Adam McCann, Financial Writer
@adam_mcan
Yes, you can freeze your credit card temporarily with most issuers’ cards, which will prevent it from being used for new purchases until it is unfrozen. You can generally freeze your credit card through your online account, using the issuer’s mobile app, or by calling customer service.
The exact process will be different with each credit card company. Just note that that not all issuers offer this feature. You should also keep in mind that some issuers refer to this feature as “lock your credit card”.
Reasons to Freeze Your Credit Card Temporarily
- You can’t find your card and want to look for it before reporting it as lost or stolen.
- You want to prevent yourself from spending money on the card.
- You want to limit the authorized users’ purchases. Some issuers allow you to directly manage authorized users’ spending abilities without freezing your own card. However, this is not common and you typically cannot set the spending limit to $0.
Freezing your credit card will stop most new purchases from happening. However, it won’t stop recurring transactions that you haven’t already canceled, such as streaming service subscriptions.
It’s also worth noting that freezing your credit card is different from doing a “credit freeze”, where you block third parties from having access to your credit report. The main reason to do this is if you suspect you are a victim of identity theft or fraud, as it stops people from opening loans and lines of credit in your name.
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People also ask
What happens when you freeze your card?
When you freeze your card, the issuer won't authorize any new charges or balance transfers to your account. More specifically, you cannot use your card to make purchases online or in person, and you can't transfer a balance to the card you froze.
Reasons to Freeze Your Card
- If you have temporarily misplaced your card and you want to prevent any unauthorized transactions.
- If you want to prevent yourself from spending....
Is it good to freeze a credit card?
Yes, it can be good to freeze a credit card. You can do it in the event that you card is lost or stolen, to prevent any unauthorized charges, or you can do it simply to prevent yourself from spending.
A frozen credit card will still help you improve your credit score, and there is no penalty or charge for freezing your account. On top of that, you can unfreeze it anytime you want.
read full answer by John Miller, Credit Cards ModeratorDoes freezing a credit card hurt your credit?
No, freezing a credit card doesn’t hurt your credit. As long as you keep your account in good standing, your frozen card will still help you improve your credit score.
Also, there is no penalty or charge for freezing your account, and you can unfreeze it anytime you want.
Things to be aware of when freezing a credit card:
When you freeze your card, any recurring payments that you've already set up will continue to be processed.
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read full answer by Maria Adams, Credit Cards ModeratorDid we answer your question?
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