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

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

It actually took me underneath 5 minutes to do it and I truly caught myself muttering out loud: “Gosh I’m an fool… shoulda simply carried out it sooner.” However, with all issues boring and unimportant till they turn into vital (!), freezing credit score was simply by no means a precedence as a result of nothing unhealthy ever occurred to this point with out doing it.

After which all these main information breaches occurred, and nicely, as Jonathan from My Cash Weblog not too long ago put it:

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

I star’d this a month in the past for Future Jay to take care of, after which I began getting dinged left and proper with alerts final week telling me my information 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 similar to that my virginity was unfrozen (see what I did there?!)

And it actually was that straightforward to do!! Below 5 minutes at every bureau – no joke. In the event you’ve been placing it off and know it’s worthwhile to do it, simply cease studying this proper now and get it carried out.

Listed below are the three locations it’s worthwhile to go to:

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

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

(And sure – it’s silly it’s important to go to 3 (!) completely different bureaus and create three (!) completely different accounts, however you’ll be able to’t do something about it so don’t even waste your power. Methodically transfer via every one in every of them after which verify it off your record 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 received’t have to fret about dummies attempting to open credit score traces or loans underneath your identify 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’ll be able to unfreeze them simply as simply at any level too. Additionally free! Simply log again in and click on “unfreeze” –  and voila! So even should you suppose it’s possible you’ll want entry to your credit score within the close to future, freezing it now received’t maintain you up later within the course of. Simply keep in mind to return again later and log again in!

I may have sworn all this used to value like $10 or $15 a shot again within the day, including but one more reason to not be bothered by it, however sooner or later alongside the way in which I suppose they nixed that and now you are able to do it with out even lifting your pockets. Or this publish wouldn’t have ever been written, as unhappy as that’s, lol…

When you’re carried out freezing all of the credit, you’ll be able to then nerd out even *extra* by grabbing your credit score SCORE and credit score REPORT too! Additionally free at most bureaus!

I truly 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 provides the Vantage 3.0 rating too, nevertheless they cost $0.99 for it so I simply grabbed it from Equifax free of charge 😉 (Though weirdly, once I first created my Equifax account it stated you needed to pay in your rating, however once I logged off after which again on later to verify one thing completely different, it turned free?! So should you see the identical simply log off after which again in and hopefully it resets the identical for you too.

Additionally – once 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 positive. So don’t let random snags maintain you up within the course of! Simply maintain going!)

You may also simply seize your credit score REPORTS from all three bureaus every year too – free of charge. Which is sensible to ensure nobody has *beforehand* carried out something along with your identification earlier than you possibly can lock all the things up.

Now this process takes wayyyyyy longer although, so don’t even get slowed down by it until 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 nicely so that you’ll get notified at any time when somebody tries to entry your credit score. And happily with this one you simply should do it at *one* bureau they usually go alongside the word 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 should renew it later as soon as the time comes once more (there’s additionally completely different sorts of alerts too which are extra in depth it appears, like should you already had your credit score stolen and filed a police report, or should you’re on lively responsibility, however I simply caught with the 1 12 months regular alert since nothing unhealthy has occurred but – a minimum of that I at present find out about! I nonetheless gotta pore over these 3 credit score stories!!)

Now on the down facet you’ll be able to’t add any freezes or fraud alerts to KIDS’ credit as simply as you’ll be able to your self (anybody underneath 18). However you CAN do it, you simply should undergo a extra prolonged strategy of displaying 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 record as there ought to be NO credit score being opened for years on behalf of any of those guys…

I also needs to word that when 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 carried out  😎

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

******

******

******

******

******

And on and on and on…

Once more, simply hit “unsubscribe” and also you received’t should take care of it once more.

TL;DR:

Freezing your credit score is free, straightforward to do, and may prevent a butt ton of time and frustration sooner or later. Spend the quarter-hour (whole) getting it frozen at every of the bureaus after which name it a day. You’ll be able to 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/middle.html
2. Transunion.com/credit-freeze
3. Equifax.com/private/credit-report-services/credit-freeze

Your good friend and fellow nerd,

UPDATE: I simply realized it’s also possible to *quickly* unfreeze your credit score too (aka “thaw” it lol) for everytime you want entry. You apparently set the # of days the place it can 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 thought from a fellow reader who simply emailed me: “Hello J. Cash- I’ve been freezing and checking credit score stories on an annual foundation for 20 years, and one factor I’ve realized that works for me and would possibly for others too is spreading out while you verify your free credit score stories. 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. Examine 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.”

(Visited 363 instances, 26 visits at this time)