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Shop brands you love, earning credit that seamlessly pays your mobile phone bill, keeping you connected.

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Shop with brands you love, earning connectivity credit to reduce you mobile bill. Earn with brands such as Boots, Greggs, Argos, Tesco

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Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

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Joining Forces | Military loans | MOD loans and savings | Armed forces loans

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Joining Forces | Military loans | MOD loans and savings | Armed forces loans The Ministry of Defence is supporting three of the UK's leading credit unions to join forces and make saving simple and loans more affordable to the Armed Forces and its Veterans.

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MoneyHelper joins up money and pensions guidance to make it quicker and easier to find the right help. MoneyHelper brings together the support and services of three government-backed financial guidance providers: the Money Advice Service, the Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise.

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Free and impartial help with money, backed by the government | MoneyHelper

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MoneyHelper: free and impartial help with money and pensions. Formerly Money Advice Service, The Pension Advisory Service and Pension Wise.

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Claiming PIP - Key Information

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Energy Comparison of Gas & Electricity | Broadband Deals & Mobile Phones | uSwitch.com

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Compare and switch gas and electricity suppliers, also compare broadband deals, mobile phone deals, car & home insurance, credit cards, boiler cover & more.

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Company Shop Group is the UK's leading redistributor of food & household surplus products. Heritage spanning five decades | Turning problems into potential

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The UK’s largest Emergency Service discount and NHS discount service for UK public sector. Free to register online and home of the Blue Light Card High Street Card

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The official MoD discount service for the Armed Forces, Veterans and Armed Forces Community

Register now More about us

Defence Discount Service provides discounts both online and on the high street for members of the Armed Forces, Veterans and Armed Forces Community.

Defence Discount Service is home of the Defence Privilege Card, the vetted discount card that can be used in stores, restaurants and venues to obtain armed forces discounts. This discount card allows Veterans and the Armed Forces Community to have a card that can allow them to receive military discounts.

Who qualifies?

Serving Armed Forces

Reserve Forces

Spouses/Partners of serving personnel

HM Armed Forces Veterans (ex serving)

MoD Civil Servants

Bereaved Family Members

War/Service Widow(er)s

Cadet Forces (over 16)

NATO Personnel in the UK

Save on the high street with the Defence Privilege Card.

Support our Armed Forces Community by adding an offer free of charge

24 May 2024

Father's Day - when dads nationwide receive enough mugs and socks to last a lifetime!

As the date fast approaches, we've rounded up some of our favourite savings on all types of gifts to give to...

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08 May 2024

Permanently entering civvy street can be a scary time for anyone leaving the Armed Forces.

Once you decide it's time to leave - after years of loyal service to King and country - the next step mig...

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25 April 2024

With savings on the essentials becoming increasingly important for the Blue Light community, we spoke to personal finance journalist, Ruth Jackson-Kirby.

Here are eight tried and tested ways to cu...

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25 April 2024

As energy prices start to fall, Defence Discount Service members will be looking to save as much as they can on their household costs - which might mean switching to a fixed price energy deal.

To ...

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21 March 2024

Say goodbye to shorter days and hello to sunshine... spring is coming!

To mark the occasion, spring into savings action with our first-ever Big Saver Weekend.
What is the Big Saver Weekend?
T...

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The Defence Discount Service is the official Ministry of Defence discount service. Forces discounts for the Armed Forces, their families and Veterans

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Discover our free online MoneyHelper Budget Planner calculator to gain a better understanding of your money coming in and out, and how to improve your finances.

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Register for free access to thousands of tickets donated especially for the brave men & women of our Armed Forces.

All serving members of HM Forces, and all those medically discharged from the Forces since the commencement of military action in Afghanistan in 2001 are eligible to register for tickets with Tickets for Troops. See how it works for more info.

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Tickets for Troops provides free tickets to members of the Armed Forces for a variety of sporting, musical and cultural events. The service offers serving personnel and those medically discharged from the forces since 2001, the well-deserved opportunity to enjoy an event of their choice with their friends and families.

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TroopScout takes great pride in finding and negotiating exclusive discounts and savings for those that have served our country. TroopScout offers brands, big and small a simple way of saying thank you to our military members, veterans and associated communities for their hard work and sacrifice.

TroopScout has signed the Armed Forces Covenant which is our promise to help those that serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their family members, are treated fairly.
Our military discounts
We offer a wide range of military discounts from well know international brands to new start ups and everything in-between. Sometime our discounts come in the form of a voucher code which can be used when you check out online, other times we provide access to hidden military discount pages.
Military verification
Once you have signed up and have completed our military verification form you will have full, free access to all exclusive military discounts found on our platform.

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TroopScout - Military Discounts & Voucher Codes

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TroopScout takes great pride in finding and negotiating exclusive discounts and savings for those that have served our country. TroopScout offers brands, big and small a simple way of saying thank you to our military members, veterans and associated communities for their hard work and sacrifice.

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Government guidance on getting an extra payment to help with the cost of living if you're entitled to certain benefits or tax credits

The Government have extended their Help to Save scheme for low earners until April 2025. The scheme offers a 50% bonus payment worth up to £1,200 over four years.

See information below for local and national support and advice relating to specific topics.

If you can't afford to buy enough food, you may be able to get some short-term help from your local Members make a small weekly contribution and receive food with a higher value than the same items would cost elsewhere.food bank. You will need a voucher to use a food bank. To find out where you can get a voucher, contact your local food bank or phone the Citizens Advice national phone service on 03444 111 444.

Community pantries provide groceries at a lower rate than shops and supermarkets. Access to the Community pantry is through membership.

Find your local food bank or community pantry

The Smart Living website has tips and ideas for making the most of the food you have and avoiding waste.

The BBC has a range of healthy recipes to help you Eat Well for Lessas well as £1 Mealsto help you prepare tasty, hot meals on a budget.

Debt and budgeting

The organisations below offer free, impartial advice on debt and budgeting:

Breathing space is a new government scheme which is designed to give you time to receive debt advice and find a solution to sort out your debt problems. Eligibility criteria apply.

Always make sure you are claiming any benefits you may be entitled to.

Gamcare offers support and advice to those affected by gambling, including specific advice regarding money management.

Economic abuse often occurs alongside other forms of abuse. Surviving Economic Abuse has information and advice as well as a Financial Support Line for victims of domestic abuse.

The NHS has practical advice on coping with financial worries.

Mind has practical tips on managing your money and improving your mental health

Money Savings Expert, supported by Mind, Rethink, CAPUK and others, have developed a guide - Mental Health and Debt - for people with mental health problems and those caring for them.

Mental Health and Money Advice has practical advice and support for people experiencing issues with mental health and money.

If you are receiving mental health crisis treatment and struggling with problem debt, the Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space scheme has been set up to create time and space for you to get the treatment you need, without having to worry about your debts growing or your creditors contacting you during your treatment. (Hampshire County Council residents can submit a referral form here).

If you need support with your mental health and wellbeing, there are many local and national organisations and helplines. See our Mental health information page.

If you are struggling to keep your home warm, and live in the Hampshire County Council area, visit the Hitting the Cold Spots web page or call the advice line on 0800 804 8601. The friendly Hampshire-based team will be able to provide a range of advice and assistance including one-off emergency fuel vouchers for pre-payment meters for people who meet certain eligibility criteria.

See information from Switched on Portsmouthabout help available for Portsmouth, Havant and Gosport residents. (See also SwitchedOnGosport)

See our keeping warm in winter section for more advice, energy saving tips and details of financial assistance that may be available.

If you are having problems paying your rent or are worried about mortgage or council tax payments:

Keeping your home warm in winter.
If you claim benefits, you may be able to claim discounts or grants to help heat your home. More about keeping warm in winter.

If you can't afford to replace something which is broken, or to pay for costly repairs, you could try visiting a Repair Cafe.

Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they're all about repairing things (together). In the place where a Repair Café is located, you'll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. On clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, et cetera. You'll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields.

Find your local Repair Cafe
Further information from Ofcom.
The Department for Work and Pensions provides grants and short-term advances for people who already claim benefits, such as:

You can check you are receiving the right benefits:

Tax Help for Older People is a service from the charity Tax Volunteers providing free, independent and expert help and advice for older people on lower incomes who cannot afford to pay for professional tax advice.

Use the internet to search for reuse organisations that may sell secondhand furniture and appliances.
Here are some websites or organisations you could try:

Gumtree - for secondhand furniture and appliances for sale.
Emmaus Hampshire is a social enterprise which helps people out of homelessness.
The Community Furniture Project in Basingstoke sells a wide range of used furniture.
The Furniture Helpline in Alton provides affordable household goods, household furniture and white-goods at very low prices to those with a need.
Jacob's Well Care Centre aims to provide furniture to those in need in the Gosport area.
Search the Community Directory to find organisations that can help with furniture.

Charity shops, such as the British Heart Foundation,are also a good place to start if you want to buy secondhand goods for the home at affordable prices.
Some household waste recycling centres have sections where you can buy secondhand furniture.

Some charities provide financial help such as grants or subsidised care in a care home. Often these charities are concerned with particular groups or occupations.

Use the Search for Grants tool on Turn2Us to find out what charitable funds you may be eligible for.

The Simple Payment Plan was created for those in financial difficulty and who meet certain eligibility criteria.

Qualifying customers can choose from either a fortnightly or monthly payment plan that spreads the cost of a TV Licence over 12 months. This means you make smaller payments more frequently. The Simple Payment Plan offers flexibility if a payment is missed, as it can be spread across the remainder of the plan instead of having to pay double the amount next time. If payments are missed three months in a row, customers are removed from the Simple Payment Plan.

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Connect to Support Hampshire is an online information and advice guide and directory of services for adults with care and support needs who live in Hampshire.

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Universal Credit supports you if you are on a low income or out of work. It includes a monthly payment to help with your living costs. This site will help you understand what Universal Credit means for you.

If you are currently claiming other benefits why not use an independent benefits calculator to see if you could be better off on Universal Credit? You can check with a local benefits advisor to find out what you could be entitled to with Advice Local.

It is important to also get independent advice before you apply. You can find out more about Universal Credit on this site. If you're ready to make a claim, visit How to Claim.

If you are in Northern Ireland, visit
Universal Credit / NI Direct.

If you are fleeing from Ukraine, visit
Support for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

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Universal Credit supports you if you are on a low income or out of work. It includes a monthly payment to help with your living costs. This site will help you understand what Universal Credit means for you.

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We know people are worried about the cost of living, so the government is offering help. See what support you could be eligible for: ​ co...

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Benefits Calculator - entitledto - independent | accurate | reliable | www.entitledto.co.uk

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Check what benefit entitlement you are entitled to. The entitledto benefits calculator will check which means-tested benefits you may be entitled to e.g. tax credits, universal credit, housing benefit ...

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Whether you are looking for a family home or an investment property. We coordinate everything you need to purchase from finding the perfect property, right through to picking up your keys.

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Step Change - Debt Management

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StepChange Debt Charity. Free Expert Debt Help & Advice

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Get free, impartial, and confidential debt advice with StepChange. Available 24/7, our online service helps you understand your debts, set a budget, and find the best solution for your needs. Get expert support and guidance at your own pace. Start today and ease the pressure.

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Armed Forces Financial Services

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Established by Ex Forces for the Armed Forces

Armed Forces Financial Services specialise in providing expert Military Mortgage and Protection advice to HM Forces, Veterans and Military Families.
Our mission is to provide simple, clear and straight forward financial advice to service personnel, veterans and their families to improve their financial future.
Military Mortgage - How We Can Help

Do you need a better deal on your existing mortgage? Want to get on the property ladder? Are you about to deploy overseas and need your money to work for you while you're away? Or would you simply like to get advice on how to improve your financial situation?

How It Works

With our unique insight into 'service life' we can talk to you about anything financial but particularly finding the best mortgage deal for you.

Please contact us via our contact page, through Messenger or give us a call so we can help!

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Military Mortgage | Armed Forces Financial Services | AFFS

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We specialise in providing expert Military Mortgage and Protection advice to HM Armed Forces, Veterans and Military Families.

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Credit Union for MoD

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Armed Forces Credit Union: Savings and Loan repayments direct from your pay

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All members of a credit union are required to save, with this money then lent to other members who may need to borrow through a choice of loan products designed to meet different needs-whether paying off expensive existing loans, paying for a holiday or buying a car.

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StatePension Calculator

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Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.

