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You'll get a more detailed view of your credit health, with personalised tips to help improve your score.
What is Your Credit Score?
What is a credit score?
Lenders consider several factors to help them decide whether they can lend to you. A credit score gives them an indication of how likely you are to repay anything you borrow, based on your track record of using credit and managing your finances.
If you're applying for a credit card, personal loan or mortgage, lenders will usually check your credit file to:
- assess your circumstances
- highlight any potential risks associated with offering you credit
- decide on the interest rates and credit limit they're prepared to offer.
Why does a credit score matter?
If you have a good payment history on all your accounts and low outstanding debts, you may have a higher credit score. This means you're more likely to be seen as a lower credit risk.
A higher credit score makes it more likely you’ll be approved for credit and receive a lower interest rate. It can also mean that for products such as a credit card, you are more likely to be given a higher credit limit. Your credit score is just one factor that lenders will consider when deciding if they'll lend to you and how much you can borrow.
What do lenders check?
To work out the risk of lending to you and on what terms, a lender usually checks a number of things, such as:
- details on your application form
- the electoral register and court records
- how you've managed your accounts in the past
- information from credit reference agencies
- income and outgoings to check what you might be able to afford.
Credit reference agencies usually hold information on people's identity, address and personal financial history. They get some of their information from public records and other lenders.
How could you improve Your Credit Score?
Here are a few things you can do that might help to improve your credit score:
- Make sure you're on the electoral register
- Check that all the details on your credit report are right and raise a dispute if something doesn't look right
- Manage your accounts well, pay bills and make credit repayments on time
- Avoid regularly reaching your credit limit or going over it
- Try to keep unsecured balances below 25% of your available credit limit
- Clear your debts as soon as you can
- Don't apply for lots of credit products at the same time.
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