HELP CENTRE
How can we help?
Welcome to our help centre. Here you can find answers to frequently asked questions and get the support you need
The Basics
Check.co.uk is a free financial wellbeing platform designed to help you access credit information and take greater control of your financial health.
Check.co.uk provides secure access to your credit report and credit score from our credit reference agency partners, Equifax and TransUnion.
Separately, Check.co.uk provides its own educational features, including Insights, 24 Factor Check, recommendations and guidance.Unless explicitly stated otherwise, these features are developed by Check.co.uk using Equifax credit report data only and Check.co.uk's own educational methodology. These features are not provided by Equifax or TransUnion, do not form part of your official Equifax or TransUnion credit report or credit score, and do not use TransUnion credit report data. They are educational in nature and are not intended to explain, predict or influence your official TransUnion credit score. Any examples, recommendations or guidance are based on Check.co.uk's own educational methodology using Equifax credit report data only.
In addition, Check.co.uk may introduce you to financial products and services that could be relevant to your circumstances. Product recommendations are based on the information available to us and our eligibility criteria. Eligibility and acceptance are always determined by the individual provider.
Check.co.uk provides access to credit information from multiple Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs), sometimes referred to as credit bureaus. Our current credit reference agency partners are Equifax and TransUnion.
As Equifax and TransUnion may hold different information about you and use different scoring methodologies, your credit scores and credit reports can vary between providers. This is normal and does not necessarily indicate that any information is incorrect.
A credit reference agency (sometimes called a credit bureau) collects and maintains information about your credit history. In the UK, there are three main credit reference agencies. Check.co.uk currently provides access to your credit information from Equifax and TransUnion.
Credit reference agencies provide this information to organisations, where permitted by law, to support activities such as responsible lending, identity verification, fraud prevention, anti-money laundering checks, and other legitimate purposes.
Because each credit reference agency may receive different information from lenders and uses its own scoring methodology, your credit scores and credit reports can differ between agencies. This is normal and does not necessarily mean any information is incorrect.
Check.co.uk provides access to credit information from multiple credit reference agencies. As each agency may hold slightly different information and uses its own scoring methodology, your credit scores and reports may differ between bureaus. This is completely normal and does not necessarily indicate a change in your creditworthiness. Lenders may also use different credit reference agencies and their own lending criteria when assessing applications.
The credit scores you see on Check.co.uk are from Equifax and TransUnion. They are their perception of your financial health based on their calculations of your credit report data. While lenders will have their own scoring criteria to base their lending decisions on, your scores from Equifax and TransUnion can give you an idea of how your credit history may be perceived by potential lenders.
Different lenders and credit reference agencies may use different scoring models.
When you link your TransUnion credit report, your dashboard is updated to display your official Equifax and TransUnion credit scores side by side.
This makes it easier to compare the information provided by each credit reference agency, as each may hold different information about you and uses its own scoring methodology.
The Check Score is an educational indicator developed by Check.co.uk using Equifax credit report data and Check.co.uk's own educational methodology. Once your TransUnion credit report is linked, we display your official credit scores from Equifax and TransUnion instead, so you can view and compare the scores provided directly by each credit reference agency.
Your credit report contains information about your borrowing history, repayment behaviour, credit applications and public records. Lenders may use this information when assessing applications for credit.
Credit Report FAQs
Credit information is updated at different times depending on the organisation providing the data.
Most lenders report information to credit reference agencies monthly, although the timing can vary. As a result, some account information, balances or payment history may not reflect your most recent activity immediately.
Why doesn't my account balance match what I owe today?
Account balances shown on your credit report are not updated in real time.
Lenders typically provide updates to credit reference agencies on a monthly basis, so there may be a delay between making a payment or using credit and the balance shown on your report.
The Electoral Register records whether you are registered to vote at your current address.
Being registered can help organisations confirm your identity and may support credit applications.It is not proof of residency, but many lenders use it as part of their identity verification process.
You can register to vote online through your local authority or the UK Government's voter registration service.
A Financial Connection (sometimes called a financial association) is created when you have a joint financial product with another person, such as a joint bank account, mortgage or loan.
Your credit report does not show the other person's credit information. However, some lenders may take financial associations into account when assessing affordability or lending applications.
If you no longer have a financial relationship with someone, you may be able to request that the association is removed, subject to the credit reference agency's process.
CIFAS is the UK's leading fraud prevention organisation.
If a CIFAS marker appears on your credit report, it does not necessarily mean you have committed fraud. Some markers are added to help protect you from identity theft or to alert organisations to potential fraudulent activity.
Different types of CIFAS markers have different meanings, and lenders may consider them when assessing applications.
Not every lender shares information with every credit reference agency.
My application
If you require additional support during the sign-up process, with accessing your credit score or report, or with using our services, please contact our support team by email or through your account.