Use this tool to check:

when you'll reach State Pension age

your Pension Credit qualifying age

when you'll be eligible for free bus travel

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Work out your State Pension age and Pension Credit qualifying age

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Top Tips from Martin Lewis

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Bust myths & improve your score

Get Our Free Money Tips Email!

For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes - join the 12m who get it. Don't miss out

You DON'T have a universal credit rating

There's no such thing as a blacklist. This is a myth. In the UK, there's no universal credit rating or score, and there's no blacklist of banned people.

Each lender scores you differently and secretly.

This means just because one lender has rejected you, it doesn't automatically mean others will. Though after a rejection, it's always important to check your credit file for errors before applying again.

Of course, if you've got a poor credit history, or had problems, it can feel like you're blacklisted. Credit scoring is intuitive – would you lend to someone with a history of not repaying?

However, on occasion there are firms that specialise in lending to those who have had past problems – though they then charge a whacking rate.

The tools lenders use to decide aren't universal either. As well as your credit file, they also look at application information and any past dealings they've had with you, and use the three sources of information to build up a picture of you.

Credit scoring is about trying to predict your future behaviour

This is not easy if you've little credit history. When you apply for a product, a 'credit check' is done. In practice, this means lenders pour all the data they have on you into a complicated algorithm. It's an attempt to predict your future behaviour based on what you've done in the past.

While a poor history counts against you, so does having little credit history as it makes predictions less certain.

Imagine you are lending someone money. On the surface, they may appear trustworthy. But if you don't have much information about them, then you probably want to know more, just to be sure.

That's why one of the key challenges for some is to build a credit history – it's not easy if no one will give you credit. If you're in that situation, you can find help on how to build your credit history – it's aimed at students and younger people, but the theory applies to everyone else too.

It's as much about 'will you make the lender money' as it is about risk

Many people write to us incensed after rejection – "I've a perfect credit score, I've never missed a payment, why on earth did they reject me?"

This is based on a misunderstanding that lenders are credit-scoring to see if you match up to their wish list of what makes a profitable customer. Of course, someone who is a bad risk is likely to be scored out as unprofitable by most companies. But the risk of not repaying isn't the be-all and end-all.

Credit card companies may reject you for always repaying cards in full.
You might feel like a dream punter, but for credit card companies you're a nightmare. If they spot this trend, you could be rejected. The most profitable customers are those perpetually in debt, never defaulting, but always meeting the minimum repayment.

Pay off in full every month, don't use your cards enough, or always shift debt to 0% cards, and if they can spot you (it isn't always that easy), a few may reject you.

Banks score you based on products they'd like to sell you in the future.
Imagine a bank wants new mortgage customers. That's a costly sell. Instead, it offers a current account paying a high rate of interest on a small amount kept in it. Yet, when you apply, rather than scoring you as a bank account customer, it could actually be scoring to see if you're likely to be a profitable mortgage borrower in the future – you might face rejection if you aren't.

The secretive nature of credit scoring makes this difficult to ever truly know.

What lenders really know about you

It's important to be aware of exactly what lenders know when you apply, so you can present yourself in the best light. Importantly, it's more than just what's on your credit file.

The application form
In many ways this is the most important. Here, lenders obtain the crucial details of your post code, salary, family size, reason for the loan and whether you're a home owner.

Make sure you fill in the forms carefully. One slight slip, such as a "£2,000" salary rather than a "£20,000" one, can kibosh any application.

Be consistent too, fraud scoring firms filter applications and if there are many inconsistencies – such as changing your job title each time or different phone numbers, it can cause a problem that you may not be told about.

Past dealings you've had with the lender
Companies use any data on previous dealings they've had with you to feed into the credit score. This means those with limited credit history may find their own bank more likely to lend to them than others.

Of course, those who've had problems with a lender in the past may find it more difficult to get accepted there too.

Equifax, Experian, and Callcredit credit reference agency files
The three UK credit reference agencies compile information, allowing them to send data on any UK individual to prospective lenders. All lenders use at least one agency when assessing your file. This data comes from four main sources:

Electoral roll information

This is publicly available and contains address and residence details.

Court records

County court judgments (CCJs), decrees, IVAs, bankruptcies and other court debt orders indicate if you have a history of debt problems.

Search, address and linked data

This includes records of other lenders that have searched your file when you've applied for credit, addresses you're linked to, or other people you have a financial association with.

The big gas and electricity firms do hard credit checks – these go on your file too.

Account data

Banks, building societies, utility companies and other organisations use credit reference agencies to share details of all your account behaviour on credit/store cards, loans, mortgages, bank accounts, energy and mobile phone contracts from the last six years.

About 350 million records a month are tracked. The first type of information and the most common is 'default data', which shows where you're officially in default.

Some lenders share 'full data' too. This can incorporate how you generally operate the account, from being the model customer to defaulting. Some, including Barclaycard, Capital One, GE Money and MBNA, share the amount you repay too (if it's the minimum, or if you repay in full) and whether you've a promotional deal (plus if you use credit card cash advances, which you NEVER EVER should). This can mean lenders can better weed out those just playing the system.

In addition, payday loan data is now normally reported, while doorstep lenders are legally obliged to share the data that they hold on you.

Some history from energy/phone providers
If you look to switch energy provider, or change from a prepayment meter to a normal credit meter (where you get a bill), it's likely to leave a footprint as many providers now share credit report data. See the Cheap Energy Club for help.

Fraud data
If you've committed fraud (or someone has stolen your identity and committed fraud) this will be held on your file under the CIFAS section.

What lenders don't know about you – ignore conspiracy theories

Many people believe every element of their life is on their credit reference files, but actually it's mainly just a strict set of financial data. Though over recent years, the information contained on them has grown.

So let's debunk some myths. Here are a few of the more common things people think are on their files, but aren't.

'Soft searches' (you see this, lenders don't)

Some lenders (and MSE's eligibility calculator) will do a soft search on your credit file, to tell you both whether you qualify to borrow from them, and what rate they are willing to give you. This isn't passed on to other lenders when they credit-check you.

However, when you check, it does appear on your credit file. It's not always clear, but the words "administration check" or "quotation search" should indicate something that lenders can't see.

Student loans (except pre-1998 starters)

Unless you've had a county court judgment against you for lack of payment, no information about 'income contingent' student loans – the type all those who started university since 1998 have – is passed on to the credit reference agencies by the Student Loans Company (see Should I Repay My Student Loan? for a full briefing).

Those who started university before 1998 and have the old style 'mortgage' type student loans have defaults recorded as well as CCJs. And deferrals on these loans are now reported to credit reference agencies, to many people's angst. See Martin's blog: Why the Government has sold people out over Erudio student loans.

Council tax arrears

Councils don't share data about your payments, whether good or bad. If you're in arrears, it won't affect your credit score. However, it's always wise to prioritise your council tax payments as many councils are quick to prosecute. Council tax arrears are dealt with as a criminal matter, not a civil one, so you could end up with a criminal conviction.

Parking or driving fines

Any fines you've incurred, for example, parking or driving fines. Even though they're issued by the courts, they aren't 'credit' issues, so they're not listed.

Who you're married to or living with

Provided you don't have any joint financial products and are therefore financially linked, there's no information about members of your family who live, or have lived, with you or any other third parties.

Declined applications

Lenders can only see whether you've applied for credit elsewhere, not whether you've been accepted or declined. However, they may be able to guess by examining the credit accounts you have open.

Some defaults or missed payments

Defaults or missed payments will usually stay on your file for six years. If you close an account, the missed payments could stay on the account for six years after the closure, so keep that in mind. Bankruptcy is wiped six years from the date you're declared bankrupt, provided it's been discharged.

PPI, CPP, bank charges and other reclaims

If you've attempted to, or have successfully reclaimed PPI or bank charges, it won't appear on your credit files. If you've had bank charges, the penalties will show on your records.

Whether you've checked your credit file (you see this, lenders don't)

While this info is held, and appears when you check your file, it isn't passed on to lenders and so doesn't play any role in any assessment of you.

Race, religion, ethnicity

None of these personal details about you are held.

Salary

How much you earn isn't on your file either, though you'll usually be asked on the application form.

Savings accounts

As savings are not a credit product, they don't appear on credit files. This data is therefore only available to banks you hold savings accounts with.

Medical history

Medical problems you may have had in the past aren't listed.

Criminal record

No criminal convictions are listed.

Child Support Agency payments

Information from the Child Support Agency is excluded.

Remember, if a lender asks you about it on its application form then, it can find out about it – and lying is fraud.

Your credit file dictates the product and the rate you'll get

In the past 10 years the credit landscape has almost completely shifted towards 'rate for risk'. This means almost every credit provider on the market uses your credit file to not only dictate whether they'll provide you with credit, but also what rate you'll get.

The most obvious way this manifests itself is in representative rates on loans.

Here, only a minimum of 51% of accepted customers must get the rate advertised. They might be advertising a 6% rate (known as the representative APR). But you could be accepted and offered a 40% interest rate instead, because of a poor credit score.

It applies to other products too. Some 0% credit cards give you a shorter 0% period if you've got a poor credit history (assuming they'll accept you), others will simply offer you a different product to the one you've applied for. This is why it's so important to manage your creditworthiness.

'I am not a number, I'm a free man!' – Er, not with credit scoring

We don't have a right to be lent money. While the Government pushes lenders to offer more credit, especially in the small business and mortgage worlds, ultimately it's still a commercial decision from firms about whether they want to lend.

This is done with a massive system of automated impersonal credit checks. It's often far cheaper for a lender to reject some people who it should be lending to than it is to accept some it shouldn't be lending to.

You may feel it's unjust, but The Prisoner's call – "I am not a number, I am a free man" – doesn't work in credit scoring. Here you are just a number, and you have to understand that, as frustrating as it may seem.

Rejection can come from fraud scoring as well as credit scoring

When you apply for a product, it isn't just a case of assessing whether you're desirable, but also checking the application is legitimate. Therefore, as well as the credit reference agencies, lenders also use completely separate anti-fraud agencies to try to weed out problems. The two big ones work in very different ways.

National Hunter

This rarely mentioned system's much less factual, and so is prone to greater errors. However, it's used by almost all major banks and building societies, receives 100,000 applications a day and has a real impact. Find out more about how National Hunter works...

It works by looking for inconsistencies between your current application form and any past applications you've made, trying to spot factual errors. While it can't block your application itself, it triggers a red warning flag to lenders, and this happens roughly one time in every 20. Lenders can then check the info, and either ignore it, or do further checks. They're not allowed to reject you based on the National Hunter red flag alone.

Things such as a number of applications in a few days can also trigger warnings, though generally that's more acceptable with mortgages, where it's more common, than with credit cards.

What to watch for

It's crucial to be consistent, even over long periods, when you fill in application forms. If you have a number of job titles or phone numbers, try to use the same one on every application. Changes to guidance introduced in 2009 mean lenders are supposed to tell you if National Hunter has been a contributing reason for your rejection.

How to check your National Hunter file

To check the info it holds on you, write to it making a data protection request and enclosing £10. The National Hunter website explains this. This can also be a useful thing to do if you think you're a victim of ID fraud.

What you'll get is effectively a list of the information you've put on past applications. If there's an error on the file, which is possible, you can't correct it directly with National Hunter. If this happens, you'll need to go back to the lender that submitted that application in the first place to have it corrected.

CIFAS: Lists confirmed past fraud

It is simply a record of known fraud, so if you're on there, in general, you should know about it. It's also the organisation to speak to if you think you've been a victim of ID fraud. Worryingly, any fraud committed at your address in the past could appear on your CIFAS file, even if it was nothing to do with you. Find out more about how CIFAS works...

As with National Hunter, a lender can't refuse your application based on the CIFAS data, but must investigate first. Hopefully, that should prove you were not the perpetrator.

How to check your CIFAS file

The info it holds on you should be contained on your credit report under the CIFAS section. For a £10 fee, you can also request a copy of any files CIFAS holds on you (which is hopefully nothing). You can find how to do this on the CIFAS website.

If you've a dispute with the information it holds, you need to contact the company that logged the information on your CIFAS file first. If you're not happy with the response, you can ask CIFAS to investigate after you've received a final response letter.

For more information on ID fraud protection, see the Free ID Fraud Help guide.

Credit reference companies will try to sell you a credit score

Don't take it too seriously. Your credit reference agency credit file is important. Its credit score isn't.

Credit reference agencies used to make all their money from selling data to lenders. The idea was to help lenders predict your behaviour, which allowed them to assess whether or not you were a good person to lend to.

