Credit Karma has launched a new beta program called ‘Credit Lock’ (this was actually launched in December, but I’m only hearing about it now). It’s possible to join the beta waitlist here. Credit Lock allows you to lock your TransUnion credit report through Credit Karma, it doesn’t allow you to lock your Experian or Equifax report.
Keep in mind that all nationwide consumer reporting agencies are now required to offer you free credit report freezes and unfreezes. It looks like Credit Karma’s credit lock feature will be slightly easier to use, but given that it will only work on your TransUnion report it’s of limited use as if you are locking your credit report you will want to lock all three bureaus.
Hat tip to reader Alec E
It is a year later and this is still not out of ‘beta’? I just joined the waiting list, but did not get a confirmation e-mail or nothing.
Anyone have any info?
You said: “it’s of limited use as if you are locking your credit report you will want to lock all three bureaus.” That’s oversimplified. Someone who locks but wants to apply for credit cards will need to periodically unlock, but only the bureau(s) that bank might pull. For me, I never get an EQ pull and get TU pulls from just a couple banks, everyone else I apply with seems to pull EX for me. So I would need to lock / unlock / lock EX (where I already have an online account to see my EX credit reports for free, since CK only does TU and EQ credit reports for free) the most, TU the second most, and EQ never (aside from a one-time lock) probably (unless I move to another state someday perhaps?). So the periodic unlocking and relocking I would need to do could be accomplished at the two sites (EX and CK) I already use for credit reports, and the only extra site I’d need to go to, maybe only once in my iife (?), would be EQ. So I would find it convenient if CK supports both unlocking and relocking at the same frequency that TU itself would. But does it, or is it more restricting in timing than TU itself?
This might be the same lock offered from TrueIdentity by Transunion. Nice to have it consolidated into a service I use occasionally
If it’s already frozen, can it be locked? And if so, would that do anything?
Frozen is “better” then locked. Frozen has certain liability requirements per federal law. Locking is essentially the same thing, except without the liability requirements. Needless to say, the credit bureaus would prefer you lock instead of freeze.
Thanks for letting us know. Makes it very easy to freeze atleast Transunion.