Credit card checker (5 point guide)

In this brief guide, we will discuss the credit card checker and how a credit card checker may be able to help you find the best credit cards which you are eligible for.

What is a credit card checker?

A few years ago, the only way to know if you’d be accepted for a credit card was to apply for the credit card but doing that would leave a mark on your credit file and if you get rejected for the credit card then this could push your credit score lower. A credit card checker will allow you to see what credit cards you are eligible by running a soft credit check which leaves no public footprint on your credit score.

This means that if you aren’t eligible for a credit card, then the credit card checker won’t cause you to have any negative marks on your credit file.

The credit card checker will show you what credit cards you will be approved for based on a percentile rating.

The credit card checker will use the data from your credit report in order to let you know what credit cards you may be eligible for.

You can use the credit card eligibility to check for all types of credit cards including:

Reward credit cards

Platinum credit cards

Gold credit cards

Credit builder credit cards

Balance transfer credit cards

0% balance transfer credit cards

Purchase credit cards

0% purchase credit cards

Travel credit cards

Money transfer credit cards

Store credit cards

Business credit cards

Airline credit cards

Bad credit credit cards

Why should you use a credit card checker?

Using a credit card checker will prevent you from being rejected on your credit card applications as you will likely only apply to credit cards which you are preapproved for or have a high percentile rating for your approval for the credit card.

A credit card checker allows you to see what credit cards you may be eligible for without having to do too many hard credit searches on your credit file.

If you had to apply for multiple credit cards then you would risk damaging your credit score with too many credit applications and potentially damaging it worse with too many credit applications being rejected.

What information do I need to use a credit card checker?

Your full name

Your date of birth

Your current address

Your previous addresses

Your current income

Your current committed expenses

What are the minimum requirements for applying for a credit card?

You must be 18 years or over. For some credit cards, you might need to be 21 to apply

You need to be a UK resident with full rights to live in the UK and have at least three years of UK address history

Lenders which have a credit card checker service:

There are now many credit card providers which have a credit card checker which you can use to see if you are eligible for the credit card providers products and at what rate.

Virgin Money

Bank of Scotland

Halifax

Lloyds

Capital one

Vanquis bank

Barclay Card

Sainsbury’s Bank

Tandem Bank

M&S Bank

118-118 Money

HSBC

Nationwide

There may be other credit card providers who offer a credit card checker.

We will be increasing our panel over the coming months, so watch this space as our panel will only get bigger and bigger.

How does the credit card checker work?

The credit card checker works by checking the data from your credit score and the personal information you have provided and comparing it against the multiple credit card providers lending criteria to see which ones you match, It then passes on your date to the credit card provider so the credit card provider can provide a real-time quote.

The best credit card checkers will use credit scoring data from the three major credit bureaus in the UK: Equifax, Experian and Transunion.

Most credit card checkers will not show you all the possible credit card options on the market and this means you may be eligible for better credit cards outside of the ones that are displayed to you.

Will using a credit card checker impact your credit score?

No, using a credit card checker will not impact your credit score as credit card checkers work by performing a soft credit search which is not visible to anyone else but you on your credit report. This means it has no public footprints and leaves no marks.

If you proceed to apply for a credit card with a lender then the lender will perform a hard credit search on your profile in order for them to access your complete creditworthiness. Once a hard credit search is made it will remain on your credit file for 2 years,

If you are worried that your credit score is very low and you won’t be eligible for any credit product then you may want to look at ways to build your credit score first.

You can build your credit score by:

Get on the electoral roll

Open a bank account

Avoid closing credit accounts

Get a credit builder loan

Get a credit builder card

Get a secured credit card

Avoid making too many credit applications

Become a cosigner on someone’s credit card

In this brief guide, we discussed the credit card checker. If you have any further comments you can let us know.

If you need financial advice and you live in the UK then you could contact the Money Advice service over the phone or via chat for impartial advice.

You can also contact the debt charity “Step Change” if you are in debt and need help.