Credit Score Basics > What is CheckMyFile?

What is CheckMyFile?

CheckMyFile is a UK-based online service that lets you see your credit scores and credit reports from all the UK's main credit reference agencies (CRAs) – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Using CheckMyFile, you can view all three credit reports and scores in one place without having to sign up for multiple services.

Is Checkmyfile a credit reference agency?

CheckMyFile might show you a "CheckMyFile Credit Score", but they're not actually a credit reference agency.

CheckMyFile does not calculate your credit score or compile your credit report—that is the responsibility of Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

CheckMyFile puts everything in one place, making it easier to see and take action if you want to fix an error or improve your credit score.

How much does Checkmyfile cost?

CheckMyFile costs £14.99 a month, but you can try it for free for 30 days. During this time, you can use all the features without restrictions. Afterwards, you can continue or cancel your subscription as you see fit.

If you can't afford or don't want to pay the £14.99, there are a few free alternatives to CheckMyFile:

• To get your Experian credit report and score for free, create a free Experian account and ask for their Statutory Credit Report.
• To get your Equifax credit report and score for free, sign up to ClearScore.
• To get your TransUnion credit report and score for free, use Credit Karma.

Of course, this is a bit more work than seeing everything in one place – which is why, for some people, CheckMyFile is an excellent service. CheckMyFile also comes with a few advantages compared to these free options:

• It calculates a CheckMyFile Credit Score, which considers all three credit scores.
• It updates your credit report and score daily (most free options do it once a month).
• And it lets you quickly see any differences between the three credit reports.

What can I see on Checkmyfile?

What you can see on your CheckMyFile account will be a combination of your credit score and your credit reports. You'll be able to see things like:

• Lines of credit: from payday loans and phone contracts to credit cards, mortgages, and secured loans;
• Utility contracts (like gas bills or broadband);
• Missed or late payments (from the last six years only);
• Defaults, CCJs, IVAs, and bankruptcies (also limited to the last six years);
• Any financial links with ex-spouses and other people you might have joint accounts with;
• Whether any of the CRAs have flagged your name for identity fraud;
• Whether you register to vote at your current address and address history from the past six years.

Is CheckMyFile worth it?

On Trustpilot, a customer review website, CheckMyFile has a 4.8 out of 5 rating given by over 4,000 customers. Most praise the ease of use and how much seeing all their reports in one place impacted their finances. Here is one such review:

"I was made aware of CheckMyFile service by my financial advisor before applying for my remortgage, and it proved so valuable with my application as it synchronised with the date on my credit files. Also, I learned of entries I wasn't aware of, and the report is really detailed."

However, about 5% of the customers also gave it 1 star. The main complaint was the inability to easily cancel the CheckMyFile subscription, which was made worse by poor customer service. Here is an example:

"You can tell a lot about a company when their cancellation process is buried deeply into their website. They have ignored my email for a week now."

Of course, take both 5-star and 1-star reviews with a pinch of salt. If you're interested in CheckMyFile, sign up for their free trial and make your own decision.

Why should I check all three credit reports and scores?

The main reason is that many banks and mortgage lenders might use different credit reference agencies and look at various credit reports. Some use all three CRAs, but not always. Others exclusively work with Experian or Equifax. Even TransUnion, which is smaller, has some exclusive providers.

This means that if you want to improve your loan approval chances, you need to monitor all three scores and reports.

The second reason is that each of these different credit reference agencies uses different credit score ranges. This means that a credit score of 600 will mean very different things on Experian (which has a range of 0-999) than on TransUnion (which has a range of 0-710). Because the agencies have different score ranges, it can be hard for most people to work out what's a "good score" and what's a "bad score."

CheckMyFile, by combining them all and showing you a combined "CheckMyFile Credit Score," can give you a more complete and easy-to-understand picture.

At the end of the day, CheckMyFile is just one of the many tools you can use to understand your credit score to improve it.

Other tools you can look into if you want to improve your credit score:

• Experian Boost: it allows you to connect your bank account to Experian so you can make some of your regular payments count towards your Experian credit score.
• Wollit: it reports your monthly subscription as a loan repayment, helping you improve your credit history and potentially boosting your credit score further.

• Credit Reference Agencies