We understand some customers may be experiencing financial difficulties, health issues, or other vulnerabilities, and we are committed to providing appropriate support where possible.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact us by specialist text phone. Simply add the prefix 18001 to our telephone number 0330 838 7002 (on inbound calls only).
Please find further details on Relay UK's website if required:
https://www.relayuk.bt.com/how-to-use-relay-uk.html
Relay UK is a service operated by BT for deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech-impaired people. It works by way of allowing a Relay Assistant (RA) to join the conversation between a customer and a third party. The RA will introduce the call and explain how the Relay UK service works if necessary. The RA will then type the third party's conversation for the customer to read. The customer can either type a reply or just speak through the phone as normal.
The team can provide additional support for visually impaired customers by offering documents such as our terms and conditions, privacy policy and credit agreement in either braille or large print.
To request a copy please contact a member of the team via phone, chat or email.
There are a number of reasons why you may not be able to access your credit report. For example:
- we may not have been able to verify your identity
- you may have recently moved address or changed your name
- you may be new to the UK
- you may not have enough credit history yet
- lenders and other providers may not have updated the credit reference agencies yet
If you need help, please contact us at hello@check.co.uk. We can provide further guidance and support with accessing your credit information.
Fraud & ID Protect
A data breach occurs when a hacker gains access to the database of a service or company which contains users' private information. This information can range from usernames and passwords to social security numbers, addresses and even payment details. These lists are then usually sold online to criminal groups who seek to use this information for profit.
The most serious consequences to you can be when very sensitive information like usernames, passwords or social security numbers are leaked. Be sure to never use the same password for multiple services. If one service you use is breached, you should consider all the accounts using the same password as compromised.
Identity theft, specifically online identity theft, involves someone posing as you using your private information, usually for profit. Criminals usually obtain this data either by physical theft, accessing public information, or through data breaches. The best way to protect your identity online is to secure your private information by using strong passwords and being careful what you share across different services.
When passwords are hacked, it usually means the service you use the password in becomes the victim of a data breach, leaving your password and possibly other personal information exposed. In many cases, users can go for years before knowing that their password has been made public.
A strong password is a long one because they are more difficult to guess. Having a minimum of 8 characters is a good start, but even more important is to use a unique password for each service. If a service is the victim of a data breach and your password is leaked, the problem becomes much bigger if you use the same email address and password combination to log into multiple services.
Other useful info
Please click this link to contact Check.co.uk Contact us
At Check.co.uk we always aim to provide a high standard of service, and ensure our customers are treated fairly, however, we understand that there may be times when our customers may be unhappy. In such cases we welcome feedback and the opportunity to put things right.
We aim to ensure that all complaints are handled and resolved as quickly as possible, and we always aim to provide satisfaction to our customers wherever possible.
Making a complaint
You can make a complaint to us in a number of ways:
- By telephoning 0330 838 7002
- By emailing hello@check.co.uk
- By Sending a message here.
- By writng to:
Complaints Department
Check.co.uk
6 Acorn Business Park
Heaton Lane
Stockport
England
SK4 1AS
investigate your complaint efficiently.
This information should include:
• Your full name and address.
• A daytime contact telephone number.
• Full details of your complaint including statement of fact.
• Your user account details.
• Details of what you would like us to do to put things right.
• Photocopies of any relevant paperwork.
Please be aware that if your statement of fact suggests you purposely withheld information or knowingly provided false information on your application, we may investigate whether the signup was fraudulent and, where appropriate, pass the details to the Police Action Fraud hotline for investigation.
How we will deal with your complaint
We will endeavour to resolve your complaint quickly; however, this might not always be possible.
In that event we will send you a written or electronic acknowledgement of your complaint within 5 business days of receipt.
Within 8 weeks of receiving your complaint, we will endeavour to provide you with a Final Response Letter.
If we are not in a position to do so, we will explain the reasons for the delay, indicate when you should expect a final response, and provide details of your right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are dissatisfied.
How we will deal with any redress
Should your complaint be partially or fully upheld, any redress owed to you will firstly be offset against any debts owed to us and thereafter paid directly to you
We will never pay any redress to any third party or claims management company regardless of their terms and conditions or any contractual agreement you may have made with them.
Financial Ombudsman Service
If, after receiving our Final Response Letter, you remain dissatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months.
Contact details:
Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR
Telephone: 0800 023 4567
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
If you want to cancel your Check subscription you can do so by simply Logging in and going to your Profile, then Account, and choosing Cancel Account. Alternatively, you can use one of the other methods listed on the Contact Us page.
For your reference, our Cancellation Policy can also be found here.
As a result, your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports may contain different accounts or information. This is normal and reflects the data each credit reference agency receives from participating organisations
Equifax and TransUnion each collect information from lenders and other organisations independently and use their own scoring methodologies.
Because they may receive different information and update their records at different times, your credit reports and credit scores may differ between the two credit reference agencies.
Our Partners
