If you’re anything like me, you’ll shudder at the very thought of dealing with important financial matters. Yes, it has to be done. And yes, it’s a hugely important part of managing family life. But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.
Recently, Mr C and I have been thinking about our finances – we’re considering making a couple of big purchases and we’ve been looking into all the options out there for us.
A friend of mine suggested that I tried a free credit report from Experian CreditExpert – so that’s exactly what I did. We all know that facing your credit score head on can be a scary task, but I can honestly say that it was a simple, straightforward, enlightening process (and nowhere near as scary as it sounds, I promise!).
Experian is one of those companies that we’ve all heard of and have a vague understanding of what they do, but we might not necessarily know all that much about.
When I started looking over the Experian site (it’s best to have a good look around before inputting personal details into any site, right?), I must admit that I was surprised to learn that they offer so much more than access to your credit ratings.
They can help you to improve your credit score, allow you to check your free credit report so that you can see exactly what the bank sees about you, and even help you to apply for credit if you need it. What’s more, they can set up an alert system that will notify you of potential fraudulent activity on any of your accounts and help you if you do become an unfortunate victim of fraud.
There’s even a free 30 day trial that allows you to gain unlimited access to your Experian Credit Report and credit score, advice on how to improve your score (if needed!), and help in finding finance options that suit your needs and credit rating.
The Process
So, once I’d decided to embark on my free Experian credit report, and familiarised myself with the site, I have to say that it was a quick and gentle process – it only took around 10 minutes to complete.
Firstly, I was asked to input a few basic personal details, name, address, date of birth, the usual sort of thing.
The next step is just a simple, requiring you to input your address, a username etc to set up your account, and then some card details. “Card details?” I hear you ask. “I thought this was a free trial?” Don’t worry, it is. The card details are simply used to verify your identity – a payment won’t be taken unless you choose to continue your membership after the initial 30 days.
It was as simple as that. In a few quick clicks, I was ready to view my free credit report.
I’d imagined that my credit report would be a long, complicated, and jargon-heavy document that would be almost impossible for someone like me to understand. I couldn’t have been more wrong! The information was clearly laid out in a colour coded, numbered system, and there was a detailed guide attached.
This was the first time that I had accessed my credit report and there were a couple of things that I didn’t quite understand. After spending a little while trying to work them out, I bit the bullet and called Experian for help – they’re the experts after all! Again, I found the whole experience really simple and the lady I spoke to couldn’t have been more helpful. She listened to my queries and explained everything to me in really simple terms, which was just what I needed.
So, if you’re thinking about taking a look at your own credit report, I’d definitely recommend that you go for it – I personally found it really helpful.
Disclosure: Sources from Experian.