Credit Lock vs. Credit Freeze: Which One Do You Need in 2026?

This is not legal or financial advice. If you’ve been a victim, start at IdentityTheft.gov.

How a credit freeze and a credit lock work

A credit freeze, which the law calls a security freeze, stops a credit bureau from releasing your report to a company you’re applying to for new credit. Lenders rarely approve credit they can’t check, so nobody can open a new account in your name while the freeze is on, including you. The FTC says a freeze lasts until you lift it, costs nothing to place or lift and doesn’t affect your credit score.

The rules come from federal law, 15 U.S.C. §1681c-1(i). Each nationwide bureau must place a freeze free of charge within 1 business day of an online or phone request, or 3 business days after a request by mail. It must confirm in writing within 5 business days. When you ask to lift it online or by phone, the bureau has 1 hour.

A credit lock blocks the same thing at one bureau, but it’s a product, not a right. You flip it on and off in the bureau’s app or website, and the bureau’s terms decide how it works. The CFPB is blunt about the difference:

What each bureau offers on 10/16/2026

Equifax: free freeze, and a free lock through Lock & Alert

Equifax’s freeze page says, “Placing, temporarily lifting, or removing a security freeze is free.” It also offers a lock two ways. Its paid plans (Equifax Complete, Complete Premier, Complete Family Plan and Credit Monitor) include one. If you don’t pay Equifax, its free Lock & Alert app turns a lock on your Equifax report on and off with no fees once you enroll.

There’s one catch. You can’t have both a freeze and a lock on your Equifax report. To switch, you remove one and place the other.

Experian: free freeze, lock only in paid plans

Experian manages freezes through a free account, where you can also schedule a temporary thaw. Its lock, Experian CreditLock, isn’t free. The CreditLock page pitches it with Experian Premium: free for 7 days, then $24.99 a month.

Experian’s plan table tells a slightly different story. It leaves the lock out of the free plan. All three paid tiers include it: Core at $4.99, Plus at $14.99 and Premium at $24.99 per month, as listed on 10/16/2026. Either way, you pay for it.

If you cancel while your file is locked, Experian says the lock ends with the billing period.

TransUnion: freeze only

TransUnion no longer sells a lock. Its member help center says the TransUnion Credit Lock feature “has been officially deactivated.” It calls the free freeze “a free option that works just as well.” Its old lock product page now sends you to the TransUnion home page.

You can freeze your TransUnion report online, by phone at 800-916-8800 or by mail. TransUnion says online and phone changes typically take effect almost immediately. So in 2026, a lock can cover at most two of the three bureaus. A freeze covers all three.

How to freeze all three in one sitting

Each bureau wants its own account or call, and each will ask you to prove who you are. Set aside time for three short sign-ups:

1. Equifax: create a myEquifax account and place the freeze there. Equifax’s FAQ says you then manage it with your username and password.
2. Experian: sign up for a free Experian account and place the freeze. The same page lets you unfreeze or schedule a thaw later.
3. TransUnion: create a free TransUnion Service Center account, or call 800-916-8800. By mail, TransUnion asks for your name, address and Social Security number.

Keep the logins somewhere safe, such as a password manager. You’ll need them every time you apply for credit, rent an apartment or open a new phone plan that runs a credit check. The FTC suggests finding out which bureau a lender will check, lifting only that freeze, and putting it back when the check is done.

What it does and doesn’t protect you from

A freeze or a lock stops one thing: new credit from a lender that checks the bureau you froze or locked. It doesn’t stop:

• charges on cards or bank accounts you already have
• a tax return filed with your Social Security number
• someone using your health insurance
• a new account at a lender that checks a bureau you didn’t freeze

The law also lists who can still get a frozen report. That includes companies you already have accounts with and their collectors. Government agencies acting on a court order or collecting taxes and child support are on it, and so is a credit monitoring service you subscribed to.

Insurers underwriting a policy, employers, landlords and background screeners are on the list too. The CFPB adds that the free freeze law doesn’t apply to someone checking your report for employment, tenant screening or insurance.

Do you need one?

• You don’t plan to borrow soon. Freeze all three bureaus. It’s free, and nothing renews.
• You apply for credit often. Ask the lender which bureau it uses and lift only that freeze. If you want an instant switch, Equifax’s free Lock & Alert is the only no-cost lock left.
• Your data was in a breach or your identity was stolen. Freeze all three and place a free fraud alert, which one bureau shares with the other two. Then follow what to do if your identity is stolen.
• You have a child under 16. The FTC says a parent can request a free freeze for a child, and each bureau has its own instructions.

Free vs. paid options

Everything you need is free: freezes at the three bureaus, Equifax’s Lock & Alert, and fraud alerts. For alerts when something changes, see free credit monitoring.

Paid identity theft services bundle a lock, but read which bureau it covers. Aura’s pricing page lists an “Instant Credit Lock” that locks your Experian file. LifeLock’s plans list a “Credit & Payday Loan Lock” without naming a bureau, and its footnote says the feature is disabled if you downgrade or cancel. Compare them in the Aura review, the LifeLock review, our best credit monitoring services and the best identity theft protection.

Three more freezes most people skip

The big three don’t cover every check. Bank and phone companies often use specialty bureaus, and each one takes its own request:

• NCTUE (phone, utility and pay TV accounts): its site offers a free freeze online at nctueconsumerportal.com or at 1-866-349-5355.
• ChexSystems (checking and savings accounts): the CFPB’s company list says it will freeze your report on request, at 800-428-9623. Its site refused our connection on 10/16/2026.
• Innovis: the CFPB lists 800-540-2505 or 866-712-0021 and says it will freeze your report on request. Innovis’s site also refused our connection that day.

Common misconceptions

• “A lock is stronger than a freeze.” The CFPB says locks are no more effective than freezes.
• “One freeze covers all three bureaus.” It doesn’t. A fraud alert is shared between bureaus. A freeze needs three requests.
• “Freezing will hurt my credit score.” The FTC says it doesn’t affect your score.
• “My identity theft plan locks all my credit files.” Aura’s lock covers Experian only, according to its pricing page.
• “I can lock my TransUnion report in the app.” Not anymore, according to TransUnion’s help center on 10/16/2026.

See also

• What to do if your identity is stolen
• How to get free credit monitoring
• Dark web monitoring: free scans first
• What identity theft insurance covers
• Is identity theft a federal crime?

What we checked

• Government and law, read and captured 10/16/2026: the CFPB's security freeze answer, the FTC's credit freeze and fraud alert page, and 15 U.S.C. §1681c-1(i) on Cornell's Legal Information Institute
• Bureau pages, read 10/16/2026: Equifax's freeze page, lock help article and Lock & Alert FAQ; Experian's freeze page, CreditLock page and plan table; TransUnion's freeze page and member help center. No bureau account opened: each asks for an SSN
• Specialty bureaus: NCTUE's consumer page; Innovis and ChexSystems sites refused our connection on 10/16/2026, so their contacts come from the CFPB's company list
• Where the run stopped: desk review only: government pages, the statute and the bureaus' public pages; no bureau account opened (each asks for an SSN)

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