Co Op Switch offer (seen 15th January 2024)

Sumof999

check your credit report to find out what date you opened an account

FLAMPARD

Do you get the incentive payments 45 days after the switch thanks

Middle_of_the_Road

Sumof999 said:

check your credit report to find out what date you opened an account

This is how I managed to complete the registration. Not sure how anyone would proceed without access to their report. Might not be many, but I doubt 100% of those applying check their reports.

friolento

Middle_of_the_Road said:

Sumof999 said:

check your credit report to find out what date you opened an account

This is how I managed to complete the registration. Not sure how anyone would proceed without access to their report. Might not be many, but I doubt 100% of those applying check their reports.

Why would anyone not have access to their credit files?

Middle_of_the_Road

friolento said:

Middle_of_the_Road said:

Sumof999 said:

check your credit report to find out what date you opened an account

This is how I managed to complete the registration. Not sure how anyone would proceed without access to their report. Might not be many, but I doubt 100% of those applying check their reports.

Why would anyone not have access to their credit files?

In the situation being discussed, they might not have access, because they've never registered with a CRA. 
I don't assume everyone has bothered to do so.

It is only in the last year I've bothered to do this. No doubt we've all been "credit scored" well before it was possible to easily access them, but it seems that now, in our credit fuelled world, these ratings have become something to be concerned about.

HHUK

As a general observation, I'd never bothered to view my credit report until seeing a Martin Lewis recommendation to do so a year or two ago. I use Clearscore, which is very user friendly, and have found it makes interesting reading.

friolento

HHUK said:

As a general observation, I'd never bothered to view my credit report until seeing a Martin Lewis recommendation to do so a year or two ago. I use Clearscore, which is very user friendly, and have found it makes interesting reading.

You should really use all 3 CRAs, as they don't all have the same data about you. For example, one of the agencies has got 8 more accounts for me than the other two.

Clearscore is very user friendly, I agree, but it uses Equifax data, and not all companies report ot Equifax. Experian is more widely used.

Bazzalona13295

friolento said:

HHUK said:

As a general observation, I'd never bothered to view my credit report until seeing a Martin Lewis recommendation to do so a year or two ago. I use Clearscore, which is very user friendly, and have found it makes interesting reading.

You should really use all 3 CRAs, as they don't all have the same data about you. For example, one of the agencies has got 8 more accounts for me than the other two.

Clearscore is very user friendly, I agree, but it uses Equifax data, and not all companies report ot Equifax. Experian is more widely used.

Rarely look at my credit score as I never borrow but there is a 400pt difference between the 2 sites I've just looked at.

Sallyforth

Sallyforth said:

» show previous quotes

Not too difficult imo - yes the first two letters not really crazy? If you’re telling the truth it’s quite simple really.

I guess you are not a serial bank switcher with multiple current accounts then if you can remember which month and year you opened all of them. 

I am a serial bank switcher with multiple accounts but agree I can’t remember which month and year I opened them. However, I maintain a detailed spreadsheet so I can always check back. This also helps with switching criteria regarding dates accounts last held so something I’d recommend to all.

friolento

Bazzalona13295 said:

friolento said:

HHUK said:

As a general observation, I'd never bothered to view my credit report until seeing a Martin Lewis recommendation to do so a year or two ago. I use Clearscore, which is very user friendly, and have found it makes interesting reading.

You should really use all 3 CRAs, as they don't all have the same data about you. For example, one of the agencies has got 8 more accounts for me than the other two.

Clearscore is very user friendly, I agree, but it uses Equifax data, and not all companies report ot Equifax. Experian is more widely used.

Rarely look at my credit score as I never borrow but there is a 400pt difference between the 2 sites I've just looked at.

Each CRA has their own scale and method for calculating a credit score. It’s a largely meaningless number since no CRA is a lender, and no lender uses the CRA score.

What is important is the content of your credit files, for example the open accounts and their balances, and the hard search history. Both of these differ on my CRA accounts.

If you don’t apply for any credit, the credit files are largely irrelevant. You could, however, be asked by financial institutions for info from your credit files, for ID purposes, as appears to have happened when people registered for COOP online banking. I was also very recently asked for random info from my Experian file, after a large payment on my John Lewis credit card had been blocked.

There is information about CRAs in the credit card section of MSE.