Martin Lewis warns people that credit scores 'don't exist' in the UK

You can always rely on Martin Lewis to give you a startling financial wake-up call on a Tuesday morning.

And today, the nation's favourite money saving expert has declared that UK citizens shouldn't get too 'hung up' about their credit score.

Speaking on This Morning, financial guru Martin, 51, was asked by a phone-in guest how to improve her credit score.

The caller revealed that, though her credit score is high, she is consistently being refused credit after getting an increase in her overdraft.

She added that she was also 'refused a mortgage when [she] was renewing it this year due to being made redundant while on maternity leave', insisting she's never had a bad credit rating before and always paid off 'everything in full'.

It was then that ITV regular Martin made an assertion you might never have expected.

ITV

"You do not have a credit score in the UK," he explained. "The one that you're given by the credit reference agencies is just their indication of a loose guide to what a typical company might look at, if it was only looking at your credit history."

Continuing to tell viewers that the 'single most important factor' when it comes to credit is your income, he continued: "If you had no income and a perfect credit score, and you wanted a loan, you're almost certainly not going to get it because you can't pay it back.

"So when you tell me you've been rejected, what you haven't told me, is the crucial factor. You talked about being made redundant.

"Well, if you've been made redundant and you don't have a job, and you don't have income even with a great credit score, it is going to make getting credit much more difficult."

ITV

He then advised the caller to get in touch with the three different agencies that attain her credit references.

"Download them, go through line-by-line just to check there are no errors - such as you've moved house and you've got accounts that are still listed at your old address," he went on.

"But remember, credit scoring is only one half of this. The other half is affordability scoring, which is far more about your income."

The more you know!

Topics: Money, Martin Lewis, This Morning

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

@rhiannaBjourno