Requests by mail: Three business days after receiving the request for removal.Requests by toll-free telephone or secure electronic means: One hour after receiving the request for removal.The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act set an official timeline for when credit freezes need to be removed, after a consumer's request:
We've tested this for all three credit bureaus and were able to apply for a credit card within the hour. When you unfreeze your credit, you typically have access to your credit report within an hour, but it may vary. If you remove a freeze, reinstate it once the application process is complete. You also have the option to completely remove the freeze, which we don't recommend doing unless you don't have a finite timeline on when your credit will be pulled. There will be the option to temporarily lift a freeze for a set amount of time, which can be used if you need to apply for a credit card, mortgage, loan or other financial product. You can unfreeze your credit by going to the same credit bureau websites that you accessed to freeze your credit, or by calling the numbers listed above. Investing +More All Investing Best IRA Accounts Best Roth IRA Accounts Best Investing Apps Best Free Stock Trading Platforms Best Robo-Advisors Index Funds Mutual Funds ETFs Bonds Help for Low Credit Scores +More All Help for Low Credit Scores Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit Personal Loans if You Don't Have Credit Best Credit Cards for Building Credit Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score Lower Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Best Mortgages for Bad Credit Best Hardship Loans How to Boost Your Credit Score Taxes +More All Taxes Filing For Free Best Tax Software Best Tax Software for Small Businesses Tax Refunds Tax Brackets Tax Tips Taxes By State Tax Payment Plans Personal Finance +More All Personal Finance Best Budgeting Apps Best Expense Tracker Apps Best Money Transfer Apps Best Resale Apps and Sites Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Apps Best Debt ReliefĬredit Monitoring +More All Credit Monitoring Best Credit Monitoring Services Best Identity Theft Protection How to Boost Your Credit Score Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgages for Average Credit Score.TransUnion had a good online interface that was quick and easy to use, asked me for my pin and lifted my credit. I keep my credit frozen at all three major reporting agencies, and yesterday went to add a temporary lift to my account so that I could do home loan stuff. Youll be directed to an MyEquifax account login page. Equifax has let us down again by not asking for my PIN to unfreeze my credit.
This means if you get locked out of your Equifax account, you'll have to mail them identity docs. Beware that if you do a freeze with Equifax online now, it's exclusively through myEquifax and does not provide a PIN. Contact info: Equifax Equifax Security Freeze, P.O.