Read MNers reviews of TotallyMoney & find out how to improve your credit score

[EmmaMumsnet]

We recruited Mumsnet users to test out free credit report provider TotallyMoney Testers signed up to TotallyMoney to find out their credit score and look at what has affected it over the years. They then browsed the TotallyMoney site to see credit cards, loans, and mortgages they could be accepted for based on their credit score, as well as tips on how to improve their credit score.

Here’s what TotallyMoney has to say: “TotallyMoney is a Free Credit Report provider, which aims to make consumer credit fairer and more transparent by giving customers the information they need to make the right choices.

Until recently, our customers didn't really know why their credit score changed, meaning they had little idea of what they could do to make it better. What's more, our customers didn't know whether they were eligible for a credit product: their only option was to apply and hope they would be accepted. This was a problem, because being rejected for credit can make it much harder to get accepted for credit in the future.

Now, thanks to our Free Credit Report, that’s a thing of the past. Your Free Credit Report lets you track your credit score and gives you reasons why your credit score has changed, so you know what you need to do to improve it. Your Free Credit Report also comes with Borrowing Power: one number to show the best offers for your credit profile — offers you're most likely to get accepted for, helping reduce your chances of being rejected.

But, why else should you sign up to TotallyMoney? TotallyMoney is free and always will be — and 97%* of customers would recommend us to improve their credit score. Our service is easy to use and understand, we’re the highest rated Free Credit Report provider on Trustpilot, and we're Moneynet’s Best Credit Report Provider 2018.”

If you’d like to find out your credit score and how to improve it click here to sign up to TotallyMoney.

All selected testers who leave their feedback on this thread will receive a £10 voucher of their choice (from a list) for taking part AND will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three £100 vouchers.

Testers please answer the following questions:

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
• How did you find the sign-up process?
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Terms and conditions apply

*Based on a Feb–March 2018 survey of 958 respondents.

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

It was pretty easy to just wander through, easy to understand. I feel more informed now.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very easy for something that is financials, i expected to have more hoops to jump through

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

I like how easy the info is to process, and how they link you to where you need to go to sort it. Apparently i wasn't on the electoral roll, i was able to fix this in a few minutes.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I liked the straight forward explanation of it

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

I liked the different options and the fact that it tells you what kind of lender they are (for people with bad credit, etc)

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It's about where i thought i would be, but having all the info there and easy to understand makes a real difference!

Wow!

Testers please answer the following questions:

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

So easy to signup, use and navigate. So much easier than Experian etc. And can’t believe you found me on so few questions

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very straightforward and easy.

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

The simple presentation of my data and seeing my credit score (which was a pleasant surprise).

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Intriguing, though not sure I need balance transfers etc given my level of savings. Wonder if people will be lured into taking out loans they don’t need.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

Interesting to know what I’d be eligible but again not sure if there’s a potentially predatory element in people knowing what extra debt they could take on.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

That it’s better than I expected!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
I thought it was great. Very impressed. Easy to understand.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Really easy. Sign up took a couple of minutes. Then gotvmy results straight away.

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

I liked to see my credit score. Great that they showed you your top offers.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I was surprised. It was really high. We don’t have a mortgage or loans so it was interesting to see it still do high.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

Liked the recommendations. Thought they were helpful.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Most definitely. I won’t be as worried about applying for credit in the future.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? Excellent - very easy site to navigate with lots of useful information. Really interesting to see balances outstanding.

• How did you find the sign-up process? Fairly easy to sign up - just had a bit of trouble getting past the security questions. Luckily worked on final attempt before getting locked! I was certain I had given the correct information on the previous attempts.
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? The eligibility / offers checker was very useful to see what is out there and available to me.
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? Surprised how much was available to me as I work part time so not on a huge salary.
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? Useful - liked you could filter so picks up cash back cards etc.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? Yes - it is interesting to see how lenders see me. Also surprised some insurances where I have elected to pay in instalments by DD show on there in the balance owing.

