Vodafone credit checks

We'll run a credit check if you:

• Apply for a new Pay monthly device or plan - including broadband plans

• Upgrade an EVO Device Plan. A Device Plan is any device bought from us under a credit agreement, like a Phone Plan, Watch Plan, Tablet Plan or Laptop Plan

• Apply for a Flexi-upgrade before the end of your minimum contract period

When we run a credit check, we'll:

Gather your information

We'll ask you for some financial and personal details, like your current address. We'll then check your personal details against the electoral roll and confirm your bank account details using third-party data services. We may ask about your monthly income and expenses so that we can understand what you can afford.

Run the credit check

Once we've confirmed your details, we'll share your information with the credit reference agencies we use - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. They'll run a credit and identity check on you. They’ll also give us information about you, like your financial history.

Things we consider when you apply

When we're considering your application, we'll use our independent scoring system and/or automated decision-making systems based on the information we have and are allowed to collect from others. We aim to make decisions as quickly, efficiently, fairly and correctly as possible, based on what we know.

When we run a credit check, the agencies will make a record of it on your credit file - known as a 'search footprint'. This may be seen by other lenders.

We'll continue to share information about you with credit reference agencies while you have a relationship with us. Find out about the information we'll share

We use our own scoring system that's separate to the one that credit reference agencies use. This means that you might fail our credit check, even if a credit agency has given you a high score.

We look at more than just your credit history when offering credit. You might fail our check because you don't have a UK bank account and a UK address. Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Overseas Territories aren't considered part of the UK.

We recommend you check your credit report for any tips about why you've been declined.

The details of the credit check aren't shared with our sales advisers - they'll only be able to tell you whether you've passed or not. They'll be able to let you know if there are other plans you can take out (for example, you might be able to take out a SIM only plan rather than an EVO plan with a loan).

Having lots of credit checks can affect your ability to borrow and may make it more expensive to borrow in the future.

You can appeal a credit check decision, but only a small number of appeals are successful.

To prevent fraud, we can't share details about what would cause us to change our decision.

Before you appeal, make sure you check your latest credit report for any tips about why you've been declined. You can check your statutory credit report through the three credit reference agencies we use:

• Check your credit report with Experian

• Check your credit report with Equifax

• Check your credit report with TransUnion

If you’ve checked your report and would still like to appeal, fill out our credit check appeal form

We may use the information you give us for:

• statistical analysis or testing to make sure the products and services we're creating are accurate, or for account management purposes. If we use this information for either of these reasons, it won't be recorded on your credit file. It won't be viewed by other organisations, and it won't impact your chances of getting credit in the future

• debt tracing and claims assessments

Your details may also be used if you've given us specific permission, or as required by law.

When we might share your details

We may share your details with:

• companies in the Vodafone Group

• fraud and theft prevention agencies. Information held by fraud prevention agencies may be shared with other organisations to help them make decisions about other credit applications or insurance claims made by you, your business partners or anyone in your household

• credit reference agencies. If you're unable to repay an outstanding debt in full and on time, we may tell the credit reference agencies, who'll record the outstanding debt

If you don't become a customer

We'll continue to hold information about you for two years, for customer enquiries, legal purposes and to prevent fraud.

As part of the commercial credit checking process, we'll look at both your personal and business credit records. However, the check that's carried out against your personal credit file won't be recorded by the credit reference agencies.

If you're making a commercial credit application, we'll also disclose information about your business and its owners to these agencies, who may create a record of the name and address of your business and its proprietors, if there isn't already one. If you, members of your household, or business partners you're financially connected to, make further credit applications then we or other organisations may use the information recorded on your personal or business credit file to help us make a decision.

It's important that you're aware that the information held about you by the reference agencies, or other business information providers, could be linked to existing records of your personal or business partners. So you should make sure you discuss this with them, and share with them this information, before lodging the application. Credit reference agencies will link your records together and these links will remain on your file and theirs until you or your partner successfully file for a disassociation with the credit reference agencies to break that link.

You can appeal a credit check decision. To give us more information to support your application, complete our credit check appeal form

Make sure you have your extra information ready, such as your latest credit report from a credit reference agency.

Every now and then we may use the information you give us for statistical analysis or testing to make sure the products and services we're creating are accurate, or for account management purposes. If we do use this information for either of these purposes, it won't be recorded on your credit reference file. It won’t be viewed by other organisations and it won't impact your chances of obtaining credit in the future.

We may share your details with other companies in our group as well as fraud and theft prevention agencies. Information held by fraud prevention agencies may be shared with other organisations to help them make decisions on other credit applications or insurance claims made by you, your business partners or anyone in your household. The information we hold may be used for debt tracing and claims assessments. If, for whatever reason, you're unable to repay an outstanding debt in full and on time, we may inform the credit reference agencies who will make a record of the outstanding debt.

The only other times your details may be used are if you've given us very specific permission or, in very limited circumstances, when required by law or where permitted under data protection laws.

If you don't become a customer of Vodafone Limited, we'll continue to hold information about you for customer enquiries and for legal purposes. It also helps in the prevention and detection of fraud.

You can request a copy of your credit reference file by writing directly to the agencies listed on this page. There's a small fee for this service and the files held by each agency may not be the same. Each of the agencies will be able to give you exact details of their charges when you contact them.

If we need more information relating to your application, we may contact you by email. We'll only use the following details when contacting you:

• Emails will be sent from vbucreditassessmentescalations@help.vodafone.co.uk