ton of time and frustration sooner or later. Spend the quarter-hour (complete) getting it frozen at every of the bureaus after which name it a day. You possibly can all the time unfreeze it later with a click on of a button (additionally free).

Listed below are the three hyperlinks once more – do it earlier than you get sidetracked!

1. Experian.com/freeze/heart.html
2. Transunion.com/credit-freeze
3. Equifax.com/private/credit-report-services/credit-freeze

Your pal and fellow nerd,

UPDATE: I simply realized you can even *quickly* unfreeze your credit score too (aka “thaw” it lol) for everytime you want entry. You apparently set the # of days the place it’ll re-freeze once more later, that method you don’t have to recollect to log again in once more – genius! (Thx Invoice and Nikki)

UPDATE II: Right here’s one other nice concept from a fellow reader who simply emailed me: “Hello J. Cash- I’ve been freezing and checking credit score reviews on an annual foundation for 20 years, and one factor I’ve realized that works for me and may for others too is spreading out whenever you verify your free credit score reviews. If it’s your 1st time you verify all three bureaus and get them squared up, however then after that simply verify one credit score bureau at a time all year long. Test one in April, one other in August, after which the final in December – or no matter schedule works for you. This has been tremendous useful for me.”

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