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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 153636 times)

Offline yochiek93

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #520 on: July 06, 2016, 01:46:03 PM »
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.
How do you go about freezing those?

Offline Mendelssohn

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #521 on: July 06, 2016, 01:46:54 PM »
How do you go about freezing those?

I never bothered. You can search CB for instructions.

Offline yochiek93

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #522 on: July 06, 2016, 01:50:32 PM »
I never bothered. You can search CB for instructions.
Thanks

Offline unclesam

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #523 on: July 06, 2016, 02:46:06 PM »
Does citi pull eq or tu If I apply for citi cc in NJ with frozen experian report?

Offline Cappy

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #524 on: July 06, 2016, 03:50:25 PM »
Does citi pull eq or tu If I apply for citi cc in NJ with frozen experian report?

EQ

Offline davidd75

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #525 on: July 06, 2016, 04:35:30 PM »
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.

Not according to this language from Dan from a recent post

"Note that Capital One does a credit pull from all 3 credit bureaus when applying for cards, though some have had success getting a card with 1 pull by freezing the reports by 2 of the 3 credit bureaus. More info on freezing from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion."

Offline unclesam

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Offline Mendelssohn

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #527 on: July 06, 2016, 05:41:38 PM »
Not according to this language from Dan from a recent post

"Note that Capital One does a credit pull from all 3 credit bureaus when applying for cards, though some have had success getting a card with 1 pull by freezing the reports by 2 of the 3 credit bureaus. More info on freezing from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion."

No offense, but CB has a larger data sample on this than DDF.

If you get approved with a single pull, I'll be surprised.

Offline Yhgfkj

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #528 on: March 08, 2017, 06:27:55 PM »
seems it changed recently. Experian is now charging $5.44 to remove a security freeze in NY , if I remember it used to be free here .

Offline shie123

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #529 on: September 01, 2020, 01:15:06 PM »
Tried freezing my report it says I have to send in a request through Mail with lots of docs.
Is this a new thing?

Offline Samb

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #530 on: September 01, 2020, 07:45:11 PM »
Which credit bureau?

Offline shie123

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #531 on: September 02, 2020, 08:59:39 PM »

Offline Samb

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #532 on: September 02, 2020, 11:42:58 PM »
Experian.
Maybe just rather lock it. It’s much easier

Offline justmeha

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Re: Credit Freeze to Improve Your Experian Score
« Reply #533 on: March 12, 2021, 12:13:22 PM »
Any recent DPs on getting Chase to pull another CB?