Who to Call to Unfreeze Your Credit

Call each credit bureau that has a frozen file: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion manage freezes separately. One call cannot unfreeze credit reports held by all three bureaus.

A credit freeze, also called a security freeze, limits access to a credit file for certain new-account checks. It is different from a fraud alert or a credit lock, so choose the bureau’s security-freeze option when calling.

Who to Call to Unfreeze Your Credit

Who to call to unfreeze credit depends on which bureau’s report the creditor plans to check. Ask the creditor whether it uses Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, or more than one bureau.

• If the creditor names one bureau, contact that bureau about its frozen file.
• If the creditor may check multiple bureaus, contact every named bureau separately.
• If the creditor cannot identify a bureau, you may need to manage the freeze at all three bureaus.

A request made to Equifax does not change an Experian or TransUnion freeze. The same rule applies to requests made to either of the other bureaus.

Credit Bureau Phone Support Options

There is no universal unfreeze credit phone number. Use the separate, verified security-freeze number shown in the contact block for the bureau you need.

• Equifax: use the verified Equifax contact route and select the option for managing a security freeze.
• Experian: use the verified Experian phone number for adding or removing a security freeze.
• TransUnion: use the verified TransUnion credit-freeze support route for a temporary lift or permanent removal.

Searches such as “phone number to unfreeze credit,” “number to call to unfreeze credit,” or “credit unfreeze customer service number” may surface unrelated membership, dispute, or fraud-alert lines. Confirm that the route is specifically for a security freeze before providing personal information.

Information to Have Ready Before Calling

Each bureau must verify that the person requesting the change owns the credit file. The exact questions depend on the bureau and the result of its identity checks.

Have the following available, without giving information until the official system requests it:

• Your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current address.
• Previous addresses if you have moved recently.
• Answers about information appearing in your credit file, if the bureau uses knowledge-based questions.
• Your bureau account credentials or freeze-related credentials, if that bureau’s current process requests them.
• The requested start and end dates for a temporary lift.
• The name of the creditor that needs access, if the bureau offers a creditor-specific lift.

Requirements are not identical across bureaus. For example, TransUnion’s official guidance says its phone process verifies identity using personal details and does not require its former freeze PIN. Follow the prompts rather than assuming an old PIN is required everywhere.

How to Request a Temporary Lift by Phone

A temporary lift opens a frozen credit file for a limited purpose or period, after which the freeze resumes. To call to lift a credit freeze, use this sequence for each required bureau:

1. Call the bureau-specific security-freeze route shown in the verified contact block.
2. Select the option to manage an existing freeze.
3. Complete the bureau’s identity-verification prompts.
4. Choose a temporary lift rather than permanent removal.
5. Enter the start and end dates requested by the phone system.
6. If the system offers access for a named creditor, provide that creditor’s information exactly as requested. Do not assume every bureau offers this choice by phone.
7. Record the confirmation or reference information provided at the end.

Ask the creditor which bureau it will check and when it expects to do so before choosing the lift. That helps you select the correct file and date range.

How to Remove a Credit Freeze by Phone

Permanent credit-freeze removal leaves the bureau’s file unfrozen until you place another freeze. It does not automatically restore the freeze after a creditor checks the report.

1. Call the verified credit freeze removal phone number for the individual bureau.
2. Choose the option to remove an existing security freeze.
3. Pass the bureau’s identity verification.
4. Confirm that you want permanent removal, not a scheduled temporary lift.
5. Save the confirmation details and repeat the process with any other bureau whose freeze must be removed.

If you asked, “Who do I call to lift a credit freeze?” remember that temporary lifting and permanent removal may appear as separate choices in the same automated menu.

If You Cannot Complete the Request by Phone

If phone verification fails, do not repeatedly guess answers or disclose personal details to an unverified number. Use the bureau’s official alternative process.

• Online: open the company’s official website, locate the credit-freeze or security-freeze area, and sign in or complete the identity checks. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion each provide an online way to manage their own file.
• Mail: obtain the bureau’s current security-freeze instructions and mailing address from its official materials. Send only the identity and address documents that those instructions request.
• Missing credentials: use the account-recovery or identity-verification option presented by that bureau. Do not assume another bureau can recover the credentials.
• Failed verification: follow the bureau’s stated document-verification process. Required documents can differ, so rely on the current instructions rather than an old checklist.

Mail requests must identify whether you want a temporary lift or permanent removal. For a temporary lift, include the requested dates and any other information required by the current form.

Confirm That the Freeze Was Lifted

Do not treat completion of a call as proof that every credit file is open. Confirm the status separately with each bureau you contacted.

1. Keep the confirmation number, message, letter, or other acknowledgment supplied by the bureau.
2. Check the freeze status through that bureau’s official account or status tool when available.
3. Verify that a temporary lift shows the intended dates and that a permanent removal is not listed as temporary.
4. Tell the creditor which bureau was lifted and ask it to retry its credit-file request if necessary.

Retain each bureau’s confirmation until the creditor finishes its check. A confirmation from one bureau proves nothing about the freeze status at the other two.