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?

Overall very good experience, easy to navigate and uncomplicated site.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

The sign up was very fast and straightforward, I was impressed by how painless and uncomplicated it was.

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

For me, being able to see at a glance what my credit score is and also note what searches have been made recently is invaluable. It’s important I think to keep an eye on your file and this is a good way to ensure all is as it should be.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

My credit score and borrowing power are poor so there isn’t many options for me but I was already aware of that thankfully!

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

There were little options for me with a low score but I was impressed with the few recommendations on raising my score without resorting to further lending.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It hasn’t changed really as I was already very aware of how it stood. But I will be making use of the site from now on to keep a regular eye on things.

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

It's straight forward and intuitive to use

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Easy, apart from the ID verification!

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

The offers for cards/loans etc

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

It was good interesting to find this out

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

About what I expected them to be

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It has confirmed what I thought about my finances

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

I was really impressed - what a great tool!

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very easy to sign up. User friendly site and a very quick process.

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

I like the credit score and borrowing power aspects. The accounts section was quite interesting too. The credit scoring was the most useful I think - I had always wondered what my score was.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Great - I scored 8.6 which was excellent according to the site.

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

This would be really useful if I was on the lookout for a good deal.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed

No it was pretty much how I imagined it was. But it’s nice to have that confirmation.

Thanks for the opportunity to try this out

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Overall it was quick, easy and informative.

How did you find the sign-up process?
Extremely easy - very little information required and it found me quickly.

Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
I liked the credit score and borrowing power best. The site is also nicely designed, flows well and is easy to navigate. I think it's very useful to be able to check the different aspects of the credit report to ensure that they're accurate, and see if any unexpected hard searches that could affect my report are on there. I have an excellent score, but I still would have liked to see suggestions for improving it.

What did you think of your Borrowing Power?
Useful, but I still feel a bit wary of the information there. Not sure I would rely on it entirely.

How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?
Interesting. I might apply for a credit card through the site, but wouldn't feel 100% confident. I also know that there are other credit cards available, so I wonder why the ones that were shown were chosen. I worry that there is a special relationship with TotallyMoney, so maybe the suggestions aren't entirely impartial.

How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
Not tremendously - I have already used a different service to check my credit rating. I think I prefer this site, although I would have liked some tips and/or suggestions for increasing my credit score, or at least maintaining it.

How did I find the overall experience?
Mostly positive. I had to submit some information twice as it said it couldn't find me ( you only get two attempts) luckily it found me the second time.

How did you find the sign up process?
Very straightforward, took minutes.

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

It was interesting to see what my credit score was and to see how little info you had to give the site for all your finanical details to appear ( eg any loans you currently have) I was able to quickly see how much on a loan I still needed to pay off.
What did you think of your borrowing power?
Better than expected but I don't know if that's a good thing.
How did you find recommendations for products?
A large number of possible loans etc all together would definitely be something I would use if I needed such things.
How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
Amazed how many loans, credit cards I could possible get with my financial situation at present.

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

I found my experience with using TotallyMoney a really positive one. easy to use abd clear to understand. Would definitely recommend.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

The sign up process was straight forward and quick to do. a couple of questions was all it took to get get started.

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

I liked seeing what my credit score was and my borrowing power. I thought the borrowing was most useful.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Score out of ten was clear and easy to understand

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

Very interesting, there were plenty of options but without being overloaded

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I had no idea how likely I was to get a loan/credit card before I checked, and I was pleasantly surprised!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Very positive. I wasn't too sure what to expect but I have come away feeling very reassured regarding my financial situation which I would usually stress over.

How did you find the sign-up process?

Super simple and quick. Unbelievable that soxtio much data can be collected and collated in such a small amount of time.

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

Very user friendly. I really appreciated being able to see all mortgage and credit card debt all in one place and see it all going in the right direction.

What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Very pleasantly surprised. I have considered taking out a personal loan to use towards our wedding next year and it's very reassuring to have an Excellent score.

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

We have a financal advisor who deals with all our mortgage needs but it was useful to have a bit of a search for myself. The credit card section was also very useful. I have 2 credit cards and am.l now very tempted by the balance transfer ovfera that are available.

How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Knowing my credit score and borrowing ability has really reassured me. I would love to know how to slightly approve on my score though. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Interesting and good that it's free. Easy to use and good tool for comparing products. A little disappointed that there was very little on it in terms of my personal history.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Quick and straight forward.

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

I liked being able to check what was on my file (nothing much!) and that there was nothing wrong on there.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

As it was excellent, I liked it!

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

Interesting but as my husband earns more than me it would probably be more relevant and interesting to use the recommendations that come up if he tries this site out. (I will tell him about it)

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

A little bit. However there is no information given on how my credit score is worked out and why it's not higher than it is!

