Martin Lewis Credit Club

devilslayer

I have joined Martin Lewis's Credit club and now have access to my Free Credit Report and Credit Score from Equifax.

I used to pay £15 to be a member of Equifax and another £15 per month to be a member of Experian. I stayed a member of both for just over a year. Once I knew my credit files were clean and had no bad info I cancelled both memberships

However I have a few questions:

1. Is the Credit Report from Experian shown in the Martin Lewis Credit Club (MLCC) complete?

When I was a member I could see details of every single loan, utility company, phone company, bank account, credit card account etc I had ever taken out (when they were started, when they ended, payments made per month etc).

It seems to me that the credit report in the MLCC is a bit light and is more like a summary. Is this the case?

2. I used to have an Egg Credit Card and an Egg Loan many many years ago. I was hoping to find there details and try to do a PPI claim for payment protection insurtance and credit card payment insurance. If I rememebr rightly they forced me to take it out, or they would refuse the loan etc. It must have been a good 12 years ago though!

3. Does a credit file only hold indformation for six years? It seem to me looking at the free credit report in the MLCC that the data isn't older than approx six years. Is that the case? For example I have lived at my cureent address since 2006. None of my preious addresses are in my Free Credit Report from MLCC.

4. I'm going to pay the £2 to request credit reports from Experian and Callcredit.

Regards

Dave

[Deleted User]

Answers below...

devilslayer wrote: »

I have joined Martin Lewis's Credit club and now have access to my Free Credit Report and Credit Score from Equifax.

I used to pay £15 to be a member of Equifax and another £15 per month to be a member of Experian. I stayed a member of both for just over a year. Once I knew my credit files were clean and had no bad info I cancelled both memberships

However I have a few questions:

1. Is the Credit Report from Experian shown in the Martin Lewis Credit Club (MLCC) complete?
Yes - it's the same as you would get from Experian directly

When I was a member I could see details of every single loan, utility company, phone company, bank account, credit card account etc I had ever taken out (when they were started, when they ended, payments made per month etc).

It seems to me that the credit report in the MLCC is a bit light and is more like a summary. Is this the case?
Mine has all the same info on it as an Experian report would - are you looking at the full report?

2. I used to have an Egg Credit Card and an Egg Loan many many years ago. I was hoping to find there details and try to do a PPI claim for payment protection insurtance and credit card payment insurance. If I rememebr rightly they forced me to take it out, or they would refuse the loan etc. It must have been a good 12 years ago though!
They would have dropped off your credit report after 6 years of settlement/closure


3. Does a credit file only hold indformation for six years? It seem to me looking at the free credit report in the MLCC that the data isn't older than approx six years. Is that the case? For example I have lived at my cureent address since 2006. None of my preious addresses are in my Free Credit Report from MLCC.
Correct - 6 years is the same for all CRA's

4. I'm going to pay the £2 to request credit reports from Experian and Callcredit.
Sign up with Clearscore for Experian and Noddle for Callcredit - both are free

Regards

Dave

RG2015

!!! wrote: »

4. I'm going to pay the £2 to request credit reports from Experian and Callcredit.

Sign up with Clearscore for Experian and Noddle for Callcredit - both are free

Just a minor correction for your inadvertent mistake. Clearscore for Equifax.

Experian is the one that MSE does for free.

Samsung_Note2

GiffGaff also offer a very good service for your credit file..also is the most updated of the four.

RG2015

Samsung_Note2 wrote: »

GiffGaff also offer a very good service for your credit file..also is the most updated of the four.

I agree and this is the only free service that updates every day. It is based on the Callcredit data which is the same data that Noddle use.

However, Callcredit is the least used of the CRAs and has far less search data than Experian or Equifax

Shakin_Steve

The payed-for Experian report does, indeed, have more depth than the one you see on the MSE report. But everything you need is in the free one which, of course, is funded by the credit broker services it offers.

RG2015

Shakin_Steve wrote: »

The payed-for Experian report does, indeed, have more depth than the one you see on the MSE report. But everything you need is in the free one which, of course, is funded by the credit broker services it offers.

I took out the 30 day free trial in 2014 so this is the last time I saw the paid-for report. I now have it on MSE and it does appear to have substantial depth.

Has the Credit Expert product improved since 2014? I have to say I cannot see how much more information could be provided than is on the MSE full report.

Shakin_Steve

RG2015 wrote: »

I took out the 30 day free trial in 2014 so this is the last time I saw the paid-for report. I now have it on MSE and it does appear to have substantial depth.

Has the Credit Expert product improved since 2014? I have to say I cannot see how much more information could be provided than is on the MSE full report.

There are pages and pages of dross on the full report. Nothing of much use as far as I can see, but some people may find it, ermmm, interesting. My missus still subscribes, has been paying £9.99 for years........and hardly ever looks at it.
It’s her money, I suppose.:o