In 2017, the United States Congress passed a law making it easier to request a credit freeze and asked the three major credit unions – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – to foot the bill. This means that requesting a freeze on your credit to protect valuable personal information is not only easier than ever, it’s also free! Numerous data breaches over the past couple of years have made consumers question how best to protect their information and a security freeze can be a great and powerful step. Below we explain how best to freeze your credit with Experian, one of the three major credit unions.
Freeze Your Credit Online
The simplest way to freeze your credit with Experion is to fill out their online form on the Experian Website. This will lead you to a short form where you will need to provide some personally identifying information such as your name, address, social security number, etc. so make sure to have all that ready before you begin! You will also be asked to provide a 5 to 10 digit pin that will serve as your personal identification number and allow you to unfreeze your credit easily in the future. You’ll then be asked several verifying questions after which you’ll be taken to a screen verifying your security freeze. From there, you can choose whether or not to print the form with this information (including your PIN) or have it emailed to you for your own personal records.
Freeze Your Credit by Phone
For many people, they prefer to have the ability to talk to a real person to help them through the credit freeze process. For those individuals, calling Experion directly may be their best option! To initiate your security freeze with Experion by phone, you’ll need to call 888-397-3742 (888-EXPERION). From there, you will need to provide the same identifying information you would need for the online portion and your PIN will be mailed to you several days after your security freeze is enacted.
Freeze Your Credit by Mail
You can also use the post in order to request your credit freeze by mailing your information to this address:
Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
You’ll need to include your identifying information (social security number, birthday, full name, etc.) as well as your last two years’ worth of addresses and proof of your current address (government-issued ID, utility bill, lease agreement, etc.). After your security freeze is confirmed, your PIN will be sent to you via the postal service.
For more information on what information you may need, Experion has an in-depth blog post with all you need to know found here.
After You Freeze Your Credit With Experion
Make sure to keep your PIN in a safe place where you won’t forget about it as you will need it if you ever want/need to unfreeze your credit. It is also important to freeze your credit with Equifax and TransUnion as well as to fully protect your information with all three major credit unions. You can find our step-by-step guides to freezing your credit with both of them below:
How To Freeze Your Credit With Equifax
How To Freeze Your Credit With TransUnion