Did you know there are places online where you can get a free credit score check in minutes? We've got everything you need to know about accessing yours.
Whether you’re taking out a loan, applying for a credit card, making a mortgage application, or even renting a property, any lender will check your credit history before agreeing to lend you money.
With this in mind, it’s vital you have a clear idea of how your own credit health is looking. Luckily, you can check your credit score without spending a penny and without it affecting your score itself either.
The information contained within this article is for editorial purposes only and is a general guide and description of the products listed. Nothing in this article should be relied on as financial advice.
There may be other products available not listed in this article which may be more suitable for your personal needs.
When it comes to checking your credit score, free services are available. We’ve got the lowdown on where and how you can get your free report online. Learn why they’re so important, who uses them and what goes into calculating yours.
This ultimate guide is packed with tips and advice to give you everything you need to know. Check your credit score with confidence through each of the UK’s three main credit reporting companies.
Why does knowing my credit score matter?
Your credit score is a number that rates your creditworthiness. The higher your credit rating is, the better you will look to potential lenders. This is because a good credit score indicates that you’re reliable when it comes to managing your money. If you want to find out more about how credit scores work, we have a separate guide with everything you need to know.
It’s very important to keep track of your credit score so you know where you stand with your money and debts. What’s more, regularly checking your credit report allows you to keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t look right.
You can also get alerts from the provider if they spot any suspicious activity. Monitoring your credit report will help you to protect yourself against fraud and identity theft.
Quick definitions:
Credit check/credit search: When a company looks through all the information in your credit report as a means of understanding your behaviour when it comes to your finances.
Credit report: A statement containing information about your credit history and current credit situation.
Credit score: A numerical rating estimating your financial responsibility.
There’s no need to sit and worry about what these companies might find when they run a credit check on you because you can get a free credit score check online today and see for yourself.
Keep reading to find the answers to all the important questions, including where to access free credit reports and how to understand factors affecting your credit score.
Where can I accurately check my credit score online?
The three main credit reporting agencies (also known as credit reference agencies) are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
A credit reporting agency (CRA) is an independent organisation that holds credit history information about borrowers and shares it with lenders. They securely hold and distribute data about you to help lenders decide whether to lend you money or not.
Each credit score calculator puts different weightings on different aspects of financial history and behaviour, which means you’ll get a slightly different credit score result depending on which CRA you use.
Because of this, you could run credit checks with all three CRAs if you want to get a clear picture of your credit health.
Knowing your credit score will help you to know if your applications are likely to get accepted before you apply for credit. This process is totally free to do and won’t affect your credit score itself.
Before you go ahead with your free credit score check, it’s worth knowing that it takes around four to six weeks for lenders to pass on updated information to Experian, ClearScore and Credit Karma.
As your score may be based on supplied information that’s up to four to six weeks old, it may not be entirely up to date.
This isn’t an issue in itself but means any new loans you take out may not be recognised in your credit report for the first few weeks.
How do credit check sites get my information?
Credit reporting agencies securely hold credit information about borrowers and share it with sites like Experian, ClearScore and Credit Karma. Each of these sites is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which means you can trust they are legal and safe to use.
How to check your Experian credit score
You can check your credit score for free online by setting up an Experian account.
You’ll be asked for some basic information, including your full name, date of birth, email address and phone number, as well as your answer to a security question.
Experian is a credit broker that uses the FICO® Score 8 model to calculate credit scores.
This model is claimed to be used by 90% of top lenders (although this doesn’t mean the lender you use is guaranteed to use this FICO® model).
After logging in, you’ll see your score out of 999. You’ll also be able to see what band your score fits into.
Your Experian credit score will be updated every 30 days, as long as you continue to log in.
If you want to see your full credit report with Experian, you’ll need to set up a CreditExpert account. This is a paid monthly subscription that will cost you £14.99 a month, albeit with a one-month free trial.
A CreditExpert account will allow you full access to your Experian credit report as well as dedicated phone and fraud support.
You’ll also be able to see personalised insights and find out what’s influencing your score. This also lets you track any changes to your score and/or report.
How to check your Equifax credit score (via ClearScore)
You can check your credit score for free directly through Equifax but they will charge you a monthly fee (£14.95 per month) after your first 30 days.
However, ClearScore is a credit broker that uses customer credit information from Equifax.
This means your ClearScore credit score will be the same as your Equifax credit score. What’s more, ClearScore always offer a totally free credit score report, so you don’t need to worry about any hidden fees.
Head over to the ClearScore website to set up your account. Just like with Experian, you’ll need to provide basic personal details such as your full name, date of birth, email address and phone number.
Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be able to see your ClearScore credit score, which will be out of 1,000. As with all other scales, the higher your score is, the stronger your credit health is.
Your ClearScore credit score is updated weekly, which means you can generally get a pretty up-to-date picture of your credit health.
Another huge plus of having a ClearScore account is that they share your credit report with you for free (unlike Experian).
As part of your free credit check, you’ll get to see a breakdown of any overdrafts, finance agreements, credit cards or loans you currently hold. You’ll also be able to see a summary of your payment history over the past six years, including any missed payments.