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

Very quick and easy.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Remarkably quick and easy!

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

Credit score and searches

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

As expected

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

Easy to understand and useful

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Confirmed what I thought it would be.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
It was alright, didn't really tell me anything.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Fairly simple, though I had to take an educated guess at 2 of the 3 questions.

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

I liked seeing my score, though I would have liked some of the promised tips on improving my score.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

It was only 6.6 out of 10, which is a surprise as I've never had problem debt, and currently owe nothing, not even a mortgage. Probably due to my low personal income.

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

They're not really relevant to me as I've paid off my mortgage and student loan, and buy things from savings rather than credit.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It hasn't really, I was after tips on improving my score and didn't get any. Perhaps after a month it gets a feel for how your credit changes, and can give tips then?

-How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Really easy to use website and pleasant experience. All the info is readily available and easy to find and navigate through. It is an inviting, and friendly-looking site, colours are calming and not too in your face. It is quite intuitive to navigate and the information is clearly visible and easy to find.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

The sign up process was quick and straight forward. Just need to enter a few basic details and then verify email address.

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

I liked seeing my score as soon as I signed in. I like the borrowing power option, very useful for recommendations of products suitable for your credit profile.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I thought that was a very useful feature; it actually showed me offers I wasn't aware we're available to me, such as free balance transfer credit cards, which was very useful to me, as I have been looking at transferring a credit card balance.

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

They seem to have up to date and reliable Information, all the way from mainstream lenders to credit builder companies.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Signing up has enabled me to get an up to date picture of my current financial situation, and find appropriate products I may be interested in.

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

It was a positive experience, overall. The layout was clear, the information was useful, and it was easy to understand.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

The sign-up experience itself was really easy. The only minor issue was that my credit report couldn't be found at first. After a day or so, I logged back in and it was there.

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

I liked the account summary a lot. It was really easy to see how many accounts were registered to my name and the value of these. This was really useful as a quick sense check for any unusual activity.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

It was reassuring to see the borrowing power graphic. I will definitely check this again when I want to take out any financial products.

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

It was useful to see all the different types of cards that where available. It's also really interesting to have an indication of my likelihood of being accepted before applying.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Not particularly. It's nice to have confirmation of what i thought I knew though.

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

Overall I found it a good and surprisingly simple experience.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

I found it surprisingly a lot more simple than I expected, as I expected a lot more longer and complicated questions to answer.

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

I like how the credit score is simplified in an easy to see way, aswell as the simple way of seeing the searches made about you and the finances available to you.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I was disappointed and surprised that my borrowing power was half the maximum of 10, which wasn’t explained, as my credit score was quite high. I would have appreciated more advice on this and theways to improve this score.

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

I found them easy to sort and navigate through. They were set out in a straightforward way and didn’t use any complicated language.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It has made me more aware of the financial footprint I leave, but I am no more further learning how to improve my credit score.

I found total money surprisingly useful and easy to use. The signup process took a matter of minutes. I wish I knew about this before now. When signing up to total money it asked a few simple security questions and that was me I was in.
I like the accounts part, I can ensure that all my credit is up to date and check there isn't anything that doesn't belong to me on there. I puts my mind at ease. I am currently saving for a first time mortgage so this will come in useful.
I loved borrowing power, what a good idea and also its fair. I doesn't give you a false impression on what can be borrowed.
I liked the totalmoney recommendations, I didn't know of a lot of the services I was entitled too and may consider getting a card in the future.
I thought my credit was a lot worse than it was as I have never had a lot of luck in applying successfully for cards etc, however, having used this is simply that I don't have enough of a credit footprint

I found the experience very customer centric, simple interface which made searching and browsing very fast and smooth. I've experience of a number of these web services, and this is by far one of the best. In this type of web experience, information is power. TotallyMoney allows you to access, pretty much, everything.

I cannot stress enough interface is king, and Totally is most impressive on this.

Signup was so simple, took two mins.

It's hard to pick individual aspects as the service has clearly focused on providing customers their financial information in an easy-to-access format. So, the interface wins, so many financial service interfaces require a set knowledge. As a former senior web professional, Totally have nailed this.

I knew my borrowing power before checking it on TM, information was the same. Being able to see who had accessed my data was rather useful. This means you can see something financial institutions have been trying to keep from customers for decades.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Really easy and really interesting actually! I liked the direct comparison options for looking at what I am paying vs what's out there.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Super easy, although I did panic at the questions before the scoring as I honestly couldn't remember some of the answers lol. But I got through fine, and good to know it's making sure it's you checking. Quite straight forward and I didn't have any issues.

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

I liked;

I definitely like the comparison regarding loans and mortgage and I will be checking in on that!

