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Freezing All 3 CRS

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Locking All 3 CRS

I'd rather do a free freeze over a lock you have to pay for any day.
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2018/09/free-credit-freezes-are-here

Message 11 of 21
DaveInAZ
Senior Contributor

Re: Locking All 3 CRS


@Anonymous wrote:

The easiest  for me has been Equifax via https://lockandalert.equifax.com

You can lock and unlock in 2 seconds.

 

For TransUnion I have both the myTransunion app and the TrueIdenity app. I prefer Trueidentiy because you can lock instantly and get a daily TU report. TrueIdentity is just a brand owned by TranUnion just like Credit Check Total is owned by Experian. The reports from the TrueIdentity site are very detailed but the app is lacking. You can not drill into the  individual accounts on the app. But it’s nice to get a daily credit report right from the source because Credit Karma has had a few bugs on my reports. Like for example one day all my inquiries disappeared and I got excited. They came back 10 days later 😔

 

 

https://www.trueidentity.com

 

 

 

 


Yep, I prefer locking and use both of those. Experian used to be the only service I paid for with lock/unlock, but then Equifax gave me IDnotify service for EX that gives me lock/unlock for free. Locking & unlocking is so fast and you never know when you might need to unlock. This week I was in a BBVA bank branch making a deposit and the teller really encouraged me to apply for their Rewards Visa (when she gave me her biz card I realized she was actually an area sales rep). Took me only a minute to unlock EX on my phone so she could app for me & get approval.

Message 12 of 21
CivalV
Established Contributor

Re: Locking All 3 CRS

Oh sorry!! I didnt know there was a difference
Message 13 of 21
OmarR
Established Contributor

Re: Locking All 3 CRS

Honest question:

 

Freezing directly with the CRA's is free all day long. It takes me about 2 mins a piece to do a "time-expired" unfreeze.

 

So why would anyone choose a lock over a freeze?

 EQ=850   EX=845   TU=843       0/24       UTIL=$1    AZEO

Message 14 of 21
tacpoly
Established Contributor

Re: Locking All 3 CRS

I've had all 3 major CRA frozen for years.  It's easy to do a temporary thaw if needed:  I would usually set it to unfreeze the same day and automatically lock again a few days later.  I don't apply for a credit card or ask for a CLI on a whim, so frozen reports are not much of an issue.

Message 15 of 21
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Locking All 3 CRS


@OmarR wrote:

Honest question:

 

Freezing directly with the CRA's is free all day long. It takes me about 2 mins a piece to do a "time-expired" unfreeze.

 

So why would anyone choose a lock over a freeze?


It’s just a personal preference. Locking is real time. I can unlock at 2:34 am, do my business and relook at 2:52 am. Freezing seems to be date based. Here is the Experian form for example. https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/removefreeze

If there is a way to unfreeze in real time I would love to know about it.

 

I was opening a credit union account in the branch and they needed me to unfreeze on of my reports. I tried the EX online form and set it for today. Didn’t work. I called EX but it was after business hours. Is there a way to enter the pin in the phone tree? And again, is it real time. Otherwise I’m going to stick to locking.

 

I ended up missing out on a SUB because I had to make second trip to the credit union. The added legal protections of freezing don’t really benefit me. (They May benefit others that’s why I said it’s a personal choice/preference)  I am never going to sue a CRA. But there are many occasions where I may decide I want to app for something immediately.

 

side note I was able to unfreeze Lexis Nexis in real time.

Message 16 of 21
OmarR
Established Contributor

Re: Locking All 3 CRS

Morpho,

 

All interesting points!

 

I have always unfrozen at home on my laptop, but have never had to do so on a phone. Unfreezing has always been instant for all 3, even though some of them give a message to "give it 15 minutes". And you are right, the earliest re-freeze is midnight the next day.

 

I have never locked or unlocked. When you do that, are you dealing with the CRA's themselves, or a 3rd party?

My apps (if I have any) are always pre-planned well ahead of time, so unfreezing is not really a big deal for me.

 EQ=850   EX=845   TU=843       0/24       UTIL=$1    AZEO

Message 17 of 21
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Locking All 3 CRS

As soon as you get done filling out the Experian form and it shows you the green check mark, you should be good to go. 

Equifax and TransUnion are also real-time and with the myTransUnion app you can actually remove a lift when your app is done, same with the Equifax login. Only Experian is stuck until the next day at the earliest. 

Message 18 of 21
Green456
Established Contributor

Re: Freezing All 3 CRS


@CivalV wrote:
I have not applied for any credit since December*** I am gardening and will continue to do so...

I would like some opinions on freezing all 3 CRS. I noticed the Experian app only allows it if you purchase their package. I pay $43 monthly with myfico. Wondering if I can offset that cost but also find a way to lock my reports with one site? Is this even possible? Ive lost 40 points on EX and TU due to my only loan being paid off and now I just want to make sure everything is secured.

Why not just freeze your accounts for free? All 3 CRS allow it. I have done it for the past 2 years, I have had no issues locking and unlocking multiple times.

Message 19 of 21
Remedios
Credit Mentor

Re: Freezing All 3 CRS

I have TU and EX locked, but EQ is open

 

Last time it had a free on it during my longer gardening stretch and guess what ....EQ messed up 

I know, hard to believe Smiley LOL

 

Took about 5 months for them to fix it so now I'm weary to do anything with them. 

I agree that freezing provides better legal protection in case something does go wrong, but I've opted for what I perceive as more convenient options for me. 

 

With that said, I never really checked since my personal EQ debacle, is it possible to lock EQ now, and if yes, how? 

 

They will probably mess that up for me, too 

Message 20 of 21
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