Credit score / report advice

PRAISETHESUN · 4 October 2018 at 4:39PM

michaelc1987 wrote: »

sorry willingtolearn new to this been checking through this web site and cant find how to create my own thought was just find the subject and discus

It's not that people don't want to help, it's that you'll get more direct answers to your question if you post a new thread with your exact question - not everyone reads every comment in a thread, so your question might get overlooked.

Look for a large red/pink button called "New Thread" in the sub-forum where you want to post your question! :beer:

To answer your question though, you need to check all three CRAs - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion (formally CallCredit). Not every lender reports to all three CRAs so you might be missing something by not checking the others. If there are accounts listed that you don't know about, or think are there in error you should contact the lender directly and request proof that they are legitimate, and if they cannot provide this then you should have grounds to get them removed.

PRAISETHESUN · 4 October 2018 at 4:44PM

Mick1989 wrote: »

Thank you in advance for any replies.
The past 2 months I haven't applied for any credit or had any other financial statements of note, I have closed 2 accounts paid off in full and my credit rating on Noddle has went from credit score 538,credit rating 3/5 to 527,credit rating 1/5. I have trolled the forums and most people say don't read too much into credit score etc check the credit information which shows all accounts closed but surely it shouldn't decline?
When I was 18 I stupidly took out a provident loan of about £600 and a phone contract from Orange that I didn't pay, both where bought from Lowell and they have billed me for well over £3000. I have been paying them back which seems like an entirety well over 5 years, they where at one point on my file but no longer there, would this still affect my history and would I gain anything from paying this off quicker?
Finally and I am sure an easier question, I am aware that using a credit card can help improve your credit score/rating, the method I used it either pay for petrol and shopping each week and instantly pay it back on my app without it gaining interest, should I continue to do this or let it gain interest at the end of the month to help my score?

Thank you very much :money:

@OP

There is nothing to be gained by carrying an interest-bearing debt! Pay it off ASAP! I would use the card for monthly purchases but then wait until a statement is generated before paying it off - otherwise there will be no debt to pay, and nothing would get reported to your credit file. No interest is charged if the balance is paid off before the due date (typically 2-3 weeks after the statement is generated).

And as has probably been mentioned, ignore any reference to your scores provided by the CRAs. No-one will see them but you, and they do not correlate in any way to an ability to get credit. Instead you need to focus on your credit history - ie. the contents of your credit file. Every lender will generate their own score for you based on the contents of your file and the information provided in your application. The defaults and missed payments you have mentioned will not be helping if they are still on your file - but they should drop off after 6 years.

Credit score / report advice

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