The Truth about Credit Rating Approvals

Universal credit ratings and credit blacklists are nonexistent. Yes, that’s right. Each company will assess you in their own way, although logically, a bad risk for one company is an equally bad risk for another.

Your credit activity is stored by 3 agencies – Equifax, Experian and CallCredit – and you must ensure that you check your files at all 3 agencies every 18 months or so as there is scope for errors and mistakes. You can get information about your credit history and credit scores either by post or on the Web; this usually costs around £2 per search.

Even if you are careful and regularly review your credit history, it is possible that you could be refused credit. Credit card applications are sometimes legitimately rejected simply because the credit score of the applicant does not meet the standards or criteria set by the lender. This raises the question - what can you do to improve your chances of getting a credit card application approved?

How to Get your Credit Card Applications Approved

• Check if you are mentioned on the electoral roll. If not, write to your local council and make sure you are included as this may be the reason you are being found ineligible for credit.
• Avoid applying for lots of credit cards in a very short period of time as your score may be impaired; this also covers credit you request for your mobile phone or your car insurance.
• Make an application before moving home or changing jobs or taking extended leave for maternity. If you are earning or you show signs of stability then you may have a better chance of getting credit.
• Sometimes it helps asking your lender to a run a 'quotation search' instead of a 'credit search'. Such an enquiry won't impact on your credit score negatively.
• Your chances might improve further if you own a home or are employed by someone, instead of living in a rented house or owning your own business. It also helps if you have been using the same bank for a long period of time. Try mentioning your fixed land line phone number instead of your mobile number as that shows you have stayed at your home long enough and won’t suddenly disappear without a trace after taking credit.
• At all costs, avoid getting into a rejection trap. Assume that you apply for a credit card, and due to some factual errors or a mistake in your application, you are rejected. If you then apply for another credit card straight away, they see you have been rejected once, and that’s reason enough for them to reject you once more. This snowballs into a rejection trap until you rectify the error that caused this problem in the first place or you simply continue to get refused credit.