Understand what causes your credit score to change
Your credit score determines whether you’ll be offered the best deals for mortgages, loans and credit cards, so knowing how your financial decisions affect it can be very useful
Why is it important to know my credit score?
If you know your credit score it can help you understand how lenders make decisions about you as a borrower – and crucially whether you’re likely to be accepted or rejected when you apply for loans, mortgages and credit cards.
If your credit score is low, you can also start to explore why that is the case and take steps to improve it. This should put you in a stronger position to make applications for credit in the future.
What are the benefits of having a good credit score?
Having a strong credit score can come with some helpful benefits, such as:
Better rates on borrowing: A good credit score tells lenders that you’re a responsible borrower, so you’ll be offered better terms when you want to borrow money. So, with a high credit score, you’ll get better rates on cards and loans
Easier to get a mortgage: If you’re looking to get on the property ladder, you’ll most likely need a mortgage. With a strong credit rating, it’ll be easier to be approved for a mortgage
Cheaper car insurance: Your credit score can affect how much your car insurance costs. A better credit score could lower your premiums and give you more options for car finance
Where can I check my credit score?
You can check your credit score directly with any of the three main credit reference agencies; Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can also check your credit score for free with our Credit Monitor service.
Credit Monitor uses information from credit reference agency TransUnion to calculate your credit score, and will give you helpful, personalised hints and tips on how you can boost your rating.
What are the main factors that affect my credit score?
Several things will impact on your score, including:
Your payment history: Whether you pay on time has the biggest impact on your credit score. Try to avoid missing any payments, as this can stay on your credit report for up to seven years
How much you owe: The key factor here is how much of your available credit you are using. This is called your credit utilisation ratio. It gives lenders an idea of whether you live comfortably within your credit limit, or you’re already stretched financially
Length of credit history: Lenders will look at how long you’ve held active accounts. The longer you’ve had credit accounts that you’ve used responsibly, generally the higher your credit score
Credit mix: If you have shown you can handle different types of credit, such as a mortgage, car loan and credit card, this can give your score a bump up
New credit: If you’ve made a lot of applications for credit or opened a number of new accounts recently, you’re likely to be seen as a greater credit risk. That said, credit agencies are getting better at recognising that customers shop around and that this activity shouldn’t always be marked down as a negative
What will negatively affect my credit score?
Knowing what can harm your score can help you avoid the problems. The main red flags on your credit file are:
Late or missed payments
County court judgements against you
Using all your available credit every month
Not being on the electoral roll
Making too many applications in a short period
Not closing unused credit accounts
Not having a long credit history*
*This might be unavoidable if you are young, for example, and have not had a credit card or loan before. But there are things you can do to start building a credit history.
Which factors have no effect on credit score?
While there are plenty of things that do impact on your credit score, there’s also a lot of misinformation around about credit ratings. Here are some of the most common myths…
Checking your credit score: Accessing your credit file and score doesn’t negatively affect it. You can check your score for free and as often as you like with our Credit Monitor service
Being denied credit: Your credit report won’t show whether your application for credit was accepted or declined. It will record any hard enquiries – although they only last for a short while
Changes in income: If you change job and get a pay rise – or take a cut in pay - it won’t have any impact on your credit score either way. Where a pay rise can help is if it allows you to clear debts or stops you missing bill repayments
Personal information: While your credit report includes your name and address, it doesn’t identify you by race, gender, marital status, qualifications, religion or political views
How can I improve my credit score?
There are lots of ways to boost your credit score – some are quick and simple, others could take more time. Here are some places to start...
Register on the electoral roll: A quick and straightforward way of giving your credit score a boost. If you’re currently not on the electoral roll, or you’re moving house, make sure you register or re-register as soon as possible.
View your credit report: You can check it for mistakes, add notices of correction or notes of explanation that companies can view before deciding whether to lend.
Pay bills on time: From gas and electricity to council tax and credit cards - a good tip is to set up direct debits, so you never miss a bill payment.
Build your credit history: If you’ve not applied for credit before, you’ll have no proof you can borrow responsibly. A credit-builder credit card could help here and start you on the path to a stronger credit rating.
Close unused credit card accounts: Consider shutting down card accounts you no longer use. If you have access to a lot of credit – even if you never use it - it could be a concern to potential lenders.
Other useful guides
How to check your credit score
How to improve your credit score explained
What is a bad credit score guide
Check your credit score with Credit Monitor
It’s quick and simple to check your credit score online using our free Credit Monitor service.
Credit Monitor gives you access to your credit report and credit score, meaning you can look at it as often as you want and keep tabs on the changes. It will give you hints and tips on how to boost your credit rating – and show you where you’re doing things right.
Your credit score and the information in your report will be updated monthly, so it’s advisable to check it regularly, in the same way you might with your bank statements or utility bills.