Then some bright spark at the credit reference agencies realised they could generate a business called "consumer credit management". It meant they could start to sell you all the other sorts of data and monitoring products for the first time. Why do they sell it to you? Well, it makes them money.

Part of this is selling people a "credit score". Yet that isn't a true indication because, as we've stressed, each lender scores you differently and they have far more information than just what's on your credit file. For more on this read what the Equifax or Experian credit score really means (and why it's not important).

Credit scoring affects far more than you think

Since the credit crunch started, way back in 2007, the importance of credit scoring to our financial lives has grown rapidly. Here's a quick rundown of how credit scoring affects major financial areas.

Mortgages
If your credit score is poor, you'll be rejected. It really is that simple. If you're planning to get a new mortgage or remortgage, it's worth starting to manage your credit file at least a year in advance. For specialist help, read the free MSE First-Time Buyers' Mortgage Booklet or Remortgage Help Booklet.

Credit cards
Your credit score dictates whether you'll be accepted, whether you'll be given promotional rates, and the APR you'll be charged afterwards. See the Best Balance Transfers, 0% Spending and Credit Card Best Buys guides for full info.

Loans
Again, your credit score matters both for acceptance and the rate you'll pay. See Cheap Loans for help.

Utility bills
Sharing data is now spreading to utility companies too, making it even more important to pay your bill on time, or it could harm your chances of applying for other credit such as a loan, credit card or mortgage. Of course, paying it on time can help your chances too.

The credit agencies are notoriously secret about which firms share data on whether their customers made or missed payments.

So to uncover what's really going on we asked the major energy, water and broadband and home phone firms ourselves. We understand there are now roughly a dozen major companies that share customer data. Only nine have confirmed to us so far, including British Gas, Thames Water and BT, but we are awaiting further details.

Firm-by-firm: who shares info with whom?

We contacted major gas, electricity, water and communications companies to find out what customer payment information they share with credit reference agencies, and also, which agencies they share with. If your provider isn't listed then it's worth contacting them to see how you could be affected.

Here's the companies we've asked so far that have revealed the information they share and the agencies they share with:

Companies are not telling us when they started to share customer payment data, but you may be able to find out by checking your credit report.

The best we got from the agencies was Experian telling us one in eight credit accounts is now from an energy, water or broadband and home phone provider.

Let's get nerdy: the precise data shared

If full payment information is shared it will include:

When you pay on time

When you don't pay on time

Defaults (when you didn't pay what you should have done)

How much you paid

Information about payment arrangements (eg, if you pay by direct debit)

Deceased accounts (accounts of someone who has died/gone away)

Sometimes, debt within bankruptcy agreement notifications

Sometimes companies will only share details of missed payments and defaults on account.

As long as you pay on time, there will be no negative impact on your credit reference file if the company only shares missed payment data.

However, if the company shares full payment data then paying on time could have a positive impact on your credit reference file.

Mobile phones
If you're getting a contract mobile phone, you're credit-scored (usually because the company is spreading the cost of the handset over the contract, so for the firm, it's effectively a loan). If you're rejected, you won't get a contract, and will have to stick with pay as you go.

Car and home insurance
If you opt to pay monthly, then in practice the insurer is loaning you the money to pay upfront, spreading the cost over the year and charging you interest (often at 20%+ APR), so it does a credit check first. See Cheap Car Insurance and Cheap Home Insurance.

The MSE Credit Club – now includes Experian Credit Report

We've launched our revolutionary free MoneySavingExpert.com Credit Club – a brand new way to keep a track of your credit record. You can sign up here and please give us feedback on it. Here's what it does:

We've launched the ability to get your full Experian Credit Report for FREE within Credit Club. See our full details on how this will work.

You'll get a free Experian Credit Score. This will give you an indicator of how lenders see you when assessing you for credit applications.

Our unique affordability score. This clever tool will help you work out how much you can afford to borrow, using calculations based on your income and estimated spending.

Our unique Credit Hit Rate – this will show you your chances of success, expressed as a percentage, of grabbing our top cards and loans.

Eligibility tool to show your best credit deals. It reveals the likelihood of you getting top credit cards or loans.

Your credit profile explained. It shows the key factors affecting your score and how to improve them.

Boosting your credit score is a bit like going on the pull

As each lender has its own bespoke criteria, think of it like a beauty parade. You need to make yourself as attractive as possible to lenders, in the hope they'll pick you out of the line-up...

Jane Bank & Sarah Lender are on the pull. Neither like overweight men, and both like dark hair and good looks. Yet while Jane prefers intense guys with stubble, Sarah likes 'em clean-shaven with a sense of humour. So while there are lots of guys they both reject, and some they both lust after, they can still end up fancying different blokes. Credit scoring's the same. Different lenders want different things, so one rejection may not mean a rejection by all. Some borrowers are unattractive to almost all lenders (ie, most will turn down bad risks). However, a small few may have a fetish for those with poor credit histories as they can charge more. And sadly for those rejected, just as when the guys ask Sarah or Jane why they're not interested, they just say: "'Cos I don't fancy you," and that's about it. We don't always get to know other than: "Your credit score wasn't high enough."
So the tips below are to make sure that lenders see you in the best possible light. So when they're looking at you, you're always dressed up to the nines, looking as hot as you can, and your skirt/shirt isn't tucked into your pants without you knowing.

Check your files annually or before any major application

Your credit reference files, held at Equifax, Experian and Callcredit, contain enormous amounts of data on you. Errors happen and can kill applications, so it's important to check your files regularly and to go through them line by line to check nothing's wrong.

If possible, check files at all three agencies (or at least the big two, Experian and Equifax) as different lenders use different agencies – and don't assume the info will be identical on each.

While you have a statutory right to check your files for £2, there is a way to do it for free, or even be paid. See our full Check Credit Files For Free guide, which also includes info on what to check.

If you pay or have paid for Experian's £15/mth credit monitoring service, we believe you may have been unfairly sold part of it. The Credit Expert Reclaiming guide shows you how to get the cash back.

Register to vote or you're unlikely to get any credit

If you're not on the electoral roll, it's unlikely you'll get any credit, so sign up immediately. Don't wait for the annual reminder, apply at any time on Gov.uk.

Simply follow the instructions online – it'll ask you a series of questions aimed at identifying you, and the local electoral borough you need to register with. Note that you'll need your national insurance number to hand.

Many worry some councils sell on the data. But you can opt out of the edited electoral register which can be used for marketing.

Credit reference agencies are allowed to use the full register which you can't opt out of and that you should, by law, be on. The electoral roll can be a factor in scoring, but even where it isn't, not being on it can lead to delays as lenders also use it to help check your address and ID.

It's worth noting the credit scores sold to you by credit reference agencies (see the problems with paying to find your credit score) may show you've a perfect score without being on the electoral roll. Don't let that fool you into thinking not being registered won't affect your ability to get credit. It will, because of fraud scoring.

Not eligible to vote in the UK? Add proof of residency

If you aren't eligible to vote in the UK so can't be on the electoral roll (mainly non-Commonwealth and non-EU foreign nationals), send all three credit reference agencies proof of residency (utility bills, a UK driving licence, etc) and ask them to add a note to verify this. This should help you get credit.

Some foreign nationals (from Republic of Ireland, some Commonwealth countries and EU citizens) are allowed to vote in local elections, and therefore can be registered on the electoral roll in the normal way.

Never miss or be late on any credit repayments – it can have a disproportionate hit

Sounds obvious? Well, it is. Even if you're struggling, try not to default or miss payments, it can have a disproportionate hit. Doing this once or twice could cause problems that can cost you for years. Defaults in the previous 12 months will hurt you the most.

The easy solution is to pay everything by direct debit, then you'll never miss or be late. While we normally caution against only making minimum repayments on debts (as the faster you repay, the less the total interest – see the Danger: Minimum Repayments guide) one technique is to set up a direct debit to just repay the minimum, purely as a vehicle to ensure you're never late. Then manually pay more each month on top.

If you are in difficulties, the cliché "contact your lender" is a good one. Hopefully it will try to help. Changing your repayment schedule is preferable to you defaulting – and though it will hit your credit score, it's better than a county court judgment or decree against you.

Don't let your partner or flatmate's score wreck yours!

It's not usually whether you kiss, hold hands, live together or even are married that links your finances, it's simply whether you have a joint financial product.

If you are financially linked to someone on any product, that means their files can be accessed and looked at as part of assessing whether to accept you. Even just a joint bills account with flatmates can mean you are co-scored.

Therefore if your partner/flatmate has a poor history, keep your finances rigidly separate, and it should maintain access to good credit for you.

There are currently only four products that can infer financial linking – a joint mortgage, a joint loan, a joint bank account (not savings as they don't go on credit files), and in certain circumstances, your energy bills. Being jointly named on a utility bill with a flatmate shouldn't mean you are financially linked – this should only happen when the energy firm is confident you're a couple (eg, when your bills are addressed "Mr and Mrs").

It's worth noting that while many people think they have a "joint" credit card, these technically don't exist. It's one person's account, the other just has a second card to access it.

If you've split up from someone, ensure you financially delink too

If you split up with someone you've had joint finances with (or just moved out from your flat-share), once your finances are no longer linked, write to the credit reference agencies and ask for a notice of disassociation. You can also call up or find the forms online.

This will stop their credit history affecting yours in the future. However, the agencies say they can't do this if you still have a joint account open with the ex. The account'll need to be closed or transferred to an individual account before you can do it. For example, a joint loan would have to be paid off before a notice be given.

Minimise credit applications by using the free eligibility calculators

The only way to know if you'll get accepted for a product is to apply. Yet that leaves a footprint on your credit file, and too many of those, especially in a short space of time, can hurt future applications. This is a catch-22, as if you get rejected, or the rate you're offered is crap, you'll want to keep applying.

Martin's given evidence to parliamentary select committees on this unfairness, but little's been done. So to fight back, we've built free eligibility calculators to help you.

These use a soft search (so you see it on your file, but lenders don't so there's no impact) to show your odds of acceptance for the top cards (and loans), so you can hone and minimise your applications.

We also have a loans eligibility calculator, which'll help you find your chances of getting different loans...

You only need to fill in your details once using the eligibility calculator to find your chances for all cards from the card category you click on. The loans eligibility calculator is separate, so if you're looking for both cards and loans, you'll need to use both calculators separately.

What are good odds?

Anything above 70% means you've a very strong chance of getting the card. Anything above 50% is also pretty reasonable. Anything below, and you're taking a chance.

Check addresses on old accounts

This may sound bizarre, but a wrong address can have a disproportionate impact. If you had, for example, an old mobile phone contract or credit card that you don't use any more, but is technically still listed as active on your credit reference files, then check the address is your current one.

If the account is still listed as open, and it lists you as being at a different address, this can stymie applications due to ID checks. Check your file and go through every active account's address to ensure it's up to date.

We've known people being rejected for mortgages because of this. Worse still, they didn't know the exact reason why as that's a nightmare to find out.

Don't 'spend' your applications too often

Every time you apply for a credit product (be it a credit card, contract mobile phone, car insurance paid annually or more), it adds a footprint to your file for a year.

Too many, especially in a short space of time, can trigger rejections as it makes it look like you're desperate for credit.

Therefore, space out applications if you can and don't do them frivolously.

In fact it's almost worth thinking about applications as 'spending'. Is it really worth spending an application on what you're doing, or could you save it for something else?

So if you fancy a cashback credit card and have no other credit you need to apply for in the next six months or so, great, spend your application. But if you're just about to apply for a mortgage, wait until after you've done that. Prioritising is important.

For the same reason, if you apply for a cheap credit card and don't get the credit limit you need, don't automatically apply for another one. Read the Low Credit Limit guide for more information.

Always check your credit files after rejection

There's a nightmare scenario you need to avoid called the rejection spiral. It works like this:

This continues, until finally you check your
files and get the error corrected.
So...

You apply again.
You're rejected, not due to the error, but because of recent 'searches'.

If you're rejected once, check your files are correct immediately. Otherwise you may mess up your score for an age, as more applications mean more searches, compounding the problem. You'll be told by the lender which credit reference agency it used to assess your info, so focus on that one.

After an error, it's possible to get successive searches wiped, but it involves negotiating both with the agency and the lender, and it isn't easy.

The rejection spiral also applies when you apply for credit normally reserved for those with an excellent score when you, say, only have a good score (sadly, many lenders don't publish their criteria so it's difficult to know in advance).

If you're thinking of applying for a new card, check our best buy credit card guides. Our eligibility calculator is in our loans guide and most of our card guides, and gives an indication of which loans and cards are likely to accept you, plus those likely to turn you down.

