Do you know
your credit
score?

Many Australians can relate to your eagerness to get your credit scores. Getting a loan or credit card, for example, requires knowing your credit score, and most people are already aware of this. Because banks and lenders use credit scores to assess your borrowing ability and creditworthiness, it’s crucial to understand the ideal credit score and whether you fall within that range.

But even with online resources making it easier to get answers to ‘How to view your credit score?’ or ‘How to improve your credit score?’ it’s still a challenge for some people to get their credit score.

The good news is that with MONEYME, you can get your credit scores for free and without hassle.

Take advantage of our Credit Score tool on the MONEYME mobile app for a free, fast, and personalised credit check. You can access the same information that banks and lenders use to determine your creditworthiness and even receive valuable tips and tricks to improve your score, along with exclusive special offers.

Having learned how MONEYME can help you get your credit scores, let’s now address some common questions you may have about the process.

When looking to get your credit scores, it’s worth knowing that three major credit reporting bodies collect and store financial data about you. illion, Equifax, and Experian gather your information to create your credit report and calculate your credit score. But with the MONEYME app, you can enjoy an even simpler way of checking your credit score.

These credit reporting agencies typically consider these factors when calculating your credit score:

• How much credit you have borrowed in the past
• Your repayment history for any credit cards or loans
• Any credit limits currently in place such as on a credit card
• How many credit applications you’ve made in the past and how frequently
• Any bankruptcies, defaults, or court judgements associated with your name

When combined with your income and expenses declared in your credit application, this information helps lenders assess your borrowing capacity and evaluate the likelihood of your ability to repay the requested loan or credit product without facing financial difficulties.

Some financial institutions may also consider additional factors such as all possible income sources, debt obligations, and living expenses when you get your credit scores from them.

Nowadays, thanks to Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR), positive credit behaviours are also part of your credit record. This includes consistent, timely repayments you have made on your credit.

Your positive borrowing behaviours give a much clearer borrower profile and allow lenders to assess your current circumstances and not just make a decision based on a rough patch you might have gone through four years ago but are well past.

When a lender performs a credit score check on you, a poor credit score can have several impacts on your credit application. Depending on which credit behaviours are deemed risky by the lender – such as missed payments or having multiple maxed-out lines of credit – you may receive a lower credit offer than you requested, a higher interest rate than you anticipated, or even be declined altogether.

While it may be tempting to keep applying until you get approved, it’s essential to understand what constitutes a good credit score and whether you fall within that range. This knowledge can help you work on improving your score if necessary, resulting in better chances of approval.

So, what is the credit score range, and what’s a good credit score?

The credit score, or credit rating, ranges from 0 to 1,000 or 0 to 1,200, depending on who you get your credit report from, where 0 reflects bankruptcy, and 1,000 or 1,200 reflects the end of the scale you’d ideally like to be on.

It’s a good idea to evaluate your current financial situation after you get your credit scores if you want to improve your credit. If you’re having trouble making payments, consider a payment plan or financial hardship arrangement for any debt repayments or bills you can’t pay.

Additionally, if you have multiple credit accounts of the same type, consider closing any active credit accounts that you don’t need. While it may be tempting to keep these as a safety net, having too many credit accounts can increase the perceived risk to lenders. As a general rule, keep the credit accounts that you’ve had for the longest time and have made timely repayments on while you repay and close the rest.

While some credit reporting agencies may charge fees when you try to get your credit scores, you can request your credit report for free once every three months from each of the major credit reporting bodies illion, Equifax, and Experian.

What’s more, there’s an even easier way to check your credit score for free and stay informed about your score through the MONEYME Credit Score tool.

The MONEYME app is readily available for download on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. You can easily get started by inputting your name, phone number, email, date of birth, address, and driver’s licence number (optional).

There’s no need to keep searching online for phrases like ‘What’s my credit score?’ and ‘free credit scores’. You can finally make more informed financial decisions and improve your chances of getting approved for credit now that you know how credit scores work, how to build a good credit score, and how to check your score for free with the MONEYME Credit Score tool.