Discover Card Help Center

Freeze Account

Freeze Your Account
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When should I freeze my account?

Freeze your account if you temporarily misplace your card and don’t want to change your account number. It's easy to freeze or unfreeze your account in seconds both online and with our mobile app.

What happens when I freeze my account?

Freezing your account tells Discover that you don’t want us to authorize new purchases, cash advances or balance transfers until you unfreeze. Your account number will not change when you freeze your account.

The following transactions WILL NOT continue to occur when you freeze your account:

  • New purchases
  • Cash advances
  • Balance transfers

The following transactions WILL continue to occur when you freeze your account:

  • Merchant indicated recurring bills
  • Returns
  • Credits
  • Dispute adjustments
  • Payments
  • Discover protection product fees
  • Other account fees
  • Interest
  • Rewards redemptions
  • Exempted transactions
  • Delayed authorizations (such as some transit purchases)

Please note that your account number will not change. You should continue to pay your bill and manage your account online or by the mobile app. Simply unfreeze your account to turn everything back on.

If I find my card, can I unfreeze my account?

Yes. You can unfreeze your account in seconds online or by mobile app or over the phone, so you can continue using your account as you did before you froze. Remember, your account number does not change when you freeze or unfreeze your account.

Is the Freeze It feature free?

Yes, Freeze It is a free feature open to eligible card members.

Who is eligible to freeze?

For consumer accounts, Primary and Secondary card members may place a freeze and unfreeze on an account. Authorized users and third parties are not eligible to initiate a freeze or unfreeze.

For business cards, the Primary card member may place a freeze and unfreeze on an account while authorized employees and third parties may not. In addition, if the primary card member initiates a freeze all cards will be frozen on the account including the authorized employee cards.

Corporate cards are not eligible.

What do I do if I can't seem to find my card?

If you think your card is lost or stolen, please contact us immediately so we can send you new cards with a new account number. You can report a lost or stolen card via mobile app or at Discover.com. Or you can call us any time and one of our U.S.-based customer service agents will take care of it for you.

How often can I freeze my account?

You can freeze or unfreeze your account in seconds any time you like online or by mobile app or over the phone.

Where can I freeze my account?

You can freeze or unfreeze your account in seconds any time you like online or by mobile app or over the phone.

What is the difference between freezing an account and temporarily deactivating a card?

Freezing an account offers broader protection than temporarily deactivating a card.

When you temporarily deactivate a card:

  • You prevent in-store purchases at point-of-sale terminals
  • Only the card you choose is temporarily deactivated. Your account number can still be used for online and phone purchases.

When you freeze an account:

  • Your account cannot be used to make new purchases in-store, online and by phone
  • Your account cannot be used for cash advances
  • Your account cannot be used for balance transfers
  • All cards on your Discover account will be frozen

Whether freezing your account or deactivating a card, some activity will continue, including bills that merchants marks as recurring, as well as returns, credits, dispute adjustments, delayed authorizations (such as some transit purchases), payments, Discover protection product fees, other account fees, interest, rewards redemptions and certain other exempted transactions.

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