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? I actually loved it, and I'm not saying this because it's a product test. It was really easy to sign up to and I liked the layout of it, was a lot easier to see everything.
• How did you find the sign-up process? Easy, only asked a few questions but seemed secure.
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? I think right now the how much I owe, although a small amount it's nice to see what I have on my credit card doesn't really affect my credit score at all.
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? Mine was good, which is nice to know. I'm glad I'm in a position where if I did need to borrow I could and wouldn't be charged the earth for the pleasure.
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? Really good, it recommended 0% credit cards although I've just contacted my bank who have continued my 0% for another 39 months so don't need to swap it anyway.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? I think I was pretty clued up on it anyway but it's nice to have all the information in one place. Overall really positive!

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Very easy to use and well laid out, would recommend.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Quick & easy

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you

I liked seeing who had credit checked me. Seeing my debt was handy too. However I was surprised at what didn't show. I have a lot of 'old' now time barred debt which I thought would be on there but isn't. Also the credit score (out of 710) meant nothing to me. An explanation of what the numbers mean would be useful (google didn't really help!)

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Was higher than expected

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)

Reasonably helpful

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I thought I wouldn't ever be able to borrow but it seems maybe in theory I could (won't though!)

My overall experience was positive, I found the website user friendly and easy to use.

I found the sign up process pretty quick and straight forward.

I liked the fact that everything was clearly labelled and the language was simple. Most useful to me was the suggestions of appropriate credit cards.

I found the borrowing power section interesting but there was no surprises for me.

I liked the recommendations of products, especially the credit card ones as they are more relevant to me. It was quick and straight forward to do this.

I didn't learn much new as I am pretty au fait financially. I thought that the website waa excellent.

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Easy to setup and use. Could follow the site quite easily. Site a little 'bland' for my liking as just prefer some more colour to keep my interest!

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very very easy! The only thing I would be aware of is when you opened your bank accounts!

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

Easy to check what credit is available. Most useful is keeping track of searches in case of fraud.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Was okay to see what loans etc are available. Same as other sites really!

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

Again - easy to see and use but same as other sites.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

No. I like to keep a close eye on things anyway and this site is nothing new to me but may help others.

Thank you for allowing me to take part in this test.
I thought the sign up process was very quick and easy and hassle free. It was easy to navigate round once on the site.
Everything is layed out in a simple way so was easy to use on first go.
I thought the borrowing power was excellent as I needed to take out a balance transfer card and got more then I was expecting.
I found there recommendations fantastic and was explained clearly.
My credit score was much better then expected and I now no where to go when looking for future products.
Well done totally money!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? I was impressed. There's lots of information there and it Is simple and intuitive to use. The information there was accurate and up to date. My DP now wants to check his own details on the site!

• How did you find the sign-up process? Very quick and straightforward
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? Seeing my credit score was interesting (was glad to see that I still have a good score despite not working since ds was born) and being able to check that the correct financial information was held against me. I was fascinated to check searches against me - had not realised that insurance product applications would include a credit check. Was satisfying to see that there was nothing untoward or unexpected against my name!
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? Unsurprising I wouldn't qualify for a loan - I don't work after all!!
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? There was a really comprehensive list of credit card providers and mortgages with some clear and concise "bullet points" to help with easy comparison.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? Nothing is changed as I have pretty simple finances - it was good to see that my details have not been misused

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
It was really easy to use and the headings were very clear to find what I was looking for. A very useful tool!

• How did you find the sign-up process?

It was really quick and easy, didn’t need to answer 100s of irrelevant questions.

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

I liked finding out my overall credit score as this is something I have never done before.
It’s also really useful to see which companies do a soft credit search.
I also liked being able to see all my finances in one place and quickly see what accounts are active and ones that have been settled and closed.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

My borrowing power score seems v high so it’s good to see my options for this.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

There was a good list of different products available.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I knew I’d never been in debt or have anything really bad against my name but it’s still nice to see it all laid out and to use for reference if I needed to.