As well as basic information about what you owe, you can see an overview of your personal information.
You can also choose to add your employment information to your account if you want to (but remember: no credit check service will be able to access this information unless you provide it yourself).
Your free credit report with ClearScore will also give you insights into your credit health, with pointers about what you’re doing well and what can be improved.
These pointers include staying on the electoral roll, not withdrawing cash using your credit card and making any payments on time.
If you’re not doing well in any of the 10 insight areas, you can quickly and easily access suggestions for making improvements.
How to check your TransUnion credit score (via Credit Karma)
Credit Karma is a credit broker that uses the credit reporting agency TransUnion to calculate your credit score.
Like ClearScore, checking your credit score and accessing your credit report through Credit Karma is totally free, with no trial periods or subscriptions needed.
You’ll need to visit the Credit Karma website and enter your email address to get started, then fill out your full name, phone number, current address and date of birth.
They’ll also ask you a few security questions about your banking and credit history over the years. They’re not so specific that they’re hard to answer, but they’re designed in a way that only you will know the answers. Then you're through and can check your credit rating free online at your leisure.
Your Credit Karma score will be out of 710 and you can run a free credit check every seven days. Anything below 604 indicates a pretty poor credit score but the dashboard is full of tips to help you improve.
Credit Karma’s system will hold information about which bank accounts you have, but you’ll have to give permission to link these to your Credit Karma account.
Like ClearScore, Credit Karma’s site allows you to view your credit score and report every week, for free. This means you can keep track of all your loans and financial products in one place while also receiving pointers about what you could work on to improve your score.
Credit Karma will give you free personalised recommendations on credit products based on your current credit score, including deals on credit cards that might suit you.
They also offer plenty of free money advice and recommendations for finding cheaper broadband deals and mobile contracts (consistently making your monthly mobile contract payments on time will in turn boost your credit score, so this has multiple benefits).
What’s more, you’ll also get actionable tips for improving your credit score in the form of things to do, including everything from utilising your credit better to opening fewer credit accounts.
FAQs
Can I earn cashback for checking my credit score?
Yes, we often give our members cashback for signing up for a free credit score account with certain credit checkers.
At the time of writing, TopCashback members can earn cashback when they register for a free Experian account.
All you have to do is visit each website through the TopCashback site before you sign up and we’ll reward you with cashback.
Get £15 cashback
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Will it affect my credit score if I check it?
No, checking your credit score won’t have any effect on your credit score itself.
You can check your credit score online as often as you like (and with all of the above providers simultaneously) without worrying about it affecting your score.
Credit checkers use soft checks rather than hard checks, which means they won’t appear on your record.
Can someone else check your credit score?
Personal credit accounts are not available to the general public, which means none of your family or friends will be able to check your credit score or report.
However, there are occasions when other people may request to view your credit report.
Other than all the potential types of lenders we’ve already mentioned, other people that may look at your report include potential employers, debt collection agencies, letting agents and landlords.
Why don’t I have a credit score?
A very low credit score or no credit score at all is common for individuals with very little or no credit history.
It may seem counterintuitive, but to build your credit score you’ll need to borrow money. A good credit score is an indicator of a responsible borrower.
If you haven’t borrowed anything (whether through a credit card, loan or even a mobile phone contract), you won’t have had the opportunity to show a lender that you’re responsible when it comes to borrowing.
Which free credit score checker is best to use?
Using all three of the credit checkers we’ve talked about in this article will help you get the clearest possible picture when it comes to your credit score. There's no best free credit report. It's important to get as much information as possible.
Each of the three main UK credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) puts different weighting on each area making up their scores. This means your score will vary across the three credit checkers (Experian, ClearScore and Credit Karma).
Because any credit score checks you do yourself won’t appear on your credit file, you may as well check your score using all three services to help you understand your score better.
Both ClearScore and Credit Karma offer free credit reports for members each month too, meaning you can see all of your loans in one place and find out how to improve your score.
A final few thoughts...
If you're not happy with how your credit score is looking, there are things you can do to improve it.
The main piece of advice we can give you is to borrow within your means and make all your repayments on time.
Doing this consistently over years will establish you as a responsible borrower. This will increase your credit score and, in turn, your chances of being approved for future credit.
You can check credit history free online to make sure your score is trending in the right direction. If there are minor unexpected wobbles, whether upward or downward, don't worry. These are perfectly normal, even as your score improves.
Our quick tips for a good credit score:
- Build up your credit history.
- Make all of your payments on time.
- Limit the number of personal loans and credit card agreements you enter into and apply for.
- Make sure you’re registered for the electoral roll.
- Make sure you’re not still down as being financially linked to someone you’re actually no longer financially associated with (like an ex-partner).
- Review your credit report regularly for mistakes or potentially fraudulent activity.
The information contained within this article is for editorial purposes only and is a general guide and description of the products listed. Nothing in this article should be relied on as financial advice.
There may be other products available not listed in this article which may be more suitable for your personal needs.