I simply froze my credit score and it was STUPIDLY EASY. (And Free!)


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

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

After which all these main knowledge breaches occurred, and effectively, 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 id 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 knowledge 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 identical to that my virginity was unfrozen (see what I did there?!)

And it actually was that straightforward to do!! Underneath 5 minutes at every bureau – no joke. In case you’ve been placing it off and know that you must do it, simply cease studying this proper now and get it finished.

Listed here are the three locations that you must 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 knowledge, after which click on that magical “freeze my credit score” button and BOOM – you’ll really feel superb.

(And sure – it’s silly you must go to 3 (!) completely different bureaus and create three (!) completely different accounts, however you possibly can’t do something about it so don’t even waste your power. Methodically transfer by way of every considered one of them after which verify it off your listing as soon as and for all! Imagine me after I inform you it’s oddly satisfying clicking that freeze button!! 😂)

click credit freeze buttonclick credit freeze button

You’ll really feel good for not having to consider it anymore, however much more importantly – you gained’t have to fret about dummies attempting to open credit score traces or loans below your title anymore too! Or no matter else these lame hackers love to do with their wasted expertise, ugh…

Why don’t they put it to GOOD use???

And FYI: you possibly can unfreeze them simply as simply at any level too. Additionally free! Simply log again in and click on “unfreeze” –  and voila! So even in the event you suppose you could want entry to your credit score within the close to future, freezing it now gained’t maintain you up later within the course of. Simply bear in mind to come back 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 best way I assume they nixed that and now you are able to do it with out even lifting your pockets. Or this put up wouldn’t have ever been written, as unhappy as that’s, lol…

When you’re finished freezing all of the credit, you possibly can 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:

equifax credit score vantage 3.0 - 831equifax credit score vantage 3.0 - 831

(My Vantage 3.0 rating)

fico score 8 - 791fico score 8 - 791

(My FICO® Rating)

TransUnion presents the Vantage 3.0 rating too, nevertheless they cost $0.99 for it so I simply grabbed it from Equifax without spending a dime 😉 (Though weirdly, after I first created my Equifax account it mentioned you needed to pay in your rating, however after I logged off after which again on later to verify one thing completely different, it turned free?! So in the event you see the identical simply sign off after which again in and hopefully it resets the identical for you too.

Additionally – after we created my spouse’s TransUnion account it wouldn’t allow us to click on the “freeze” button for some purpose, so I needed to name and wait on maintain for a bit however then they toggled one thing and it labored simply superb. So don’t let random snags maintain you up within the course of! Simply maintain going!)

You can even simply seize your credit score REPORTS from all three bureaus every year too – without spending a dime. Which is sensible to ensure nobody has *beforehand* finished something along with your id earlier than you could possibly lock the whole lot up.

Now this process takes wayyyyyy longer although, so don’t even get slowed down by it except 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 effectively so that you’ll get notified at any time when somebody tries to entry your credit score. And happily with this one you simply must do it at *one* bureau and so they move alongside the observe to the opposite two making it even quicker! We additionally did this as a double precaution.

The alerts solely final a 12 months although, so that you’ll must 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 in the event you already had your credit score stolen and filed a police report, or in the event you’re on energetic obligation, however I simply caught with the 1 12 months regular alert since nothing unhealthy has occurred but – at the very least that I at present find out about! I nonetheless gotta pour over these 3 credit score studies!!)

Now on the down aspect you possibly can’t add any freezes or fraud alerts to KIDS’ credit as simply as you possibly can your self (anybody below 18). However you CAN do it, you simply must undergo a extra prolonged means of displaying social safety playing cards and delivery 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 trying ahead to doing it 3x over!) however it’s on the listing as there must be NO credit score being opened for years on behalf of any of those guys…

I also needs to observe 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 forestall you from getting the job finished  😎

Listed here are some enjoyable examples of what’s to come back although:

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equifax complete upsellequifax complete upsell

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experian credit cards upsellexperian credit cards upsell

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fico credit score breakdownfico credit score breakdown

******

dark web removal upselldark web removal upsell

******

And on and on and on…

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

TL;DR:

Freezing your credit score is free, straightforward to do, and might 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 may at all times unfreeze it later with a click on of a button (additionally free).

Listed here 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 pal and fellow nerd,

j. money signaturej. money signature

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