Thank you!

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Found the overall experience very good and quite enlightening -I hadn't realised how much information is actually available on your credit history/payments made etc so this was good to know what information is being used.The site is very easy to navigate and simple to understand

• How did you find the sign-up process?

This was very quick - took about 2 minutes and all the information it asked for I din't have to search around or think about so very good

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

The searches section - looked to see which organisations had made searches and why this was useful to me as wanted to see hard searches as I know this affects your rating if too many are used in succession

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Was pleased with this function not in a position where I need it right now but was good to see it was rated as excellent and there were a lot of products available which did surprise me

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

Surprised at the range of reccommendations - split up into sections e.g cash back cards,transfers etc so could see at a glance which ones you are most interested in which is handy

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Hadn't realised I was in such a strong position assumed I would not be eligible for a lot of the products on offer as I pay my cards off in full each month and don't have any loans so not much credit history but it also looks at your general bill paying history too which I didn't know so was pleasantly surprised

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
I found it to be a very positive experience. The site was easy to navigate with clear headings and offering a huge amount of information.

How did you find the sign-up process?
The sign-up process was fairly simple although it did require you to recall some financial information in order to ensure correct identification. My recall is not what it was!

Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
It was interesting to see my credit scores and previous loans, long paid off, that I had forgotten.

What did you think of your Borrowing Power?
I’m amazed at how much companies are prepared to lend me.

How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?
There were a large number of options availability for both credit cards and remortgages (which is what I searched) and it was interesting seeing the differences in repayment rates.

How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
It hasn’t changed much but having seen it “in writing” has made me realise that we are not in as bad a financial position as it sometime seems.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
That was easy. It was useful as it is such a faff trying to find out what my mortgage balance is - and it seemed to be accurate there. Useful. Don't know what credit score is - so need to look into that.

How did you find the sign-up process?
It was pretty straightforward. Being such an old gimmer though it really made me delve back into the depths of time to remember stuff and it doesn't seem to be aware that when I signed up in 1983 for an account the bank had a different name - but never mind.

Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
Useful to see mortgage balance. It doesn't have my other mortgage now paid off, but did have a trace of a more recent one. Didn't have some information about financial stuff that I thought it might, but had plenty of other info. Scary amount of information out there actually. Thank god I am clean.....

What did you think of your Borrowing Power?
yes, fairly good ability to get indebted. That's fun. Trying to shake it all off as soon as I can right now though. I do need a loan for refurbishment and was a bit surprised to see only 60-80% of my type get an approved loan. Thought I was a fairly safe bet.

How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?
I though the latest offers bit was really good. I shy away from this stuff and this looked like a useful way of making slightly more informed choices.

How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
I get a sense of how muh background work goes on - hard and soft searches. Have been blissfully unaware of all this.

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Very good, It's easy to navigate and gives you a perfect indication of your financial comitments.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very straight forward, secure and safe, not easy to join without 'Being who you say you are'.

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

I like that I can see my current commitments and outstanding balances, my mortgage balance being particular useful as it's not something I see on a monthly basis, I like the graph that shows you the balance dropping over a set period of time.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? Very good, I can see this being a useful tool if I was on the market for additional borrowing.
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? I like how it tailors the cards and mortgages to your personal needs.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? Yes I already used a free credit check service, this is very user friendly and easy to understand.

I was absolutely stunned at this website - I honestly wasn't expecting anything like it. I thought it would be really boring and wouldn't tell me anything new. I was wrong! My credit score is actually better than I thought and I have paid off quite a few of my debts, which was amazing to see. Signing up was really easy and took 2 minutes, totallymoney found my credit file in seconds and I was 'pleased' that there was some incorrect information that I could dispute - pleased because I didn't even realise it was on my file. I have tried noddle and experian before and they are nowhere near as good as totallymoney - this is my default credit score site from now on.