Use a credit (re)build card to build a history & restore past issues

Credit scoring is all about trying to predict your future behaviour based on your past history. Those with a poor history do poorly; but so do those with little credit history, as then predicting is tough.

You need to build a decent recent history to show that you can be responsible with credit and use it well. The catch-22 is that as you have a poor credit history, getting credit is difficult.

The solution is to grab a credit rebuild card. See the full Credit cards for bad credit guide for full help, how to protect yourself, and top picks.

This is a card with a hideous rate, say 35% APR, which accepts people with a poor credit history. Yet provided you repay the card IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit, and never withdraw cash, then you won't be charged interest, so it's no problem (don't do this if you're planning to do either of those).

Then just spend say, £50 a month on the card, and provided you have no other issues after six months or so, things should start to improve. After a year, it should make quite a difference.

Obviously, if you already have a credit card you aren't using, then you can do the same on that without the need to apply for a new one.

Time it right – when you apply can have a big impact

Problems such as county court judgments and bankruptcy stay on your file for six years, and data about applications for one year. So if you're near a time when old issues will lapse, holding off applying can help. Check your credit file for details.

Don't withdraw cash on credit cards

This is both expensive to do, as interest is higher and you're charged it even if you repay in full each month. Crucially, many lenders see it as evidence of poor money management skills.

The one exception is withdrawing cash on a specialist card abroad. See Overseas Credit Card ATM Withdrawals for full info and why they're not too bad.

Make paying your rent boost your credit score

Do you pay your rent on time? If so, there's a free scheme which millions of private renters can use to make paying rent boost their credit rating.

Private tenants can opt into the free Rental Exchange scheme. Launched in March 2016, it records your rental payments and sends the results to credit reference agency Experian. We explain the scheme in our new Make your rent boost your credit file guide.

How does it work?

You pay your rent to a third party called Credit Ladder. Credit Ladder passes on your payment to your landlord or lettings agency, and tells credit reference agency Experian whether you've made the payment on time. Experian then updates your credit file accordingly.

If you know you'll be able to pay on time and you're trying to improve your credit rating or build up a credit history, this can be a clever way to make your rental payments count towards that (though it's early days, and even if you sign up now, lenders won't actually start seeing the data until the end of this year). Of course, if there's a risk you're going to miss payments it could harm your rating.

Payday loans can kill mortgage applications

Some payday lenders disingenuously suggest that taking them out and repaying on time can boost your credit score, as it starts to build a history of better repayment. This is true to a very minor extent for those with abysmal credit histories – though using a credit rebuild card correctly is generally both more effective and far cheaper.

If you're getting a mortgage though, by definition you'll need a far better than abysmal credit score. So you should avoid payday loans like the plague. Not just because they're hideously expensive – see the Payday Loans guide – but because some mortgage underwriters (the ones who decide if you'll get a mortgage) have openly said they simply reject anyone who has had a payday loan, as it's an example of poor money management.

You can ask why you were rejected

If you apply for credit and are rejected, lenders are supposed to give you an explanation if you ask for one. It's worth doing, but usually you just get "because you failed to meet our credit scoring requirements", which makes a chocolate fireguard look useful.

Never pay for a credit repair company

If you see these advertised, avoid them. Either they're doing nothing you can't do yourself with ease, or they're using illegal methods that will bite you on the bum. If you're struggling and need personalised, professional help, see a non-profit debt-counselling agency.

Stability counts, use consistent details between applications, don't overchurn

Homeowners rather than renters, and those who are employed, rather than self-employed, tend to be more readily accepted for credit.

Putting a fixed (land)line rather than a mobile number on application forms can help with security checks and improve your chances. Being with the same employer, bank and current address for a while all help too.

Keep personal details the same between applications. It's crucial to be consistent, even over long periods, when you fill in application forms. If you have a number of job titles or phone numbers, try to use the same one on every form. If you use different ones, you might be flagged up by fraud scoring.

Lenders can't reject you just for this, but they should tell you if National Hunter has been a contributing reason why they declined you for credit.

Life change coming? Apply before that happens

You also score higher on lenders' wish lists when you're earning, so if you may be going on maternity leave, taking time off, or if you suspect potential redundancy, apply beforehand – though never lie about your details.

Cancel unused credit and store cards

They can kill your application. Access to too much available credit, even if it isn't used, can be a problem. If you have a range of unused credit cards and lots of available credit, it could be a good idea to cancel some of them. This lowers your available credit and should help.

However, just to complicate things, long-standing bank accounts with good credit histories can be a benefit to your credit score, so they're often best left open. There's no definitive answer as to whether you should close down your old cards, because all lenders are different. But, look to strike a happy medium – if you've lots and lots of unused credit, close some cards down, but don't close 'em all. And above all, don't max out. Cancel Old Cards has full info on what to close and when.

If you need to cut credit card debt costs, first check if the old cards will let you shift debt from other cards to them cheaply, as you then won't need to apply for new credit. This helps your credit file, and means you're using your existing credit more efficiently.

See the Existing Customer Balance Transfers guide for full info.

Reduce your debts with savings, if you have them

The amount of outstanding debt you have is part of the information lenders have access to. If you've too much debt, then that hurts your file. After all, would you want to lend to someone who already had a lot of debts to pay elsewhere? So minimising this is a clever strategy.

In general, you'll be better off using savings to pay off expensive debts anyway (read Pay Off Debts With Savings to find out why).

This is particularly true if you're applying for a mortgage – the less you're borrowing in proportion to your house's value, the better deal you can get.

Default on your file – mitigate the damage

One of the major problems people face are defaults on their credit reference files – in other words, when it shows you didn't pay but should have done. These, especially if they're recent, are a hammer-blow when applying for new credit.

If the default shouldn't be there, read how to challenge unfair defaults. If it's genuine and fair, your options are limited. After all, credit reference files are there to show lenders your history.

There are two main routes...

1. Negotiate with the lender. If you're prepared to settle the debt, in part or in full, then you can negotiate with whoever you owe the money to. You can also ask to make it a condition of settlement that the default is wiped off your credit file. If you're not sure, speak to a non-profit debt-help agency.

2. Let time heal it. The other route is to allow time to heal it – defaults stay on your file for six years, but even before that, the longer ago the default was, the less impact it has, especially if your more recent credit behaviour has been impeccable.

Unfair default or other error on your file? You need to fight it

If you discover an unfair default on your credit file, then you need to dispute it as it will block most applications. Check whether the same default is reported with the other two credit reference agencies as well.

Unfair defaults can occur for a number of reasons. It could be a simple clerical error by the credit reference agency, in which case contact it to get it removed – they are usually helpful.

More likely, though, is the lender has put it there in error, or that you were in dispute with the company over whether you owed it the money or not.

Try the following tactics:

Complain to the lender that put it on your file.
Write to the company which put the default on your file to ask for it to be removed, telling it your reasons why the default is unfair. Keep this formal, polite and to the point. And tell it you'll be taking it to the Financial Ombudsman if the default isn't removed.

Add a notice of correction to your credit file(s).
If that fails, add a notice of correction to the file explaining the problem, eg, "it was a joint account and the debt was run up once I had split from my ex-husband/wife," or "the debt was for a pair of shoes from a catalogue company that never arrived so I refused to pay it".

Don't go on too much when explaining the error. Be concise and factual.

The notice will slow applications down, as most companies will look at it manually. But as a substantial default is likely to stop you getting credit, that's usually not a problem.

Complain to the Financial Ombudsman.
If the company has turned down your complaint, then you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can adjudicate that the default is unfair and ask for all traces of it to be removed (and order recompense for damage if appropriate). If your complaint is with an energy company – perhaps it's saying you owe it money when you don't, leaving a mark on your file – then you can also take it to the Energy Ombudsman. For help in making your complaint, see our Complaining To The Financial Ombudsman guide.

Paying for insurance monthly will affect your credit score

If you decide to pay for insurance in monthly instalments, a 'hard search' will be carried out and this will affect your credit score. It's always worth paying upfront if you can – some insurance providers charge APRs of up to 40% if you pay monthly.

However, many people also worry that using comparison sites will also affect their credit score. Comparison sites share your information with a number of insurers. They look at your credit file to check who you are, provide you with quotes and to see if you would be able to meet monthly payments.

Yet the good news is that these searches are 'soft' searches, so other lenders DON'T see them and they won't affect your credit rating, Only you can see the search has been done.

For more information on this, including how to avoid it, see our Car Insurance guide.

Ask for a 'quotation search' or 'soft search' if available

If you're just trying to get a specific quote for a loan, ask the lender to do a 'quotation search' or a 'soft search', not a 'credit search'. This means that while an enquiry will appear on your file, only you can see it. Lenders can't, so it won't have an impact on your credit score.

Sadly, many lenders haven't yet adopted this practice, but it's worth asking. If not, consider whether you really want to get a quote – if it's unlikely you'll get the product, don't bother.

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Credit scores: How to improve your credit score - MoneySavingExpert

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Get Our Free Money Tips Email! For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes - join the 12m who get it. Don't miss out There's no such thing as a blacklist. This is a myth. In the UK, there's no universal credit rating or score, and there's no blacklist of banned people.

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Gross to Net income tax

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Income Tax Calculator is quick and easy to use. Our UK tax calculator checks the tax you pay & your net wage. UK income tax calculator shows your take home pay and PAYE owed to HMRC. Just enter your salary into our UK tax calculator.

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Get help with savings if you're on a low income (Help to Save)

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Help to Save is a type of savings account. It allows certain people entitled to Working Tax Credit or receiving Universal Credit to get a bonus of 50p for every £1 they save over 4 years. Help to Save is backed by the government so all savings in the scheme are secure.

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Find help with benefits, work, money, housing problems and more. Enter a postcode above and choose an advice topic to find links to tailored information for your area, including details of independent advice organisations who can help you get the advice and support that you need.

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Check what benefit entitlement you are entitled to. The entitledto benefits calculator will check which means-tested benefits you may be entitled to e.g. tax credits, universal credit, housing benefit ...

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Write your Will online in as little as 30 minutes with our partner Farewill*. It's free for those in England and Wales and every Will is checked by a specialist.

Register online and enter code RBL-ONLINE at the checkout so you don't pay any fees (RRP from £90).
2. Write your Will with a local solicitor
We can put you in touch with a trusted solicitor in your area through the National Free Wills Network. Then just arrange an appointment to draw up your Will for free at a time that suits you.
3. Write your Will over the telephone
Call our partners, Farewill* on 020 8050 2686 to book a telephone Will-writing appointment. Let them know you're using the service with RBL to get your Will written for free.

You will have a one-to-one consultation with a specialist advisor to write your Will in accordance with your wishes. It's posted to you within 10 days for you to sign and to have witnessed.

*Farewill has been voted best-rated on Trustpilot, and won National Will Writing Firm of the Year in 2019 & 2020 at the British Wills & Probate Awards.

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Free will writing | Royal British Legion

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Writing a Will is a vital part of getting one's affairs in order. If you are considering writing or updating yours, here is an ideal opportunity to get it done at no expense to you. Thank you for considering writing your Will with the Royal British Legion.

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RAF IBN 4320 Armed Forces Pension Scheme McCloud Update

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RAF IBN 4320 Armed Forces Pension Scheme McCloud Update

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20200717 - IBN 4320 Armed Forces Pension Scheme McCloud Update-OS

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Overview

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme ( AFCS) compensates for any injury, illness or death which was caused by service on or after 6 April 2005.

There are 2 main types of AFCS awards:

a tax free lump sum payment for pain and suffering

a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) which is a tax free, index linked monthly payment.

The rules of the scheme and the value of the payments awarded are set by Parliament and are calculated by reference to a tariff of injuries.

It is entirely separate from any other personal accident cover, such as Personal Accident (PAX) or Life Insurance (LI). Any accident cover that you may already hold is not considered when determining an AFCS award.

The Scheme is designed to provide compensation, irrespective of fault, across the full range of circumstances in which illness, injury or death may arise as a result of service. It does not seek to affect the right to make a civil claim if you think that the injury, illness or death was caused by the Department's negligence.

If you are no longer serving and your disablement was caused or made worse as a result of service in the armed forces before 6 April 2005, you can claim under the War Pension Scheme (WPS).

Who is eligible?

The Scheme covers all regular service personnel, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and members of the reserves for all 3 services. You can claim whether you are still serving or have left HM Armed Forces.

Important information

Free independent advice

You do not need a paid representative such as a solicitor or claims management company to apply for compensation. Free independent advice is available from the Veterans Welfare Service or other charitable organisations.

