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? Not very easy to use
• How did you find the sign-up process? Quite frustrating as I tried 3 times but still didn’t get all correct answers
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? Find best credit card
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? Very interesting section and a lot of information
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? Useful
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? Not much

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

I didn't know what to expect but my previous experiences with these types of websites hasn't been very positive. Therefore, I was surprised that it was user friendly and actually quite fun to use. It was easy to find my credit score when I have found this to be difficult in the past and the registration process was straightforward. I will use this website again.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

The sign-up process was easy and straight forward, I had no issues with it at all. I did find the questions about my past financial activities quite hard to remember and you only have two chances with these but apart from that it 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 go through all the soft and hard searches that have been carried out on me, I thought that was very interesting. I also liked seeing my borrowing power as this is something I was unaware of because I have never had a credit card but would consider getting one in the future. The loans and mortgages sections aren't relevant to me at the minute but it is something I will keep in mind in case I need information on these in the future.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I was surprised at what is available to me because I assumed I wouldn't be able to take out many credit cards. However, I am eligible for quite a few of them.

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

This was interesting and clear to understand. It is something I would come to first in the future if I needed a loan or mortgage as it was laid out in a very simple way that made sense to me.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

My credit score is much better than I thought it would be and I am eligible for many more credit cards than I thought I would be too. This has been good to know and I found this a very worthwhile exercise.

Thanks for letting me try it out!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Really good. It was so quick to sign up and easy to find my way around

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Really straight forward and quick

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

I liked being able to see so much history. All my previous addresses etc. Most useful was seeing a summary of my accounts and credit.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I’m not sure what you mean by this. I didn’t find anything titled your borrowing power.

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

They were ok but I don’t think the best deals were there. I have a John Lewis card which earns us about £200 a year.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Not really but I’m reassured that the information is correct.

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
A quick and easy to use application

• How did you find the sign-up process?
Very easy. The information requested was easy and I didn’t have to answer any in depth questions

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
My favourite aspect of the application is the easiness of viewing my credit score

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?
Very happy

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)?
It provided a good variety of deals

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
My knowledge hasn’t really changed but this is a good tool to view what my credit score is

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

This was a lovely website to use! Very intuitive and easy on the eyes. Slight margin issues when using chrome to browse the “See your best deals” section. Also, I have been using “Clear Score” for the past few months and, I hate to say it, there’s not much added advantage to your site (though I score better with you, which I appreciate!)

• How did you find the sign-up process?

It was very easy to sign up and took just a few minutes. Plus it was nice to go down memory lane about accounts I opened when I first got to London!

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

I liked getting real time deals and seeing specific lenders’ deals as well as the percentage likelihood of obtaining those deals. I felt that the extra application for homeowners loan was a bit cumbersome – I wonder if there’s not a way for data like my mortgage amount and the current value of my property couldn’t be stored in your system and input automatically.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Not sure where this is unless it’s referring to the credit cards and loans available to me.

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

These were really appreciated and they were attractively displayed. I have to say it was a huge variety of products including from companies I wasn’t aware of before.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I feel more positive about my financial situation and options, though being naturally quite cautious, I’m unlikely to take up the offers at this stage! Will let the awareness percolate for longer but I’ll keep it in mind if the need arises. Thanks!

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

Very easy to register and navigate. User friendly.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very easy and quick

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And

which were most useful to you? I liked being able to see who has searched for me and also the loans I have as I thought I had none and it turns out my mobile phone contract is classed as a loan.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Interesting and as expected.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g

credit card/mortgages)? Good

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It is as expected.

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

Easy to use.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Quick and not as much info needed as I thought.

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

Being able to see my finances clearly

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Didn’t really understand that part as it didn’t explain why it was that and how I could make it better.

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

I wasn’t recommended anything so no idea where this info was.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It hasn’t. I was hoping for info on what I could do to get a mortgage and how to improve my already good credit rating but I didn’t get any.

Unfortunately I failed on the questions for the credit report so was unable to view it. It’s good that you’re limited to 2 attempts as obviously this is extremely sensitive information.

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

Very straightforward, although I was disappointed not to be able to view my report.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Quick, easy and straightforward.