1. How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
   My experience with TotallyMoney is very positive. It has explained me in detail where I stand. My credit score is now very clear in my head and I have no doubts left. The website is very easy to navigate which is the best part.

2. How did you find the sign-up process?
   The sign-up process was very simple and not at all lengthy and boring. Within minutes,I was done and for a person who has absolutely no knowledge about credits,I did not had to seek help from any experienced professional which was great!

3. Which aspects of the totally money site did you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
   The best part was my overall detailed score and particularly the number of active accounts all under one place in my name. It also gives recommendations on how to improve your credit score which i found particularly helpful.

4. What did you think of your borrowing power?
   The good overall credit score came as a surprise and it will definitely help me if I need to borrow in the future. Very impressed!

5. How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products?
   Again,very helpful. I would not have known such products had I not used TotallyMoney. I will now explore these products in more detail.

6. How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
   Not a great deal as I was expecting my own information to be in line with the results. However,the additional support and recommended products are of great help indeed.

• I found the overall experience a positive one. I've never checked my credit score before and thought it would probably be a lengthy process so was impressed that it was so quick and simple and liked the fact that it showed you suitable financial products based on your score.
• Sign up was quick, although I very nearly didn't get through the checking process.. one of the questions was 'how long ago did you take out a personal loan'. I have never had one but there was no option for this so I ticked 'over 5 years ago' and it worked!
• The most useful parts for me were being able to see my score and check my searches and history. Mortgage section was also helpful as I'm hoping to remortgage in the next few months.
• The recommended products were easy to compare and understand.
• I feel quite reassured that my score is good and that I am credit-worthy!

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Overall it seemed very straightforward and easy to navigate/use aside from the fact that I couldn't find the guides I was supposed to look at.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

I was surprised by how simple and easy sign up was although I had to think hard about what bank I opened a current account with in August 2000!

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

I like that it is easy to check that there is nothing on my credit record that shouldn't be there.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

There wasn't any meaningful information given with the Borrowing Power to help me understand where it came from or what exactly it means.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

I was surprised by the pre-approved offers of loans/credit cards and wonder whether that could encourage people into debt they can't afford.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Not especially. It confirmed the information is as it should be on my credit record and confirmed that my current mortgage deal is still better than anything currently avavilable. I do feel it is a very useful site from the point of view of monitoring my credit record.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Nice and smooth. Nice clean website although I think the user interface must have changed a bit as the list of tasks on the email from Mumsnet didn't completely and smoothly line up with the website. For example, "Return to your dashboard" - would have been nice to have a Dashboard icon to go there easily.

How did you find the sign-up process?

Very quick and easy. I failed the first verification (not sure if renewing my mobile contract counted as a most recent mobile contract so probably got the time 'wrong' there) but after that everything was smooth.

Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

Really nice to see all my accounts laid out easily and easy to confirm they were all mine and correct.

What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Again, I can't see any easy way to get my Borrowing Power and hand to hunt a little bit, but it was interesting to see. (Bizarre it was so high when I had said I was a SAHM with no personal income!)

How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

Had a wander around here and seemed easy to compare and would be useful if I wanted to change anything. Helpful to see things broken down into benefits of credit cards etc.

How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I am pretty comfortable with my current knowledge but think something like this would be useful as a regular check on credit score, hard/soft searches as a routine (perhaps annual or 6 monthly) part of my financial monitoring.

Totally Money was super quick to sign up too, really easy to navigate when joining.. it asks some questions about accounts you have ie length of time etc which i wasnt 100% but guessed and got them correct. You do need to know this as only asks twice.
Very easy and useful to see everything in one place. A very helpful tool to better manage and track your finances.
TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products were great, useful to have all that info easy to hand.
My financial status was kind of what i guessed it would be.. I'm a student so not the best borrowing power etc at the mo.. but can see why these would be useful and helpful to others.
I had no idea there were soft and hard searches as other sites just say searches they don't differentiate.
Overall a great site, easy and simple to use.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

• I found it really easy and straight forward to use, and provides insight into your credit score and useful information.