Paid representation

If you choose paid representation, we cannot meet the cost of this and you will have to pay these costs yourself. Where someone is representing you on a 'no-win no-fee' basis this usually means that they will keep a share of your payment to cover their fees. You may wish to check how much of your payment will go to your representative before you agree to paid representation.

Time limits for claims

Claims for injury or illness must be made within 7 years of the earliest of the following dates:

the date of the incident leading to the injury or illness

the date on which an injury or illness not caused by service was made worse by service

in the case of illness, the date of first seeking medical advice for that illness

the date of discharge.

While there are time limits, above all you should submit a claim for compensation at a time which is best for you.

There are certain circumstances when a claim will be accepted outside the time limits above such as being prevented from claiming due to ill health or your illness occurs later. Please contact Veterans UK if you would like more advice on this.

How to make a claim

If you served or are serving with United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF)

If you have served or are serving (whether directly or in a support role) with United Kingdom Special Forces ( UKSF) must seek advice from the MOD A Block Disclosure Cell before completing the claim form. If you have served at any time after 1996, you will be subject to the UKSF Confidentiality Contract and must apply for Express Prior Authority in Writing (EPAW) through the Disclosure Cell before submitting a claim where you may be asked to disclose details of your service with UKSF or any units directly supporting them. The Disclosure Cell can be contacted by emailing MAB-J1-Disclosures-ISA-Mailbox@mod.gov.uk.

To make a claim

Download and fill in the claim form.

The form comes with notes telling you how to fill it in.

If you cannot download or print the form, phone or email the Veterans UK helpline to ask for a copy.

Medical discharge

If you are medically discharged from HM Armed Forces, your service documents may be referred to Veterans UK. In certain circumstances, we will automatically consider whether you are entitled to an award under the Scheme - you do not have to do anything.

We will only consider any injury, illness or disease identified as the main reason for your medical discharge.

If we have considered a claim for your principal condition(s), we will not review them again automatically. However, you may be able to apply to us for a review of this award once your service has ended.

What happens next

In order to consider your claim, we will collect relevant information from sources both inside and outside the Ministry of Defence. Once we have this information, we decide what other information we need. This could be a report from your GP or Medical Officer, or if you have had recent hospital treatment, a copy of your medical records from the hospital concerned.

If you can provide copies of any supporting documentation such as reports from your Medical Officer, copies of Orders, accident/incident reports, please do so as soon as possible. This may help us deal with your claim quicker.

Sometimes we cannot decide on the up-to-date medical information alone, or you may not have visited your GP for a while. If this is the case, we may arrange a medical examination with an appointed doctor.

You will receive a letter with the reasons for decision.

You cannot be compensated twice for the same injury or illness. We need to know if you have claimed or received any other compensation for the same illness or injury (including under the WPS). If you have an ongoing claim for compensation from any other source for the injury or illness you are claiming for, you must tell us the details as soon as you know the outcome. This is to prevent any overpayment. Should an overpayment occur then it will be recovered.

You must let us know immediately about any changes in your circumstances.

What to do if you disagree with our decision

If you do not agree with our decision, you can ask for it to be reconsidered. This means that someone who was not involved in the original decision will look at your claim again.

You will need to ask for a reconsideration in writing within 12 months of the date of your original decision notification. You can include information which you did not provide at the time of your claim, relating to your condition or to the events surrounding the injury or illness.

We will notify you of the outcome of the reconsideration. If you still feel our decision is wrong you can appeal to an independent tribunal.

What if my injury is not in a settled state?

AFCS awards are designed to be full and final, taking into account the expected development of an injury or illness over your lifetime. If your injury or illness has not reached maximum medical improvement or your treatment is ongoing at the time of our decision, we will make an interim award. This means that you will receive an award that reflects the extent of your injury or illness at that time.

We will review your case at a later date. We will gather up to date medical evidence and decide whether the award is still correct or needs to be changed. In very rare circumstances the award may be reduced.

If this happens you will not have to repay any money.

If you have evidence that your injury or illness has reached a settled state before we are due to review it, you can send us that information and ask us to carry out an early review.

If you have an interim award, we will need to keep in touch with you to finalise your award. If you move please tell us your new address or you may lose money. Contact Veterans UK.

Can I claim an AFCS fast payment?

Fast payment provides the most seriously injured service personnel with the option to claim an upfront AFCS payment without the need to go through the complete AFCS claim process.

This payment is intended to provide some financial reassurance and support as quickly as possible after injury.

The payment (currently £61,800) can be paid early in the person's treatment and recovery. A fast payment can be made if:

you are still serving in HM Armed Forces

you have injuries which occurred on or after 9 May 2011 and

one or more of these injuries would, upon claiming, give rise to an award between tariff levels 1 to 8.

The time limit for making an application for a fast payment is 6 months beginning with the day on which the injury occurs.

To make a claim for a fast payment, download and fill in the form.

The form comes with notes telling you how to fill it in.

If you cannot download or print the form, phone or email the Veterans UK helpline to ask for a copy.

What to do if your condition worsens

Under certain circumstances, previous decisions to award injury benefit can be revised if there have been further developments since the original decision was made. If you feel that your injury or illness has worsened or caused a further injury to develop, you can ask us to review our decision.

If you need help

If you require legal advice on the scheme you should go to an independent adviser.

If you have any questions, contact Veterans UK.

This guidance provides general information only. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate, but it is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. The Scheme rules are the authoritative document and can be found in the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme legislation.

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The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme ( AFCS) compensates for any injury, illness or death which was caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. There are 2 main types of AFCS awards: a tax free lump sum payment for pain and suffering a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) which is a tax free, index linked monthly payment.

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Credit Union FC Saving Scheme for Visa Costs

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Credit Union FC Saving Scheme for Visa Costs

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Financial Aspects of Resettlement Briefs

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Financial Aspects of Resettlement Briefs

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Attendance at these events is treated as duty if you are currently registered for Resettlement (so Allowances may apply).

They can be attended at any point in a Service person's career, although priority is given to Service leavers with 9 months or less to discharge. Briefings are tailored, where numbers permit, to different rank groups, and spouses are welcome to attend.

Further resources can also be found in our Finance Resettlement Guide.

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Attendance at these events is treated as duty if you are currently registered for Resettlement (so Allowances may apply). They can be attended at any point in a Service person's career, although priority is given to Service leavers with 9 months or less to discharge.

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When we heard that a member of the Armed Forces, who had recently returned from military operations, was denied a discount in a major high street store, but a student in front of him was given one, we knew we had to act.
We have fantastic online and in-store savings for you and your family!
Expect to save between £550 and £1000 on average each year

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Rewards For Forces - Discounts for the Forces Community

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When we heard that a member of the Armed Forces, who had recently returned from military operations, was denied a discount in a major high street store, but a student in front of him was given one, we knew we had to act.

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Sign up once, get great energy deals forever. We'll get you a great deal taking care of everything. When that deal ends, we'll switch you again. You don't need to do anything.

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A message from Martin
Be under no illusions. Mental health problems can cause severe debt, and severe debt can cause mental health problems. Debt isn't just a financial problem, it causes relationships to break up, people to lose their homes and families to break down. No matter who you are, it can be hell. For many living with mental health issues, debt is a common problem. My usual line is we should focus on being responsible borrowers, as you can't expect lenders to be responsible - their job is flogging debt. A few years ago, I had my eyes opened. A man came up to thank me for the MoneySavingExpert.com website. I asked him if he'd saved much money, and his answer surprised me: "I don't use it for myself. I'm a mental health case worker, and almost every one of my clients has debt issues. It's tough for them to control many areas of their life. I use your site to help them sort through their problems." This is the crux. How do we help those who are unable to be responsible for themselves? It is not always easy to be responsible for yourself - and the easy credit years created a potential disaster scenario. Since then I've heard that story echoed time and time again. I pitched the idea to TV outlets several times, only to be told it doesn't resonate with enough people. That's wrong. Many people have either had issues or have a family member who has. Yet it's not right to simply stop anyone with mental health issues getting credit. Often issues are temporary, and, even if not, debt isn't bad, bad debt is bad. A rational decision to borrow cheaply is fine. Mortgages, student loans and more are an integral part of the modern financial world. While describing the problem is easy, the solutions aren't. I wish I could promise this guide will solve them. It won't, though it should help make things easier to understand and deal with.

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Be under no illusions. Mental health problems can cause severe debt, and severe debt can cause mental health problems. Debt isn't just a financial problem, it causes relationships to break up, people to lose their homes and families to break down. No matter who you are, it can be hell.

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Debt Counselling Charity

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Struggling with debt or worried about money? At CAP we offer free, confidential debt help, budgeting support and advice through local UK based churches.

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Help for the Armed Forces Community-Scotland

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If you are a serving member of the armed forces or a veteran there may be benefits, grants or other financial support available to you and your family.

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Free travel with a Veterans Oyster photocard

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If you're a war veteran, you may be eligible for concessionary travel in London

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Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.

Use this tool to check:

when you'll reach State Pension age

your Pension Credit qualifying age

when you'll be eligible for free bus travel

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Work out your State Pension age and Pension Credit qualifying age

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Income Tax Calculator

Income Tax Calculator is quick and easy to use. Our UK tax calculator checks the tax you pay & your net wage. UK income tax calculator shows your take home pay and PAYE owed to HMRC. Just enter your salary into our UK tax calculator.

Guide to your salary calculations

Gross income - The total salary / wage / pay before any deductions or taxes.

Income tax - A tax on an employee for being employed. Collected through PAYE by the employer.

National insurance - A contribution an employee makes for certain benefits including the state pension. Collected through PAYE by the employer.

PAYE (Pay As You Earn) - A process by which HMRC collects employee taxes directly from the employer.

Net pay - Also known as net salary or net income. This is the take home pay received after any deductions or taxes have been subtracted from Gross income.

Tax Calculator

Our tax calculator calculates your personal tax free allowance.

Personal Tax Free Allowance

Table of personal tax free allowance by tax year.

Note that for UK income above £100,000, the Personal Allowance reduces by £1 for every £2 of income above the £100,000 limit.

Salary Calculator

Our salary calculator calculates your income tax and national insurance contributions.

Income Tax Bands

Table of income tax bands by tax year.

National Insurance Tax Bands

Table of national insurance tax bands by tax year.

Income Tax Calculator uses UK tax brackets and personal allowance thresholds which are verified to HMRC's rates and allowances for Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions.

Owned and operated by Adams Winter Limited (10089889).

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Income Tax Calculator is quick and easy to use. Our UK tax calculator checks the tax you pay & your net wage. UK income tax calculator shows your take home pay and PAYE owed to HMRC. Just enter your salary into our UK tax calculator.

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Established by Ex Forces for the Armed Forces

Armed Forces Financial Services specialise in providing expert Military Mortgage and Protection advice to HM Forces, Veterans and Military Families.
Our mission is to provide simple, clear and straight forward financial advice to service personnel, veterans and their families to improve their financial future.
Military Mortgage - How We Can Help

Do you need a better deal on your existing mortgage? Want to get on the property ladder? Are you about to deploy overseas and need your money to work for you while you're away? Or would you simply like to get advice on how to improve your financial situation?

How It Works

With our unique insight into 'service life' we can talk to you about anything financial but particularly finding the best mortgage deal for you.

Please contact us via our contact page, through Messenger or give us a call so we can help!

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Military Mortgage | Armed Forces Financial Services | AFFS

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We specialise in providing expert Military Mortgage and Protection advice to HM Armed Forces, Veterans and Military Families.

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Bust myths & improve your score

Get Our Free Money Tips Email!

For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes - join the 12m who get it. Don't miss out

You DON'T have a universal credit rating

There's no such thing as a blacklist. This is a myth. In the UK, there's no universal credit rating or score, and there's no blacklist of banned people.

Each lender scores you differently and secretly.

This means just because one lender has rejected you, it doesn't automatically mean others will. Though after a rejection, it's always important to check your credit file for errors before applying again.

Of course, if you've got a poor credit history, or had problems, it can feel like you're blacklisted. Credit scoring is intuitive – would you lend to someone with a history of not repaying?

However, on occasion there are firms that specialise in lending to those who have had past problems – though they then charge a whacking rate.

The tools lenders use to decide aren't universal either. As well as your credit file, they also look at application information and any past dealings they've had with you, and use the three sources of information to build up a picture of you.

