Can You Get A Credit Freeze In Canada?

With more and more transactions being done online, it’s easier than ever to be the victim of identity theft. A credit freeze can stop would-be thieves in their tracks. When you do an Equifax or TransUnion credit freeze, you prevent anyone from accessing new credit in your name.

Although only residents of Quebec can do a credit freeze, we’ll still walk you through the process and provide alternative strategies for protecting your credit. We’ll also show you how to unfreeze your credit in case you need to apply for a new loan or credit card.

Can you get a credit freeze in Canada?

Unless you’re in Quebec, you cannot get a credit freeze on your accounts.

Typically, a credit monitoring bureau only offers the service after legislation is passed requiring it to do so. In Canada, only Quebec has passed legislation, so that’s the only province where you can request a credit freeze.

Unfortunately, data breaches are fairly common throughout Canada, so many Canadians may benefit from placing a credit freeze on their accounts. For instance, in 2024, Ticketmaster was the focus of a major data breach that compromised the personal information of millions of people. The House of Commons was also hit by a cyberattack that stole personal contact information of top government employees.

As more and more personal information moves online, the risk of having your valuable data stolen increases.

What is credit freezing?

Any time you apply for a new credit product like a loan or credit card, the credit issuer pulls your credit report to see if you’re creditworthy. If someone has stolen your personal data, they may be the ones applying for the loan or card. So, how do you stop them?

A credit freeze has become a vital tool in combatting identity theft and cybercrime. Here’s how it works: You log into your account with each credit monitoring bureau and simply choose the option to freeze your credit. That’s it!

Now, keep in mind that when you freeze your credit, you can still see your report (and so can your current lenders, debt collectors, government officials, and marketing companies). However, placing a freeze means no one can open new credit, even you. This can prevent hackers who have stolen your personal information from using it to open credit products in your name.

If you know you’ll be applying for a credit card, car loan, mortgage, or personal loan, log back in and unfreeze your accounts. You can usually specify whether you want to completely lift the freeze or thaw it temporarily.

How to request an Equifax credit freeze

Remember, you must be a resident of Quebec to initiate a credit freeze, or as Equifax calls it, a credit lock. Here are the simple steps you need to take.

1. Log into your Equifax account
2. Click ‘Manage a lock’ or ‘Manage credit lock settings’
3. Click the red ‘Lock’ button and click it again when you’re redirected to confirm the lock

When you head back to your Equifax dashboard, you should see that your account is instantly frozen.

How to request a TransUnion credit freeze

You’ll need to log into the TransUnion site. Once you’re logged in and have been sent to the consumer solutions site, follow these simple steps.

1. Click ‘Manage Your Credit Freeze’
2. You’ll see a page asking for your permission to proceed. Click ‘Continue’
3. You’ll be taken to a page with information about credit freezing. Click ‘Freeze’ under the image of the snowflake to freeze your account.
4. Select ‘Yes’ on the confirmation box that asks if you’re sure you want to freeze your account.

You’ll see a green box pop up saying you’ve frozen your account.

How to unfreeze your credit

To unlock your Equifax account, log back in and select ‘Manage a lock’ or ‘Manage credit lock settings.’ Then, click ‘Unlock’ and confirm it.

To unfreeze your TransUnion file, log back into the TransUnion Online Consumer Solutions site and choose ‘Manage Your Credit Freeze’ again. Then click ‘Unfreeze’ and your account should be accessible again.

Pros and cons of a credit freeze

If you’re in Quebec and have the option of requesting a credit freeze, here are some things to keep in mind before doing so.

Pros:

• Easy and quick to freeze and unfreeze your report
• Can stop people with your personal information from opening new credit products in your name
• Free (and could save you from identity theft costs)

Cons:

• Doesn’t stop thieves from stealing if they’ve already got your information
• Doesn’t stop current lenders and marketing companies from accessing your info
• You might forget your account is frozen when you apply for credit

Overall, there’s really no harm in placing a credit freeze on your account. The biggest potential drawback is that you forget your account is frozen when you apply for a loan or credit card. If this happens, the issuer will usually contact you to say your account is frozen. Just unfreeze it and they can proceed with your application.

Credit freeze alternatives

Not a resident of Quebec? While you’re out of luck with getting a credit freeze, there are steps you can take to protect your credit.

At a minimum, you should read through your credit report at least once a year. Check for inaccurate information or errors and reach out to each credit monitoring bureau to report them. After all, these inaccuracies could be damaging your credit score.

If there’s been a data breach, act quickly:

• Change your passwords
• Check your credit card statements for unauthorized purchases
• Order your credit report and review it
• Place fraud alerts with credit bureaus if you’re a victim of fraud
• File a police report if you’re a fraud victim and contact the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre

FAQ

Can you put a freeze on your credit in Canada?

At this time, you can only freeze your credit if you’re a resident of Quebec. Otherwise, you can’t put a freeze on your credit until your province passes legislation requiring the credit bureaus to allow the service.

Will freezing a credit card hurt your credit?

No, you are in control of who accesses your credit report, so both credit monitoring bureaus allow you to freeze and unfreeze your account whenever you like without damaging your credit score.

What is the downside of freezing your credit?

The biggest downside of a credit freeze is that you might forget you’ve done it and when you apply for new credit, the issuer can’t check your credit report. They’ll usually notify you and you can unfreeze it right away.

How long can you put a freeze on your credit?

There’s no limit to how long a credit freeze remains on your account. In fact, many users freeze their accounts for the long term and only unfreeze them when they actually need to apply for a credit product.

Which is better, a credit lock or freeze?

A credit lock and credit freeze are the same thing. You might see TransUnion use the term credit freeze (and feature snowflakes on its site) and Equifax use the term credit lock.