How to Freeze Your Credit Cards By an eHow Contributor X If your credit card is lost or stolen, youll have to freeze the account right away to ensure it isnt used by an unauthorized individual. Also, if you want to keep a particular credit card account active but dont want access to the credit limit just now, you can freeze your credit cards. This is a good strategy to use if youre seeking short-term relief from credit card debt and dont want to deal with the temptation of easy access to a credit card. Have a question? Get an answer from a Personal Finance Professional now! Instructions 1. o 1 Contact customer service by telephone. You will need to answer any security questions (typically your date of birth, Social Security number, mothers maiden name or a customized question) and provide the credit card number of the account you want to freeze. o 2 Provide the customer service representative with detailed information about when and where you last used the card, if youre freezing it because you discovered it has gone missing or been stolen. That will assist the credit card company in tracking the fraudulent use of your card, if it happens, and increase the chances that the perpetrator will be caught. o 3 Ask for a freeze on your high-interest credit cards if youre having problems managing your credit card debt and want to limit your access to credit funds . Your access to the card will be revoked virtually instantly, and youll have to complete a form stating that your account will be frozen for a specified period of time. You will not be able to unfreeze your account until that period elapses. o 4 Pay down the balances owing on your frozen credit cards, reducing them to zero as quickly as possible. Remember that you dont necessarily improve your credit score by never using credit. If you want to restore your credit after unfreezing your credit cards, use them regularly but pay off the balances, in full, every month. o 5 Choose to cancel rather than freeze credit card accounts that charge exorbitant annual fees or high rates of interest. Instead, limit your credit card spending to a card or two, keeping the cards with the best annual percentage rates and lowest fees.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:13:21 +0000
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