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Credit Expert from Experian features and benefits:

• Free 30 day trial!
• Unlimited online access to your Experian credit expert report
• E-mail and text alerts for early identity fraud detection
• Credit tips and tools to help your credit rating
• Free phone advice from credit reference experts
• You can simply cancel the subscription on the phone within 30 days

Find out what your credit rating is, protect yourself from ID Fraud and make regular credit checks with CreditExpert.

Have you ever been refused a credit card or a loan? Or wondered why some companies will accept you and other won’t?

Check Your Credit Score today

Possessing a good credit score can make all the difference. Banks and credit companies will use your credit file to assess what type of risk you are as a customer and your previous behaviour will have a very strong bearing on whether your application for credit will be successful. A record of every credit application you make will be kept by a credit reference agency. This record will show what credit you applied for and whether you have kept up to date with your repayments. It will also register any debt management, IVAs and bankruptcies and will keep these on file for up to 6 years.

To have a good credit score you will have a well managed credit history and any credit repayments will be up to date and on time. This will be reflected in the score you are given and as a result any subsequent applications for credit will usually be viewed favourably by the bank as a good risk and most likely meet with approval. However, if you have defaults, missed payments and failed credit applications littering your credit file, then you are likely to have a bad credit score and face possible decline. There is no need to despair if you do have bad credit score, some lenders offer products specifically for you. Credit Building credit cards, offer higher interest rates than the normal market but they do allow you the opportunity to improve your credit rating sufficiently enough so that you can possibly apply for some of the better credit cards.

The main credit reference agencies used by the financial institutions in the UK are Equifax and Experian. Equifax is the older of the two originally founded in Atlanta, USA in 1899 and started storing personal and credit information about millions of Americans and Canadians. Now Equifax stores information on over 400 million credit holders worldwide. The company generates 1.5 billion in US dollars and employs 7000 people in 14 countries. Experian’s history is a little shorter, founded by John Peace in 1980 as an information services business; it then acquired a credit check reporting business from the US. They employ 15,500 people in 38 countries supporting clients in over 65 countries. Both agencies are relied upon by financial institutions to provide them with accurate credit information for their application process to ensure they can make the correct decision in terms of application acceptance and what interest rate to charge. It is not responsible or in the best interest of the customer or the bank to offer credit to someone who does not have a good track record.

Keeping your eye on your credit report is always a good idea even if just for general interest. More particularly if you have been a victim of identity theft, keeping a close eye on your credit file could save you a lot of money.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when checking out your credit profile:

• When applying for a credit application make sure all your personal information is correct. Credit applications can be declined if even a small mistake in your name or address isn’t correct.
• Being on the Electoral Register will improve your credit rating.
• Always pay your bills on time, even if it is just the minimum payment. It looks better on your file than a late payment.
• The smaller your credit limits on your existing accounts, the better your credit rating. Lenders are less likely to extend more credit if you already have a lot of existing credit.