Credit card eligibility checker

Eligibility checker FAQs

How does the eligibility checker work?

The Uswitch eligibility checker uses the information you've provided to run a ‘soft’ credit check on your credit file. We do this to estimate the likelihood of you being accepted for a credit card. Unlike a full credit card application, it is not visible to potential lenders.

We run your given details via our soft credit check partners HD Decisions and Capital One. They cross-reference a profile based on your information with the acceptance criteria of different credit cards.

Your information is kept securely and will be used in accordance with our terms of use and privacy policy, HD Decisions' terms of use and Capital One's terms of use.

Who can use this service?

Anyone over 18 with a UK address can use our eligibility checker.

To get the most accurate results, you'll typically need at least three years of address history. You could still get a credit card without this, but there'll be a more limited number available to you.

Will using the eligibility checker appear on my credit file?

Not to potential lenders. You might be able to see the search yourself if you look at your report, but as a soft credit check, no one else will be able to.

That's because it's not the same as a formal application for credit, meaning using this tool will not be flagged to potential lenders as an application on your credit report.

A soft credit check simply means, we look at the information you’ve provided and information on your credit report to estimate your credit score (we do not see the score you do).

This also means we can only provide an estimate of your eligibility for a credit card and cannot guarantee acceptance or rejection.

Lots of hard checks (or formal applications) could make it look like you are desperate for credit. This is off-putting to prospective credit card providers or lenders because it suggests you cannot repay debt.

Why do you need my personal and employment details?

Your age, name and address are used to verify your identity and match it up to your credit file.

As credit card providers care about the security of your income, employment status is used as a rough indicator of this.

Some cards have minimum income requirements. To avoid inaccurate probability results, please ensure this is accurate.

How long are my results valid for?

Your eligibility results are estimates based on information pulled from your credit profile on the day you perform the check. However, these estimates may become less accurate as time passes, especially if you do anything that might affect your credit score or your circumstances change.

Our soft credit checking partners (HD decisions and Capital One) refresh the information they use in order to estimate your eligibility on a monthly basis.

So, if you are looking at results that are a few weeks old, a new eligibility check could get you more accurate results.

If you have any pre-approved results, these are only valid for 24 hours from when you first complete the eligibility check.