Credit scoring is about trying to predict your future behaviour

This is not easy if you've little credit history. When you apply for a product, a 'credit check' is done. In practice, this means lenders pour all the data they have on you into a complicated algorithm. It's an attempt to predict your future behaviour based on what you've done in the past.

While a poor history counts against you, so does having little credit history as it makes predictions less certain.

Imagine you are lending someone money. On the surface, they may appear trustworthy. But if you don't have much information about them, then you probably want to know more, just to be sure.

That's why one of the key challenges for some is to build a credit history – it's not easy if no one will give you credit. If you're in that situation, you can find help on how to build your credit history – it's aimed at students and younger people, but the theory applies to everyone else too.

It's as much about 'will you make the lender money' as it is about risk

Many people write to us incensed after rejection – "I've a perfect credit score, I've never missed a payment, why on earth did they reject me?"

This is based on a misunderstanding that lenders are credit-scoring to see if you match up to their wish list of what makes a profitable customer. Of course, someone who is a bad risk is likely to be scored out as unprofitable by most companies. But the risk of not repaying isn't the be-all and end-all.

Credit card companies may reject you for always repaying cards in full.
You might feel like a dream punter, but for credit card companies you're a nightmare. If they spot this trend, you could be rejected. The most profitable customers are those perpetually in debt, never defaulting, but always meeting the minimum repayment.

Pay off in full every month, don't use your cards enough, or always shift debt to 0% cards, and if they can spot you (it isn't always that easy), a few may reject you.

Banks score you based on products they'd like to sell you in the future.
Imagine a bank wants new mortgage customers. That's a costly sell. Instead, it offers a current account paying a high rate of interest on a small amount kept in it. Yet, when you apply, rather than scoring you as a bank account customer, it could actually be scoring to see if you're likely to be a profitable mortgage borrower in the future – you might face rejection if you aren't.

The secretive nature of credit scoring makes this difficult to ever truly know.

What lenders really know about you

It's important to be aware of exactly what lenders know when you apply, so you can present yourself in the best light. Importantly, it's more than just what's on your credit file.

The application form
In many ways this is the most important. Here, lenders obtain the crucial details of your post code, salary, family size, reason for the loan and whether you're a home owner.

Make sure you fill in the forms carefully. One slight slip, such as a "£2,000" salary rather than a "£20,000" one, can kibosh any application.

Be consistent too, fraud scoring firms filter applications and if there are many inconsistencies – such as changing your job title each time or different phone numbers, it can cause a problem that you may not be told about.

Past dealings you've had with the lender
Companies use any data on previous dealings they've had with you to feed into the credit score. This means those with limited credit history may find their own bank more likely to lend to them than others.

Of course, those who've had problems with a lender in the past may find it more difficult to get accepted there too.

Equifax, Experian, and Callcredit credit reference agency files
The three UK credit reference agencies compile information, allowing them to send data on any UK individual to prospective lenders. All lenders use at least one agency when assessing your file. This data comes from four main sources:

Electoral roll information

This is publicly available and contains address and residence details.

Court records

County court judgments (CCJs), decrees, IVAs, bankruptcies and other court debt orders indicate if you have a history of debt problems.

Search, address and linked data

This includes records of other lenders that have searched your file when you've applied for credit, addresses you're linked to, or other people you have a financial association with.

The big gas and electricity firms do hard credit checks – these go on your file too.

Account data

Banks, building societies, utility companies and other organisations use credit reference agencies to share details of all your account behaviour on credit/store cards, loans, mortgages, bank accounts, energy and mobile phone contracts from the last six years.

About 350 million records a month are tracked. The first type of information and the most common is 'default data', which shows where you're officially in default.

Some lenders share 'full data' too. This can incorporate how you generally operate the account, from being the model customer to defaulting. Some, including Barclaycard, Capital One, GE Money and MBNA, share the amount you repay too (if it's the minimum, or if you repay in full) and whether you've a promotional deal (plus if you use credit card cash advances, which you NEVER EVER should). This can mean lenders can better weed out those just playing the system.

In addition, payday loan data is now normally reported, while doorstep lenders are legally obliged to share the data that they hold on you.

Some history from energy/phone providers
If you look to switch energy provider, or change from a prepayment meter to a normal credit meter (where you get a bill), it's likely to leave a footprint as many providers now share credit report data. See the Cheap Energy Club for help.

Fraud data
If you've committed fraud (or someone has stolen your identity and committed fraud) this will be held on your file under the CIFAS section.

What lenders don't know about you – ignore conspiracy theories

Many people believe every element of their life is on their credit reference files, but actually it's mainly just a strict set of financial data. Though over recent years, the information contained on them has grown.

So let's debunk some myths. Here are a few of the more common things people think are on their files, but aren't.

'Soft searches' (you see this, lenders don't)

Some lenders (and MSE's eligibility calculator) will do a soft search on your credit file, to tell you both whether you qualify to borrow from them, and what rate they are willing to give you. This isn't passed on to other lenders when they credit-check you.

However, when you check, it does appear on your credit file. It's not always clear, but the words "administration check" or "quotation search" should indicate something that lenders can't see.

Student loans (except pre-1998 starters)

Unless you've had a county court judgment against you for lack of payment, no information about 'income contingent' student loans – the type all those who started university since 1998 have – is passed on to the credit reference agencies by the Student Loans Company (see Should I Repay My Student Loan? for a full briefing).

Those who started university before 1998 and have the old style 'mortgage' type student loans have defaults recorded as well as CCJs. And deferrals on these loans are now reported to credit reference agencies, to many people's angst. See Martin's blog: Why the Government has sold people out over Erudio student loans.

Council tax arrears

Councils don't share data about your payments, whether good or bad. If you're in arrears, it won't affect your credit score. However, it's always wise to prioritise your council tax payments as many councils are quick to prosecute. Council tax arrears are dealt with as a criminal matter, not a civil one, so you could end up with a criminal conviction.

Parking or driving fines

Any fines you've incurred, for example, parking or driving fines. Even though they're issued by the courts, they aren't 'credit' issues, so they're not listed.

Who you're married to or living with

Provided you don't have any joint financial products and are therefore financially linked, there's no information about members of your family who live, or have lived, with you or any other third parties.

Declined applications

Lenders can only see whether you've applied for credit elsewhere, not whether you've been accepted or declined. However, they may be able to guess by examining the credit accounts you have open.

Some defaults or missed payments

Defaults or missed payments will usually stay on your file for six years. If you close an account, the missed payments could stay on the account for six years after the closure, so keep that in mind. Bankruptcy is wiped six years from the date you're declared bankrupt, provided it's been discharged.

PPI, CPP, bank charges and other reclaims

If you've attempted to, or have successfully reclaimed PPI or bank charges, it won't appear on your credit files. If you've had bank charges, the penalties will show on your records.

Whether you've checked your credit file (you see this, lenders don't)

While this info is held, and appears when you check your file, it isn't passed on to lenders and so doesn't play any role in any assessment of you.

Race, religion, ethnicity

None of these personal details about you are held.

Salary

How much you earn isn't on your file either, though you'll usually be asked on the application form.

Savings accounts

As savings are not a credit product, they don't appear on credit files. This data is therefore only available to banks you hold savings accounts with.

Medical history

Medical problems you may have had in the past aren't listed.

Criminal record

No criminal convictions are listed.

Child Support Agency payments

Information from the Child Support Agency is excluded.

Remember, if a lender asks you about it on its application form then, it can find out about it – and lying is fraud.

Your credit file dictates the product and the rate you'll get

In the past 10 years the credit landscape has almost completely shifted towards 'rate for risk'. This means almost every credit provider on the market uses your credit file to not only dictate whether they'll provide you with credit, but also what rate you'll get.

The most obvious way this manifests itself is in representative rates on loans.

Here, only a minimum of 51% of accepted customers must get the rate advertised. They might be advertising a 6% rate (known as the representative APR). But you could be accepted and offered a 40% interest rate instead, because of a poor credit score.

It applies to other products too. Some 0% credit cards give you a shorter 0% period if you've got a poor credit history (assuming they'll accept you), others will simply offer you a different product to the one you've applied for. This is why it's so important to manage your creditworthiness.

'I am not a number, I'm a free man!' – Er, not with credit scoring

We don't have a right to be lent money. While the Government pushes lenders to offer more credit, especially in the small business and mortgage worlds, ultimately it's still a commercial decision from firms about whether they want to lend.

This is done with a massive system of automated impersonal credit checks. It's often far cheaper for a lender to reject some people who it should be lending to than it is to accept some it shouldn't be lending to.

You may feel it's unjust, but The Prisoner's call – "I am not a number, I am a free man" – doesn't work in credit scoring. Here you are just a number, and you have to understand that, as frustrating as it may seem.

Rejection can come from fraud scoring as well as credit scoring

When you apply for a product, it isn't just a case of assessing whether you're desirable, but also checking the application is legitimate. Therefore, as well as the credit reference agencies, lenders also use completely separate anti-fraud agencies to try to weed out problems. The two big ones work in very different ways.

National Hunter

This rarely mentioned system's much less factual, and so is prone to greater errors. However, it's used by almost all major banks and building societies, receives 100,000 applications a day and has a real impact. Find out more about how National Hunter works...

It works by looking for inconsistencies between your current application form and any past applications you've made, trying to spot factual errors. While it can't block your application itself, it triggers a red warning flag to lenders, and this happens roughly one time in every 20. Lenders can then check the info, and either ignore it, or do further checks. They're not allowed to reject you based on the National Hunter red flag alone.

Things such as a number of applications in a few days can also trigger warnings, though generally that's more acceptable with mortgages, where it's more common, than with credit cards.

What to watch for

It's crucial to be consistent, even over long periods, when you fill in application forms. If you have a number of job titles or phone numbers, try to use the same one on every application. Changes to guidance introduced in 2009 mean lenders are supposed to tell you if National Hunter has been a contributing reason for your rejection.

How to check your National Hunter file

To check the info it holds on you, write to it making a data protection request and enclosing £10. The National Hunter website explains this. This can also be a useful thing to do if you think you're a victim of ID fraud.

What you'll get is effectively a list of the information you've put on past applications. If there's an error on the file, which is possible, you can't correct it directly with National Hunter. If this happens, you'll need to go back to the lender that submitted that application in the first place to have it corrected.

CIFAS: Lists confirmed past fraud

It is simply a record of known fraud, so if you're on there, in general, you should know about it. It's also the organisation to speak to if you think you've been a victim of ID fraud. Worryingly, any fraud committed at your address in the past could appear on your CIFAS file, even if it was nothing to do with you. Find out more about how CIFAS works...

As with National Hunter, a lender can't refuse your application based on the CIFAS data, but must investigate first. Hopefully, that should prove you were not the perpetrator.

How to check your CIFAS file

The info it holds on you should be contained on your credit report under the CIFAS section. For a £10 fee, you can also request a copy of any files CIFAS holds on you (which is hopefully nothing). You can find how to do this on the CIFAS website.

If you've a dispute with the information it holds, you need to contact the company that logged the information on your CIFAS file first. If you're not happy with the response, you can ask CIFAS to investigate after you've received a final response letter.

For more information on ID fraud protection, see the Free ID Fraud Help guide.

Credit reference companies will try to sell you a credit score

Don't take it too seriously. Your credit reference agency credit file is important. Its credit score isn't.

Credit reference agencies used to make all their money from selling data to lenders. The idea was to help lenders predict your behaviour, which allowed them to assess whether or not you were a good person to lend to.

Then some bright spark at the credit reference agencies realised they could generate a business called "consumer credit management". It meant they could start to sell you all the other sorts of data and monitoring products for the first time. Why do they sell it to you? Well, it makes them money.

Part of this is selling people a "credit score". Yet that isn't a true indication because, as we've stressed, each lender scores you differently and they have far more information than just what's on your credit file. For more on this read what the Equifax or Experian credit score really means (and why it's not important).

Credit scoring affects far more than you think

Since the credit crunch started, way back in 2007, the importance of credit scoring to our financial lives has grown rapidly. Here's a quick rundown of how credit scoring affects major financial areas.

Mortgages
If your credit score is poor, you'll be rejected. It really is that simple. If you're planning to get a new mortgage or remortgage, it's worth starting to manage your credit file at least a year in advance. For specialist help, read the free MSE First-Time Buyers' Mortgage Booklet or Remortgage Help Booklet.

Credit cards
Your credit score dictates whether you'll be accepted, whether you'll be given promotional rates, and the APR you'll be charged afterwards. See the Best Balance Transfers, 0% Spending and Credit Card Best Buys guides for full info.

