what your credit report and score actually means
everything you need to know about your credit report so you can stress less and vibe more
in short
- The big overall number gives you your overall credit vibes. It’s a good indication of how you’re doing.
- Low score? It’s all good. It’s not permanent, and now you’ve got the bigger picture of your credit profile you can see what you need to do next.
- You’ll also see a breakdown from the 4 UK credit agencies, so you can see how they view you individually. If you don’t see all 4, some of them might have little to no info on you at all, which you'll want to remedy.
- Use your credit report to visually see quick holes to fill. Take things further on the Good With (beta) app by chatting to your financial wellbeing bff.
So now you’ve got your report and you might be wondering what’s worth caring about or which bits are important to you.
On your report, you’ve got one big score that covers your overall credit vibes, as well as a breakdown of what you look like to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion (AKA the big credit score checkers).
This overall number is a good indication of how you’re doing, but don’t stress if you’re not getting top marks! If you haven’t dabbled into the world of credit all that much then you’ll naturally have a low score. For better or for worse, you have to prove that you’re good with money before you can reap all the benefits with credit.
The breakdown from these credit agencies also shows you quick and easy holes that you might need to fill, in order to boost your score for that specific bureau.
the nitty gritty but kinda important stuff
1. personal info
This is the basic stuff like your name, birthday, social security number, and where you live. Make sure it's all correct and up to date as it will strengthen your credit profile.
2. credit inquiries
This section shows who's been checking out your credit report. There are hard inquiries (when you apply for credit) and soft inquiries (when companies check it for non-credit reasons). Too many hard inquiries can flop your score a bit.
3. the big number
Your credit score is like your financial grade. It's not part of the report itself, but it's based on the info in it. It gives an indication of how likely lenders want to give you credit. So knowing your score is the first step to building up a dope credit score and profile.
4. identity fraud
Ah, identity fraud, the ultimate villain of the financial world! This section of your report unveils any signs of someone pretending to be you. It’s like catching a sneaky imposter trying to ruin your credit party.
now what?
Take things further in the Good With beta app, where you can set budgets and goals to up your money game, get more on what's worth knowing about credit, and to talk to your financial wellbeing bff 👇