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Most banks, including Chase and AMEX, pull from Experian in NY and NJ when you apply for a card. If they see too many pulls, they are more likely to decline your application. The goal is to have the bank look at a different credit report that doesn’t have as many pulls. This is basically done by putting a security block, or “freeze” your Experian (or other hard hit reports) account. That way, banks are blocked from seeing it.

That can be done here:
Equifax
Experian
TransUnion

Obviously, you will not get instant approval and will have to call recon and ask them nicely to pull from a different bureau. Some banks will decline to do so and will require you to give them the pin# you set up when you froze the credit report so they can pull it. When you do call up, make sure you have a good reason for having your report frozen. Tell them there is some incorrect info on your experian credit report and that you don't want to unfreeze it until it gets corrected. DO NOT say that there was a fraud alert so you froze it!!!! This will cause them to freeze your application.

CHASE:
Personal- many have reported success in freezing experian and having apps approved. There are recent reports of this not working anymore and customer service requiring the pin to unlock your report so this may require lots of HUCA. One DDFer reports 15 HUCAs (3/19/14) and no luck. It may be dead  :(
If you plan on doing a chase 2BM, you might want to call and get both approved in the same call as to avoid multiple pulls. Alternatively, you can just unfreeze it before a 2/3BM.
AsherO reports that he had them pull equifax and they pulled transunion 2 days later as well. The best way to avoid a double-pull, is to freeze both Experian + another bureau and have them pull the third.

Business- There is limited reported success getting chase business reps to pull anything other than experian. Only one DDFer reports success and even he admits it was a real pain and lot and lots of HUCA-ing.

AMEX:
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work at all for AMEX. They will require your pin so they can pull Experian.

CITI:
In NY, Citi pulls from either Equifax or Experian or both. So by freezing experian, you can get them to pull just equifax thus preventing the dreaded double pull. (Many Ddfers have reported that Citi will no longer pull from another report once the original pull has been made).

A few side notes:
Freezing your report will automatically opt you out from pre-approved offers. Churners like those so you might want to opt back in.
If you have accounts with a bank they can still do a soft pull on your frozen credit report.
If you open a new account, it will get reported to the frozen credit report. The report just won’t show a hard pull.       

« Last edited by Yehuda25 on March 25, 2014, 10:01:00 PM »

Author Topic: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score  (Read 154701 times)

Offline Feivish

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #500 on: November 24, 2015, 05:22:36 PM »
Any reports of getting approved by USB when experian frozen?

Offline benjie1305

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #501 on: December 08, 2015, 03:52:08 PM »
Anyone familiar with unfreezing? Do I lift the freeze temporarily or permanently? Any actual difference?
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Offline yuguy

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #502 on: December 08, 2015, 04:40:06 PM »
Anyone familiar with unfreezing? Do I lift the freeze temporarily or permanently? Any actual difference?

Only difference is that temporary you set a date when it goes back to being frozen--actually convenient, so you can unfreeze and set the date for 30 days or more and not have to worry about re-freezing it.

Offline benjie1305

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #503 on: December 08, 2015, 04:41:01 PM »
Only difference is that temporary you set a date when it goes back--actually convenient, so you can unfreeze and set the date for 30 days or more and not have to worry about re-freezing it.

Whats the big deal in just refreezing when I want to? If anything I would think that with setting a date I might forget about it, apply for a EX card and get rejected.
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Offline yuguy

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #504 on: December 08, 2015, 04:45:28 PM »
Whats the big deal in just refreezing when I want to? If anything I would think that with setting a date I might forget about it, apply for a EX card and get rejected.

No big deal, at least in NY. I believe some states charge a fee. I used to freeze, un freeze, freeze, unfreeze, etc, but it got tiresome so I just unfreeze it for a month or two at a time--I tend to stagger my AORs--and I really only freeze for Citi which limits how many apps you can do anyways..

If you're having trouble freezing online you can also do it over the phone with their surprisingly intuitive automated system.

Offline Smokey Joe Robinson

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #505 on: March 16, 2016, 12:37:18 PM »
Anyone have any idea if Experian "single use" pin can be reused a few times to lift credit freeze?
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Offline yochiek93

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #506 on: March 17, 2016, 03:43:20 AM »
Anyone have any idea if Experian "single use" pin can be reused a few times to lift credit freeze?
Single use doesn't mean "one time use" it means "they can pull your credit one time"

Offline rileywiles23

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #507 on: March 30, 2016, 09:29:00 AM »
What happens when I apply for a Cap 1 card when my EX is frozen ?
They'll make me give them a pin to pull that report as well ?
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Offline rileywiles23

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #508 on: March 30, 2016, 12:07:41 PM »
What happens when I apply for a Cap 1 card when my EX is frozen ?
They'll make me give them a pin to pull that report as well ?
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Offline rileywiles23

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #509 on: March 30, 2016, 05:11:37 PM »
What happens when I apply for a Cap 1 card when my EX is frozen ?
They'll make me give them a pin to pull that report as well ?
Got auto approved, and so far they only pulled TU.
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Offline ari2955

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #510 on: March 30, 2016, 11:10:40 PM »
Got auto approved, and so far they only pulled TU.

Hmm what state ?

Offline rileywiles23

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #511 on: March 30, 2016, 11:35:54 PM »
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Offline shmooz

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #512 on: June 02, 2016, 11:59:50 PM »
Is there a way to check if experian is unlocked or not before applying?

Offline Yhgfkj

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #513 on: June 03, 2016, 12:19:40 AM »
Is there a way to check if experian is unlocked or not before applying?
you sould see it on your report at
Your personal statements>FILE FROZEN DUE TO STATE LEGISLATION.

Offline davidd75

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #514 on: July 05, 2016, 05:05:37 PM »
Anybody with experience freezing reports for capital one cc applications.  did you freeze 2 or only 1 report.  which one(s)?

Offline Yhgfkj

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #515 on: July 05, 2016, 06:08:11 PM »
Anybody with experience freezing reports for capital one cc applications.  did you freeze 2 or only 1 report.  which one(s)?
did freeze Experian -  instant approved

Offline davidd75

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #516 on: July 06, 2016, 09:37:12 AM »
did freeze Experian -  instant approved

Thanks

you didn't bother to freeze a second report so that they will only pull one or does that not work?

Offline Mendelssohn

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #517 on: July 06, 2016, 01:37:25 PM »
Thanks

you didn't bother to freeze a second report so that they will only pull one or does that not work?

Cap1 wants at least 2 and sometimes insists on all 3. I've never heard of an approval with just 1.

Keep in mind they also check Innovis and Sagestream and/or IDA.

Offline yochiek93

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #518 on: July 06, 2016, 01:40:35 PM »


Keep in mind they also check Innovis and Sagestream and/or IDA.
Care to explain what these are or point me in the direction where I can read up on it

Offline Mendelssohn

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #519 on: July 06, 2016, 01:45:08 PM »
Care to explain what these are or point me in the direction where I can read up on it

Innovis is a CRA that probably has most of your accounts listed. They don't have a FICO score.

Sagestream and ARS track CC apps and can be frozen.

I meant to type ARS above instead of IDA. IDA is the old name if Sagestream.