How did you find the sign-up process?

• I did have to check elsewhere for some of the answers - you know the normal, you thinks its 3 years but actually its 7! not always that easy to remember the answers to some of the questions, ie when you opened your last current account.

Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

• I think its really useful to be able to check hard and soft searches (although I did have to look up some of the company names which I think they were just car/home insurance searches by me) - I think the credit card recommendations will be most useful to me at the moment - I like that you can specify whether you would like cashback cards, balance transfer cards - makes it easier for you.

What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

• I was pleased that mine was so good, I didn't expect it to be, Nice thing to know, reduces the general worry when applying for cards or loans.

How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

• I think it is very clever how you can specify your requirements. My daughter was recently looking for a mortgage and had to look in many different places for offers - this does it all in one place - This would have made it so much easier and straight forward. The mortgage guides are also really in depth but in lay mans terms rather than too technical

How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

• it has made me realise that I am in a good place credit score wise. and that due to this fact I would be able to get a loan/mortgage if required and all through one place .

Really useful Credit Score site which i will be recommending to others

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

really easy to use and to sign up. It was a very quick process. The website was clear and simple very user friendly

• How did you find the sign-up process?

very quick process for sign up and quick and simple. I’m not sure if there were marketing settings though- not sure if I just missed them/ they weren’t there

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

i likes that it was split into tabs so you could pick and choose what info you needed and it was in bite size so as not to drown in financial data. Did feel a little salesy- very quick to promote credit cards / loans, I wonder if there is any filter on that so those with a lot of debt wouldn’t get the offers so front and centre!?

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

i liked the borrowing power as it was clear on how my credit score was truly affecting or going to affect my future financial plans

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

relatively helpful, but I still didn’t trust 100% and carried out my own research. My credit report had items that I didn’t think were completely accurate. As I am not as familiar with totallymoney I wanted to ensure their recommendations were the best suited and available to me

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

i feel pretty knowledgeable already but this has allowed to get a bigger more detailed picture that I can come back to and review

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? - Pretty good. It was easy and transparent. I would like to see a few things explained to me, for example what my score is, how it's calculated, why it's a number it is, how to get in improved, what the graphs under each account mean, etc.

• How did you find the sign-up process? - Great! I was impressed how easy it was. It took about 2 minutes to sign up. It also felt secure as I had to answer 5 questions that pretty much no one else apart from me would know the answers to.

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? - I liked my borrowing power score, and mortgage comparison as I'm actively looking at that at the moment.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? - Happy with my score but as above, I'm not sure how it's calculated and how to get it up.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? - mortgages section was useful for me personally. It highlighted a few offers I wasn't aware of from my previous search. I didn't get far with the loans section as the systems asked me to register specifically for it - and I'm not interested in getting a loan at the moment.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? - I know my actual credit score for the first time in my life. I still have no idea what it means and how it can be improved - so I would love TotallyMoney to help me understand that.

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Really good. I checked my credit rating before we bought a house a few years ago and remember it being an awkward drawn out process, but this was unbelievably easy. I really liked the dashboard area, it all felt intuitive. So good that it’s free too!

• How did you find the sign-up process?

So easy, took a couple of minutes.

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?

The credit report area. It was really good - crazy to see some of the very old stuff, student addresses etc! It was useful to see that I’m basically okay these days!

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

It was probably slightly better than I’d expected!

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?

I’m not currently looking for any. I’d say they were okay, but they were recommending me lots of credit cards with 39% apr - I know next to nothing about financial stuff but I’m pretty sure that’s dreadful? I could see the early 20s me getting into bad debt very easily...

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I was slightly appalled to see an old flat mate from my student days who I briefly (stupidly!) shared a bank account with as a ‘linked person’. Am going to have to try to get him off there, we’re not in touch anymore!