Loans
Again, your credit score matters both for acceptance and the rate you'll pay. See Cheap Loans for help.

Utility bills
Sharing data is now spreading to utility companies too, making it even more important to pay your bill on time, or it could harm your chances of applying for other credit such as a loan, credit card or mortgage. Of course, paying it on time can help your chances too.

The credit agencies are notoriously secret about which firms share data on whether their customers made or missed payments.

So to uncover what's really going on we asked the major energy, water and broadband and home phone firms ourselves. We understand there are now roughly a dozen major companies that share customer data. Only nine have confirmed to us so far, including British Gas, Thames Water and BT, but we are awaiting further details.

Firm-by-firm: who shares info with whom?

We contacted major gas, electricity, water and communications companies to find out what customer payment information they share with credit reference agencies, and also, which agencies they share with. If your provider isn't listed then it's worth contacting them to see how you could be affected.

Here's the companies we've asked so far that have revealed the information they share and the agencies they share with:

Companies are not telling us when they started to share customer payment data, but you may be able to find out by checking your credit report.

The best we got from the agencies was Experian telling us one in eight credit accounts is now from an energy, water or broadband and home phone provider.

Let's get nerdy: the precise data shared

If full payment information is shared it will include:

When you pay on time

When you don't pay on time

Defaults (when you didn't pay what you should have done)

How much you paid

Information about payment arrangements (eg, if you pay by direct debit)

Deceased accounts (accounts of someone who has died/gone away)

Sometimes, debt within bankruptcy agreement notifications

Sometimes companies will only share details of missed payments and defaults on account.

As long as you pay on time, there will be no negative impact on your credit reference file if the company only shares missed payment data.

However, if the company shares full payment data then paying on time could have a positive impact on your credit reference file.

Mobile phones
If you're getting a contract mobile phone, you're credit-scored (usually because the company is spreading the cost of the handset over the contract, so for the firm, it's effectively a loan). If you're rejected, you won't get a contract, and will have to stick with pay as you go.

Car and home insurance
If you opt to pay monthly, then in practice the insurer is loaning you the money to pay upfront, spreading the cost over the year and charging you interest (often at 20%+ APR), so it does a credit check first. See Cheap Car Insurance and Cheap Home Insurance.

The MSE Credit Club – now includes Experian Credit Report

We've launched our revolutionary free MoneySavingExpert.com Credit Club – a brand new way to keep a track of your credit record. You can sign up here and please give us feedback on it. Here's what it does:

We've launched the ability to get your full Experian Credit Report for FREE within Credit Club. See our full details on how this will work.

You'll get a free Experian Credit Score. This will give you an indicator of how lenders see you when assessing you for credit applications.

Our unique affordability score. This clever tool will help you work out how much you can afford to borrow, using calculations based on your income and estimated spending.

Our unique Credit Hit Rate – this will show you your chances of success, expressed as a percentage, of grabbing our top cards and loans.

Eligibility tool to show your best credit deals. It reveals the likelihood of you getting top credit cards or loans.

Your credit profile explained. It shows the key factors affecting your score and how to improve them.

Boosting your credit score is a bit like going on the pull

As each lender has its own bespoke criteria, think of it like a beauty parade. You need to make yourself as attractive as possible to lenders, in the hope they'll pick you out of the line-up...

Jane Bank & Sarah Lender are on the pull. Neither like overweight men, and both like dark hair and good looks. Yet while Jane prefers intense guys with stubble, Sarah likes 'em clean-shaven with a sense of humour. So while there are lots of guys they both reject, and some they both lust after, they can still end up fancying different blokes. Credit scoring's the same. Different lenders want different things, so one rejection may not mean a rejection by all. Some borrowers are unattractive to almost all lenders (ie, most will turn down bad risks). However, a small few may have a fetish for those with poor credit histories as they can charge more. And sadly for those rejected, just as when the guys ask Sarah or Jane why they're not interested, they just say: "'Cos I don't fancy you," and that's about it. We don't always get to know other than: "Your credit score wasn't high enough."
So the tips below are to make sure that lenders see you in the best possible light. So when they're looking at you, you're always dressed up to the nines, looking as hot as you can, and your skirt/shirt isn't tucked into your pants without you knowing.

Check your files annually or before any major application

Your credit reference files, held at Equifax, Experian and Callcredit, contain enormous amounts of data on you. Errors happen and can kill applications, so it's important to check your files regularly and to go through them line by line to check nothing's wrong.

If possible, check files at all three agencies (or at least the big two, Experian and Equifax) as different lenders use different agencies – and don't assume the info will be identical on each.

While you have a statutory right to check your files for £2, there is a way to do it for free, or even be paid. See our full Check Credit Files For Free guide, which also includes info on what to check.

If you pay or have paid for Experian's £15/mth credit monitoring service, we believe you may have been unfairly sold part of it. The Credit Expert Reclaiming guide shows you how to get the cash back.

Register to vote or you're unlikely to get any credit

If you're not on the electoral roll, it's unlikely you'll get any credit, so sign up immediately. Don't wait for the annual reminder, apply at any time on Gov.uk.

Simply follow the instructions online – it'll ask you a series of questions aimed at identifying you, and the local electoral borough you need to register with. Note that you'll need your national insurance number to hand.

Many worry some councils sell on the data. But you can opt out of the edited electoral register which can be used for marketing.

Credit reference agencies are allowed to use the full register which you can't opt out of and that you should, by law, be on. The electoral roll can be a factor in scoring, but even where it isn't, not being on it can lead to delays as lenders also use it to help check your address and ID.

It's worth noting the credit scores sold to you by credit reference agencies (see the problems with paying to find your credit score) may show you've a perfect score without being on the electoral roll. Don't let that fool you into thinking not being registered won't affect your ability to get credit. It will, because of fraud scoring.

Not eligible to vote in the UK? Add proof of residency

If you aren't eligible to vote in the UK so can't be on the electoral roll (mainly non-Commonwealth and non-EU foreign nationals), send all three credit reference agencies proof of residency (utility bills, a UK driving licence, etc) and ask them to add a note to verify this. This should help you get credit.

Some foreign nationals (from Republic of Ireland, some Commonwealth countries and EU citizens) are allowed to vote in local elections, and therefore can be registered on the electoral roll in the normal way.

Never miss or be late on any credit repayments – it can have a disproportionate hit

Sounds obvious? Well, it is. Even if you're struggling, try not to default or miss payments, it can have a disproportionate hit. Doing this once or twice could cause problems that can cost you for years. Defaults in the previous 12 months will hurt you the most.

The easy solution is to pay everything by direct debit, then you'll never miss or be late. While we normally caution against only making minimum repayments on debts (as the faster you repay, the less the total interest – see the Danger: Minimum Repayments guide) one technique is to set up a direct debit to just repay the minimum, purely as a vehicle to ensure you're never late. Then manually pay more each month on top.

If you are in difficulties, the cliché "contact your lender" is a good one. Hopefully it will try to help. Changing your repayment schedule is preferable to you defaulting – and though it will hit your credit score, it's better than a county court judgment or decree against you.

Don't let your partner or flatmate's score wreck yours!

It's not usually whether you kiss, hold hands, live together or even are married that links your finances, it's simply whether you have a joint financial product.

If you are financially linked to someone on any product, that means their files can be accessed and looked at as part of assessing whether to accept you. Even just a joint bills account with flatmates can mean you are co-scored.

Therefore if your partner/flatmate has a poor history, keep your finances rigidly separate, and it should maintain access to good credit for you.

There are currently only four products that can infer financial linking – a joint mortgage, a joint loan, a joint bank account (not savings as they don't go on credit files), and in certain circumstances, your energy bills. Being jointly named on a utility bill with a flatmate shouldn't mean you are financially linked – this should only happen when the energy firm is confident you're a couple (eg, when your bills are addressed "Mr and Mrs").

It's worth noting that while many people think they have a "joint" credit card, these technically don't exist. It's one person's account, the other just has a second card to access it.

If you've split up from someone, ensure you financially delink too

If you split up with someone you've had joint finances with (or just moved out from your flat-share), once your finances are no longer linked, write to the credit reference agencies and ask for a notice of disassociation. You can also call up or find the forms online.

This will stop their credit history affecting yours in the future. However, the agencies say they can't do this if you still have a joint account open with the ex. The account'll need to be closed or transferred to an individual account before you can do it. For example, a joint loan would have to be paid off before a notice be given.

Minimise credit applications by using the free eligibility calculators

The only way to know if you'll get accepted for a product is to apply. Yet that leaves a footprint on your credit file, and too many of those, especially in a short space of time, can hurt future applications. This is a catch-22, as if you get rejected, or the rate you're offered is crap, you'll want to keep applying.

Martin's given evidence to parliamentary select committees on this unfairness, but little's been done. So to fight back, we've built free eligibility calculators to help you.

These use a soft search (so you see it on your file, but lenders don't so there's no impact) to show your odds of acceptance for the top cards (and loans), so you can hone and minimise your applications.

We also have a loans eligibility calculator, which'll help you find your chances of getting different loans...

You only need to fill in your details once using the eligibility calculator to find your chances for all cards from the card category you click on. The loans eligibility calculator is separate, so if you're looking for both cards and loans, you'll need to use both calculators separately.

What are good odds?

Anything above 70% means you've a very strong chance of getting the card. Anything above 50% is also pretty reasonable. Anything below, and you're taking a chance.

Check addresses on old accounts

This may sound bizarre, but a wrong address can have a disproportionate impact. If you had, for example, an old mobile phone contract or credit card that you don't use any more, but is technically still listed as active on your credit reference files, then check the address is your current one.

If the account is still listed as open, and it lists you as being at a different address, this can stymie applications due to ID checks. Check your file and go through every active account's address to ensure it's up to date.

We've known people being rejected for mortgages because of this. Worse still, they didn't know the exact reason why as that's a nightmare to find out.

Don't 'spend' your applications too often

Every time you apply for a credit product (be it a credit card, contract mobile phone, car insurance paid annually or more), it adds a footprint to your file for a year.

Too many, especially in a short space of time, can trigger rejections as it makes it look like you're desperate for credit.

Therefore, space out applications if you can and don't do them frivolously.

In fact it's almost worth thinking about applications as 'spending'. Is it really worth spending an application on what you're doing, or could you save it for something else?

So if you fancy a cashback credit card and have no other credit you need to apply for in the next six months or so, great, spend your application. But if you're just about to apply for a mortgage, wait until after you've done that. Prioritising is important.

For the same reason, if you apply for a cheap credit card and don't get the credit limit you need, don't automatically apply for another one. Read the Low Credit Limit guide for more information.

Always check your credit files after rejection

There's a nightmare scenario you need to avoid called the rejection spiral. It works like this:

This continues, until finally you check your
files and get the error corrected.
So...

You apply again.
You're rejected, not due to the error, but because of recent 'searches'.

If you're rejected once, check your files are correct immediately. Otherwise you may mess up your score for an age, as more applications mean more searches, compounding the problem. You'll be told by the lender which credit reference agency it used to assess your info, so focus on that one.

After an error, it's possible to get successive searches wiped, but it involves negotiating both with the agency and the lender, and it isn't easy.

The rejection spiral also applies when you apply for credit normally reserved for those with an excellent score when you, say, only have a good score (sadly, many lenders don't publish their criteria so it's difficult to know in advance).

If you're thinking of applying for a new card, check our best buy credit card guides. Our eligibility calculator is in our loans guide and most of our card guides, and gives an indication of which loans and cards are likely to accept you, plus those likely to turn you down.

Use a credit (re)build card to build a history & restore past issues

Credit scoring is all about trying to predict your future behaviour based on your past history. Those with a poor history do poorly; but so do those with little credit history, as then predicting is tough.

You need to build a decent recent history to show that you can be responsible with credit and use it well. The catch-22 is that as you have a poor credit history, getting credit is difficult.

The solution is to grab a credit rebuild card. See the full Credit cards for bad credit guide for full help, how to protect yourself, and top picks.

This is a card with a hideous rate, say 35% APR, which accepts people with a poor credit history. Yet provided you repay the card IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit, and never withdraw cash, then you won't be charged interest, so it's no problem (don't do this if you're planning to do either of those).

Then just spend say, £50 a month on the card, and provided you have no other issues after six months or so, things should start to improve. After a year, it should make quite a difference.

Obviously, if you already have a credit card you aren't using, then you can do the same on that without the need to apply for a new one.

Time it right – when you apply can have a big impact

Problems such as county court judgments and bankruptcy stay on your file for six years, and data about applications for one year. So if you're near a time when old issues will lapse, holding off applying can help. Check your credit file for details.

