Credit scores: how they really work

Your credit score is a lender's estimate of how reliably you repay. There isn't one universal score — three UK Credit Reference Agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) each hold their own data, so your number can differ between them.

Soft vs hard searches

A soft search (checking your own score, or a quote that says 'won't affect your score') is invisible to lenders and harmless. A hard search happens when you formally apply for credit and is recorded — several in a short space can make you look like you're chasing credit.

What builds a score

Being on the electoral roll, paying everything on time, keeping credit-card balances well below the limit, keeping older accounts open, and not applying for lots of credit at once. It's built slowly through consistent habits, not overnight.

Checking your own is free

You can check your own credit report for free with each agency, and doing so never harms your score. It's worth checking for errors, which you can ask to have corrected.