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Advice on credit score

3 replies

Mumstheword1983 · 27/05/2026 09:18

Hi all. I have very good credit on Expedia. Always have. I use a Tesco loyalty card for all my transactions (food, groceries, gifts) and pay it off in full every month on pay day. This month I noticed some cash transaction fees. I was a bit baffled as I don't withdraw cash. Turns out because I buy weekly gift vouchers for Sainsbury's to do my shopping (I get 6% off with mi employer) they are now treating this as cash. I have done this for years and it's never come up as a cash transaction. I'm not too worried about the interest I will pay it and use my debit card from now on but how badly is this going to affect my credit? I know credit card cash withdrawals don't look good. I need to apply for a mortgage renewal in a year and I am worried this will bring my score down. Does anyone have any experience of this? Thanks

OP posts:
JoMumsnet · 28/05/2026 11:53

We're just moving this thread to our Chat topic in case anyone's around to answer the OP's query.

Krevlornswath · 28/05/2026 12:17

In respect of a mortgage application, lenders will be focusing towards your credit conduct, history and affordability, not specifically your credit score. Specifically, whether you pay on time, how much of your limit you use (utilisation), whether you carry balances or otherwise any defaults, missed payments, or persistent debt.

Cash or cash adjacent purchases of this nature aren't likely to make a large impact on your credit score if this is a minimal use case. They matter in a different sense because they usually accrue immediate interest, to a lender this could suggest an on-paper reliance on borrowing cash which is undesirable, or an increase in perceived utilisation. This is not likely make meaningful dents in the credit score itself, but may present a query for certain lenders especially if there were an ongoing pattern and this were at scale (larger amounts or increasing amounts). In short, It is realistically not a deal-breaker on its own, but it may be questioned in the context of affordability if it forms part of a wider pattern of credit usage that suggests reliance on borrowed funds.

As an aside, I would investigate your credit history with other credit references agencies as they can differ. In your case Equifax and TransUnion, as not all lenders report to all agencies, difference weighting can result in different scoring across CRA's.

In terms of a mortgage application in a years time, it will be the credit behaviour from the 3-6 months prior that will be most heavily scrutinised, therefore if you are worried then it would be best to adjust these types of transactions ahead of that timeline so they aren't an issue.

Mumstheword1983 · 28/05/2026 13:07

Thanks so much. I feel much better now as there are other positives for the application-my LTV will be 55% so we have decent equity and we have savings of a few thousand. It will just be the two transactions from over a year ago (by the time we apply) and less than £100 in total. We never withdrawn cash on the credit card and aren't near any limits. This is just because they have processed it as a 'cash like' transaction.

I appreciate your advice.

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