Knowing my scores

Making sure there is nothing that's not accurate on my records or linked to my property

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I got 9 out of 10. I was really pleased with that as we are planning an extension in the next few years and we will need to borrow for it. I'm pleased to see we will be in a good position if we continue as we are.

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

Good, and reassuring, it looks like I have a great mortgage plan already, so no need to swap and the same for my loan, it's a couple of pounds cheaper. So good to know I must be at least a little money savvy - even if I didn't realise it!

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I thought my rating wouldn't be anything special so wanted to see how bad it was to see how we could make it better In preparation for the big loan, but I felt reassured, and it made me feel much more confident with our financial situation. So thank you very much.

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

Relatively straightforward - bear in mind though I work in IT and am confident in using apps and websites

• How did you find the sign-up process? Easy enough although the security questions from Callcredit are a bit of a memory test especially if organisations names have changed

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

It is easy to navigate and browse your credit report and gives a good range of information for a free service

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Good to know it's relatively high - so that tells me I'm not overstretches just now

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

There was a good range of suggested options - if I wanted that type of product I would possibly have considered one or more of them

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I recently started checking via another service (again, a free one) after somebody I'm close to had a nasty surprise. This gives me further visibility of how I am doing and with the combined info, I can be reasonably certain there are no issues affecting my file

I'm always nervous when seeking a new Loan or credit deal eg for a new car loan as I have never had visibility of my file before - this gives me a little more confidence to manage my finances and borrowing and seek out good deals

questions:

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

Not great as couldn’t find my credit report

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Easy

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

Good website design

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Not detailed enough

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

Good to fair

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Not particularly

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Very easy actually. Good layout simple website.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Again, very easy.

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

My credit report is good to know. The fact I score lower because I've never had finance baffles me but hey ho. Mortgage rates etc very interesting and helpful to know about.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Yes I guess I didn't have much knowledge of this before I looked at totally money so that's interesting.

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

Good and thorough. Very high interest rates though.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It's nice to know, as I had no idea before!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

I was generally impressed at the information provided and being able to see my credit score and report for free is brilliant.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Relatively easy. I failed the first verification and then as I hadn’t validated my email it didn’t let me progress, but I figured that out soon enough. Wasn’t too many questions although knowing the exact date 7 odd years ago when I signed up for what bank account was a bit tricky.

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

I liked being able to see all of your open and closed accounts, I think this would be particularly useful if you had a lot of credit cards and didn’t keep track very well. Seeing the searches made for my credit scoring was interesting too. The site was easy to navigate.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I liked that it was high!

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

I thought this was useful and if I was looking for a new credit card it could be a useful place to start.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I feel better informed about how my finances are perceived by those who would run a credit check on me, and also feel better informed about the level of potential borrowing and credit I could obtain.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Very quick and easy to use! Really informative with all info in one place, will be recommending!

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Again, very quick and easy to sign up however some of the ‘validating’ questions were quite tricky - I can’t quite remember All the info without looking it up, luckily I passed on guesses!

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

I liked being able to see all of the info attached to me, particularly from previous addresses. It was useful to see my credit rating and what offers may be available to me.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Better than I expected!

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

It would be better if the info was already pre-populated rather than opening into a new tab and then having to click through again. It didn’t suggest to me that it was actually based on my info and needed a secondary search.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I’m more aware of what might be available to me, should I require additional lines of credit.

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

It was very useful and easy to use

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Extremely easy to set up

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

I liked that I got to see exactly how much I owed on my mortgage

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

This could be really useful

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

It was good to know I have options

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Well I would like to pay extra off my mortgage so it has put me in better steading for working out how much to try and pay.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? Very easy to use and very informative.

• How did you find the sign-up process? Easy and simple.
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? I liked seeing how my addresses were connected as I found a mistake.
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? Excellent so I was pleased!
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? Good. Quite a range.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? I now know my credit score! It would be good to keep track and see what factors change it going forward.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

My overall experience of using the Totally Money website was very positive. Simple enough to sign up to ,the website easy to navigate and all in all very user friendly.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

I thought it was very quick and easy to sign up, although I didnt pass the validation checks first time round (due to my bad memory!!) second time was fine!

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

I liked being able to see my credit rating straight away, and checking all the info on the site was accurate with my current situation. It was also very interesting to see who had searched my credit file recently.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Really pleased to find I had a high borrowing power and products with good rates.

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

I found it very useful especially as I am about to come to the end of a interest free credit card. It was good to see the ones I would likely be accepted for without having to try pot luck.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I don't think it has changed much as I do have a good knowledge of my finances in general, however I found the site very interesting and will definitely use in the future for when I'm in need of a credit card, loan or remortgage.