Credit check

[Shannon1]

I’m 19 and looking to get a contract phone, but I’m unsure about how to get a credit check to see if I’m available for one as I’ve never had contract with anyone before, Thankyou.

[Glory1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Shannon1 

If you've never had a phone contract before, you will probably be asked to pay a deposit which will be returned to you as a credit against your 4th payment. You could either leave it as a credit on your account or ask for it to be returned to your bank, although it could take ages.

If you want to do a credit check yourself, Experian are quite good. You provide details giving your full name, address etc. and they provide your credit rating. However, your credit score will probably be low as at your age you will have few contracts in your name. O2 will definitely do a credit check and will, I'm pretty sure, require a deposit which will be returned after 3 payments have been made on time against your account. 

Hope that helps and welcome to the forum 

[MI5]

@Shannon1 

The only way to find out is to apply for a contract and see what the computer says. It often makes no difference what your credit score is as O2 will apply their own criteria anyway.

[davethorp]

A credit check is something that will be performed by O2 as part of the application process. It is not something you need to do yourself however you can get free monthly credit reports from the major credit reference agencies at

https://www.creditkarma.co.uk/

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/creditclub/

https://www.clearscore.com/

If O2 decline you for a handset contract you may be able to get a SIM only deal instead as these are easier to pass the credit checks for as there is less risk on O2's part as they are not supplying a handset

After three months of paying for a SIM only you may be able to upgrade that to a handset contract

Also ignore the credit scores that the above 3 agencies will generate as part of their reports and focus on the data instead. Scores are pretty meaningless as each lender has their own criteria and will generate their own score based on that criteria and the data in the credit report. They do not see the scores that credit reference agencies generate and often try to up sell to people