Don't withdraw cash on credit cards

This is both expensive to do, as interest is higher and you're charged it even if you repay in full each month. Crucially, many lenders see it as evidence of poor money management skills.

The one exception is withdrawing cash on a specialist card abroad. See Overseas Credit Card ATM Withdrawals for full info and why they're not too bad.

Make paying your rent boost your credit score

Do you pay your rent on time? If so, there's a free scheme which millions of private renters can use to make paying rent boost their credit rating.

Private tenants can opt into the free Rental Exchange scheme. Launched in March 2016, it records your rental payments and sends the results to credit reference agency Experian. We explain the scheme in our new Make your rent boost your credit file guide.

How does it work?

You pay your rent to a third party called Credit Ladder. Credit Ladder passes on your payment to your landlord or lettings agency, and tells credit reference agency Experian whether you've made the payment on time. Experian then updates your credit file accordingly.

If you know you'll be able to pay on time and you're trying to improve your credit rating or build up a credit history, this can be a clever way to make your rental payments count towards that (though it's early days, and even if you sign up now, lenders won't actually start seeing the data until the end of this year). Of course, if there's a risk you're going to miss payments it could harm your rating.

Payday loans can kill mortgage applications

Some payday lenders disingenuously suggest that taking them out and repaying on time can boost your credit score, as it starts to build a history of better repayment. This is true to a very minor extent for those with abysmal credit histories – though using a credit rebuild card correctly is generally both more effective and far cheaper.

If you're getting a mortgage though, by definition you'll need a far better than abysmal credit score. So you should avoid payday loans like the plague. Not just because they're hideously expensive – see the Payday Loans guide – but because some mortgage underwriters (the ones who decide if you'll get a mortgage) have openly said they simply reject anyone who has had a payday loan, as it's an example of poor money management.

You can ask why you were rejected

If you apply for credit and are rejected, lenders are supposed to give you an explanation if you ask for one. It's worth doing, but usually you just get "because you failed to meet our credit scoring requirements", which makes a chocolate fireguard look useful.

Never pay for a credit repair company

If you see these advertised, avoid them. Either they're doing nothing you can't do yourself with ease, or they're using illegal methods that will bite you on the bum. If you're struggling and need personalised, professional help, see a non-profit debt-counselling agency.

Stability counts, use consistent details between applications, don't overchurn

Homeowners rather than renters, and those who are employed, rather than self-employed, tend to be more readily accepted for credit.

Putting a fixed (land)line rather than a mobile number on application forms can help with security checks and improve your chances. Being with the same employer, bank and current address for a while all help too.

Keep personal details the same between applications. It's crucial to be consistent, even over long periods, when you fill in application forms. If you have a number of job titles or phone numbers, try to use the same one on every form. If you use different ones, you might be flagged up by fraud scoring.

Lenders can't reject you just for this, but they should tell you if National Hunter has been a contributing reason why they declined you for credit.

Life change coming? Apply before that happens

You also score higher on lenders' wish lists when you're earning, so if you may be going on maternity leave, taking time off, or if you suspect potential redundancy, apply beforehand – though never lie about your details.

Cancel unused credit and store cards

They can kill your application. Access to too much available credit, even if it isn't used, can be a problem. If you have a range of unused credit cards and lots of available credit, it could be a good idea to cancel some of them. This lowers your available credit and should help.

However, just to complicate things, long-standing bank accounts with good credit histories can be a benefit to your credit score, so they're often best left open. There's no definitive answer as to whether you should close down your old cards, because all lenders are different. But, look to strike a happy medium – if you've lots and lots of unused credit, close some cards down, but don't close 'em all. And above all, don't max out. Cancel Old Cards has full info on what to close and when.

If you need to cut credit card debt costs, first check if the old cards will let you shift debt from other cards to them cheaply, as you then won't need to apply for new credit. This helps your credit file, and means you're using your existing credit more efficiently.

See the Existing Customer Balance Transfers guide for full info.

Reduce your debts with savings, if you have them

The amount of outstanding debt you have is part of the information lenders have access to. If you've too much debt, then that hurts your file. After all, would you want to lend to someone who already had a lot of debts to pay elsewhere? So minimising this is a clever strategy.

In general, you'll be better off using savings to pay off expensive debts anyway (read Pay Off Debts With Savings to find out why).

This is particularly true if you're applying for a mortgage – the less you're borrowing in proportion to your house's value, the better deal you can get.

Default on your file – mitigate the damage

One of the major problems people face are defaults on their credit reference files – in other words, when it shows you didn't pay but should have done. These, especially if they're recent, are a hammer-blow when applying for new credit.

If the default shouldn't be there, read how to challenge unfair defaults. If it's genuine and fair, your options are limited. After all, credit reference files are there to show lenders your history.

There are two main routes...

1. Negotiate with the lender. If you're prepared to settle the debt, in part or in full, then you can negotiate with whoever you owe the money to. You can also ask to make it a condition of settlement that the default is wiped off your credit file. If you're not sure, speak to a non-profit debt-help agency.

2. Let time heal it. The other route is to allow time to heal it – defaults stay on your file for six years, but even before that, the longer ago the default was, the less impact it has, especially if your more recent credit behaviour has been impeccable.

Unfair default or other error on your file? You need to fight it

If you discover an unfair default on your credit file, then you need to dispute it as it will block most applications. Check whether the same default is reported with the other two credit reference agencies as well.

Unfair defaults can occur for a number of reasons. It could be a simple clerical error by the credit reference agency, in which case contact it to get it removed – they are usually helpful.

More likely, though, is the lender has put it there in error, or that you were in dispute with the company over whether you owed it the money or not.

Try the following tactics:

Complain to the lender that put it on your file.
Write to the company which put the default on your file to ask for it to be removed, telling it your reasons why the default is unfair. Keep this formal, polite and to the point. And tell it you'll be taking it to the Financial Ombudsman if the default isn't removed.

Add a notice of correction to your credit file(s).
If that fails, add a notice of correction to the file explaining the problem, eg, "it was a joint account and the debt was run up once I had split from my ex-husband/wife," or "the debt was for a pair of shoes from a catalogue company that never arrived so I refused to pay it".

Don't go on too much when explaining the error. Be concise and factual.

The notice will slow applications down, as most companies will look at it manually. But as a substantial default is likely to stop you getting credit, that's usually not a problem.

Complain to the Financial Ombudsman.
If the company has turned down your complaint, then you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can adjudicate that the default is unfair and ask for all traces of it to be removed (and order recompense for damage if appropriate). If your complaint is with an energy company – perhaps it's saying you owe it money when you don't, leaving a mark on your file – then you can also take it to the Energy Ombudsman. For help in making your complaint, see our Complaining To The Financial Ombudsman guide.

Paying for insurance monthly will affect your credit score

If you decide to pay for insurance in monthly instalments, a 'hard search' will be carried out and this will affect your credit score. It's always worth paying upfront if you can – some insurance providers charge APRs of up to 40% if you pay monthly.

However, many people also worry that using comparison sites will also affect their credit score. Comparison sites share your information with a number of insurers. They look at your credit file to check who you are, provide you with quotes and to see if you would be able to meet monthly payments.

Yet the good news is that these searches are 'soft' searches, so other lenders DON'T see them and they won't affect your credit rating, Only you can see the search has been done.

For more information on this, including how to avoid it, see our Car Insurance guide.

Ask for a 'quotation search' or 'soft search' if available

If you're just trying to get a specific quote for a loan, ask the lender to do a 'quotation search' or a 'soft search', not a 'credit search'. This means that while an enquiry will appear on your file, only you can see it. Lenders can't, so it won't have an impact on your credit score.

Sadly, many lenders haven't yet adopted this practice, but it's worth asking. If not, consider whether you really want to get a quote – if it's unlikely you'll get the product, don't bother.

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Credit scores: How to improve your credit score - MoneySavingExpert

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Get Our Free Money Tips Email! For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes - join the 12m who get it. Don't miss out There's no such thing as a blacklist. This is a myth. In the UK, there's no universal credit rating or score, and there's no blacklist of banned people.

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Revised rates of service retired pay and pensions, service invaliding retired pay and pensions, service attributable retired pay and pensions, gratuities and resettlement grants.

The AFPS75 Representative Rates of Pay for OR8 and OR9 were increased on 29 January 2018 and the pension codes table below have been updated. Members who had their pensions calculated between 1 April 2016 and 28 January 2018 will receive information on the recalculation of their Pension entitlements and any one off arrears payment by 1 October 2018.

The revised rates apply to all personnel who are members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 and whose last day of service is on or after the 31 March 2016.

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Revised rates of service retired pay and pensions, service invaliding retired pay and pensions, service attributable retired pay and pensions, gratuities and resettlement grants. The AFPS75 Representative Rates of Pay for OR8 and OR9 were increased on 29 January 2018 and the pension codes table below have been updated.

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Free Credit Check Martin Lewis Credit club

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Free Credit Check Martin Lewis Credit club

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MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of Moneysupermarket.com Financial Group Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN 303190). Moneysupermarket.com Financial Group Limited, registered in England No. 3157344. Registered Office: Moneysupermarket House, St. David's Park, Ewloe, CH5 3UZ.

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Armed Forces Pension and Annual Allowance Calculator (AFPAAC)

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Thank you for visiting Armed Forces Financial Services (AFFS). Our mission is to provide simple, clear and straight forward online financial advice to service personnel, veterans and their families in order to improve their financial future.

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A credit union has been launched to support Armed Forces personnel access safe and affordable finance, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced today.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

The Government's commitment to the Covenant remains unshakeable.

Today we go even further by launching a credit union for our Armed Forces personnel.

By paying a regular amount from their salary directly into the credit union, they will be able to avoid the struggle for credit approval and the siren call of the payday lenders.

The launch of credit union services for serving Armed Forces personnel will offer them an easy alternative to banks, building societies and payday lenders. It will increase the choice available for savings and loan facilities.

In the past, some personnel have struggled to get credit approved, partly due to moving regularly and not being able to build up a good credit rating. Some troops have also been targeted by payday loan companies.

Armed Forces personnel will now be able to save with, and pay off loans from, the credit union through 'payroll deduction'. The payment will come directly from an individual's salary or pension at source.

Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, Mark Lancaster, said:

I'm delighted that credit union services will today be available to Armed Forces personnel. It is crucial that those service people who work so hard to keep Britain safe, both at home and abroad, can access easy and affordable ways to save and borrow.

This helps to tackle an issue that has caused disadvantage and disappointment to some service members.

HM Treasury announced in March that the Government would provide £500K from non-MOD LIBOR funds to help Armed Forces personnel access credit union services. This is being spent on developing the system to allow payroll deductions for credit union payments by service personnel and those in receipt of a pension, and on the staffing required by DBS sub-contractors to handle those processes.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said:

I am delighted that armed forces personnel will now be able to save with credit unions directly from their salary or pension.

Military personnel have long faced difficulties accessing credit due to the mobile lifestyles required by their jobs, and it is right that we use bank fines collected from those who've demonstrated the worst of values to support these military personnel who have served their country and shown the best of British values.

The three credit unions, PlaneSaver Credit Union, Police Credit Union and London Mutual Credit Union, will work collaboratively to offer the best service for personnel.

Providing access to credit unions complements existing financial support for the military. The MoneyForce programme, launched in March 2013, gives financial education and awareness to service personnel, combined with accessible online support for the entire Armed Forces community via MoneyForce.com.

Today's launch of the credit union builds on the MODs work under its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. Credit unions are owned by their members. This means they can offer competitive rates of interest on savings and loan products, as there are no third-party shareholders to whom profits must be distributed. Credit unions are also able to offer safe and sustainable loans to their members, and deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

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New credit union service launched for the Armed Forces

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A credit union has been launched to support Armed Forces personnel access safe and affordable finance, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced today. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: The Government's commitment to the Covenant remains unshakeable. Today we go even further by launching a credit union for our Armed Forces personnel.

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Transport for London Discount for Veterans

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Transport for London Discount for Veterans

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Free travel with a Veterans Oyster photocard

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If you're a war veteran, you may be eligible for concessionary travel in London

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StepChange Debt Charity - Free Expert Debt Advice.

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Contact the UK's leading debt charity to get expert debt advice and fee-free debt management to help you tackle your debts. StepChange Debt Charity.

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Free online debt advice | Free debt helpline | National Debtline

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National Debtline a debt advice charity, with experts who care | Free help and advice on dealing with your debt in England and Wales