Can't even get a sim only contract with a 999 score

Sphinx

Hi all,

Could someone give me some insight into this.

Vodafone have recently rejected my application to get a 12 month sim only contract.

This is the most annoying thing in the world because:

I have a 999/999 score. Always repaid my credit cards on time, never missed any payments.

The negative on my credit score is:

"The average age of your credit accounts is 12 months."

It says the target is 33 months. However, this is ridiculous, because I'm only 21 and all my bank accounts have been opened for 25 months. This shows correctly.

The issues are the phone contracts. Why should I be penalised for leaving a 12 month contract after 12 months? So basically they expect you to stay on a contract for 33 months otherwise your credit is affected?

I feel penalised for looking for the best deal available at the time!

Any assistance here?

robin58

First bit of advice, the score number means nothing to companies, it's a number made up by credit checker companies to hook you into buying their so called extra products.

Perhaps you are penalized by your age on a mean average of other persons in your age range for credit purposes.

It's a bit like young car drivers being made to buy insurance which way up in the 100's because of the mean average cost to the insurance provider of the people who claim in that age range.

Sphinx

I understand, a sim only contract isn't a big deal though is it!

Superscrooge

Sphinx wrote: »

Hi all,

Could someone give me some insight into this.

Vodafone have recently rejected my application to get a 12 month sim only contract.

This is the most annoying thing in the world because:

I have a 999/999 score. Always repaid my credit cards on time, never missed any payments.

The negative on my credit score is:

"The average age of your credit accounts is 12 months."

It says the target is 33 months. However, this is ridiculous, because I'm only 21 and all my bank accounts have been opened for 25 months. This shows correctly.

The issues are the phone contracts. Why should I be penalised for leaving a 12 month contract after 12 months? So basically they expect you to stay on a contract for 33 months otherwise your credit is affected?

I feel penalised for looking for the best deal available at the time!

Any assistance here?

I wish that not getting a SIM only contract was the most annoying thing in the world!

Forget your 999 credit score. Experian give them out to lots of people with little credit history and as you have just found out it means diddly squat

According to MSE. Vodafone use both Equifax and Experian so it would be worth checking both CRA's. You can sign up to https://www.clearscore.com for free to check your Equifax file.

None of us can guarantee that we will always get the best credit deals. Sometimes even with an excellent credit history you don't fit the lenders criteria.

Below link has more info which might assist

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/credit-rating-credit-score.

pappa_golf

forget vodaphone , go with life mobile , who use the ee network


one month rolling contract with NO credit check 1500 mins , unlimited txt and 1 gig of data , for SIX pounds a month via uswitch https://lifemobile.co.uk/Basket/SimChoice/89

robber2

why not get a SIM from whoever gave you a 'score' of 999?

Ben8282

Do you not see the contradiction here?
You have a 'score' of 999 yet you state a negative factor which is affecting your credit score.
If your credit score is 999 spotless perfect; how can it be being influenced by a negative factor?
The stated target of 33 months is not ridiculous. You are 21. You could have had credit for over 3 years (over 36 months) by now.
I don't really understand the bit about your being penalised for leaving a 12 month contract after 12 months. I thought the contract had been declined?
Forget the meaningless score and concentrate on what is actually on the credit report.
If everything there really is perfect - no late payments, no exceeding credit limits, no defaults, no high balances or high overdraft use, electoral roll and address info correct - then let us know.
SIM only contracts are not especially difficult to obtain. Check the info on your credit report very carefully to make sure everything matches the info provided to Vodaphone paying particular attention to an exact name and address match with electoral roll info.

HappyMJ

Ben8282 wrote: »

Do you not see the contradiction here?
You have a 'score' of 999 yet you state a negative factor which is affecting your credit score.
If your credit score is 999 spotless perfect; how can it be being influenced by a negative factor?
The stated target of 33 months is not ridiculous. You are 21. You could have had credit for over 3 years (over 36 months) by now.
I don't really understand the bit about your being penalised for leaving a 12 month contract after 12 months. I thought the contract had been declined?

I didn't apply for a credit card on my 18th birthday. I applied for my first credit card at about 20 if I remember.

I think what they mean is they've switched mobile contracts every 12 months starting a new one to save money so therefore the average age of the mobile contract will never exceed 12 months.

Ben8282

HappyMJ wrote: »

I didn't apply for a credit card on my 18th birthday. I applied for my first credit card at about 20 if I remember.

I think what they mean is they've switched mobile contracts every 12 months starting a new one to save money so therefore the average age of the mobile contract will never exceed 12 months.

It would appear that the CRA who gave the 999 score also advised the OP that the only negative factor affecting the credit score was the fact that the average age of their credit accounts was 12 months and has suggested that in order for average age of credit accounts to cease to be a negative factor the average age should be 33 months..
The fact that the average age of the OP's credit accounts is 12 months is probably coincidence as the OP says that 'all' of their bank accounts were opened 25 months ago and also makes mention of the existence of a credit card (date of account opening not stated) which is always paid in full every month.
The OP's credit status should be being influenced much more by payment history on all accounts and the conduct of the credit card and bank accounts then by the average age of SIM only mobile phone contracts which should now be showing as settled accounts.
I am still much more inclined to believe that the refusal of the new SIM only contract was due to other factors rather than the average age of their credit accounts. One possibility could be that the OP already has accounts with Vodafone; I know that some mobile providers don't like one individual to have too many accounts with them but don't know how many is too many. If you still have a working SIM card from them perhaps they want you to upgrade or renew or something rather than apply as a new customer. The refusal reason may in fact not be credit check related at all. Did Vodafone actually state a reason?
There still remains the question of how there can be negative factors affecting a 999 credit score. What happens when the 33 month average age of the credit accounts is reached and the negative factors are no more?

chuckley

go for the monthly rolling one. maybe you failed cos of the 'contract', wgich would appear on your file, whereas the monthly one doesn't. although I only found that out recently.

maybe try another network.