Build your credit score
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⚡ Quick answer
- A good credit score gets you better credit cards, loans and mortgages.
- Most credit cards need 2+ years of UK history, so start with other tools.
- Experian Boost uses your bills. Credit Ladder uses your rent.
The UK has a credit score system, like the USA. Seen those films where someone gets rejected because of their credit score? It has consequences here too 😬.
A good score gets you a better deal on credit cards, car loans and mortgages 🏡.
🧱 Start without a credit card
The best way to build a score is a credit card. But most need 2 years of credit history, which you don’t have yet. (Not all of them: see the next stop 👉.)
Instead, use these:
🚀 Experian Boost
Experian Boost connects to your bank account. It finds regular payments like utilities, phone, internet and Netflix, and adds them to your Experian credit file.
- 🆓 It’s free. That probably means they use your data somehow (I didn’t read the terms 🙈).
- ⚠️ Missed payments can count against you. Be careful.
- ℹ️ It only affects your Experian score.
🪜 Credit Ladder
Credit Ladder does the same for your rent 🏠.
- 🆓 Free for one credit reference agency.
- 💷 Pay monthly to report to all of them.
- 👉 I recommend picking Experian.