Credit Reference Agencies - Who uses who?

There are three main credit reference agencies compiling info on us; Equifax, Experian and Callcredit. Apply for credit and lenders will ask one or two of them for information. As different agencies have different details, it's possible to increase your acceptability by picking a lender using the right agency, although remember this list can change regularly, call and check with a lender if you want to make a specific application.

The following table details which credit reference agency each lender uses. Utilising this takes some patience. If you've applied for credit with a lender and been turned down, it may be worth then choosing a lender working with a different agency. This won't always work, but it helps.

If you're a MoneySaving newbie, please only read this in conjunction with my ‘Your Credit Rating, How it works, How to beat it' article, which explains the system in its entirety. Also you can discuss this table with other MoneySavers in the chat forum.

Back to credit rating article