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

I was most impressed by the sections I could access - the Borrowing Power Section. The credit card section was the most relevant to my needs but I was really fascinated with the Mortgage comparison tool. Very impressive.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Yes, I was very impressed with the ease of use and the information which is accessible here. I was unable to use the load section as I kept receiving an error message, ‘Something has gone wrong. Please try again later’. However, there was plenty of information to be searched in the credit card and mortgage sections.

• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? Extremely useful and user friendly.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I wish I’d had access to this 20 years ago! It’s a fantastic tool that saves hours of trawling through websites. Highly recommended for the areas which I could access.

I thought that this was great! Very simple and easy to use. The sign up section was completed in a couple of minutes and very accurate. I was very impressed!

I found the whole site easy to navigate and understand. I liked the simplicity of this, and whilst I have no particular financial needs at present I would definitely return to the site in the future and consider its recommendations.

I found my borrowing power to be as expected.

This has not changed my knowledge of my financial situation (I spent years working in financial services so believe that my knowledge was already pretty good).

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
It was easy to use and clearly labelled and I was able to navigate it without difficulty.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Fairly simple. I only had difficulty with verification, the first time I must have answered a question wrong and was only given one more chance otherwise I'd be "locked out permanently". Luckily I got it right 2nd time but I only took the chance because I was a tester and it didn't really matter to me if I was locked out. If I was a genuine customer this would have put me off trying a second time.

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

I liked that I could see my whole history, what I currently have, what I used to have and I can also look at deals I could access now. I found it useful to see what searches have been made against me, I could see hard and soft searches and when they were made.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I was happy with my credit score and borrowing power. It would have been nice to have explanation on what the numbers mean, how the score is worked out etc and maybe an idea of the impact taking a new card/loan/mortgage would have etc.

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

It was a useful indicator of what was available, although I would still do further searches on other sites to see if I could find better deals.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I now know my credit score and more idea of what I can look at with regards to future financial decisions I may think about taking e.g. moving home and changing my mortgage.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

It was good. It's really easy to navigate around the site and very clearly displays the information.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Sign up was really easy, I did it in a couple of minutes.

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

I think for me it's just being able to see my borrowing all together on one page and basically see what lenders will see. It's made me consider my financial situation and I'll be looking at the tips to improve my credit rating.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

It was what I expected really.

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

The recommendations were good in that they were clear and it gives you a list of what is appropriate for you.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I knew what loans etc I have but to see it all together and how much I owe and what I pay off was quite a shock. Something for me to work on!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

really good. good to know whats good and bad on your credit score.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

i liked how secure it is. questions only you would know the answer for.

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

seeing how i can improve

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

not something im interested in at the moment but its a good tool.

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

very good, again its a good tool when needed.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

yes it has.

thank you!!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Speedy, simple and straightforward.

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

That it’s free but still fully comprehensive- Experian take note! That I could see all my report on one page, clearly laid out. Also seeing the cards/ loans available to me, more than I thought due to a low score!

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Pleasantly better than expected.

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

Excellent recommendations- I’ve just transferred my current credit card to a new one offering 0% balance transfers for 6 months. Meaning I’ll be able to clear it quickly now, without additional interest payments on top.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I had a rough idea anyway but this has given a clearer picture and peace of mind, now that I’ve started to tackle my debt. Thanks!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? Really easy and quick to find what I needed.

• How did you find the sign-up process? Very simple
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? Viewing the available cards and the different sections e.g. save whilst you shop etc.
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? It surprised me! Very easy to understand.
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? All relevant to me and easy to see what would work for us as a family.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? Yes, improved slightly .

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

Easy to sign up, good looking website, simple to use. My credit score was 614 - is that good? I'd like an explanation of what this means.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very simple

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

Looking at my borrowing power. It's more than I thought! I changed current accoutns 3 days ago and the info hasn't yet flowed into Totally Money but even so seeing all my accounts in one place was useful

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Useful - I will def come back when I need a loan.

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

Useful - would be interesting to know if these are guaranteed offers

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

There are more checks run than I realised!!

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?

Really easy to use and understand.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Easy. It took two attempts, presumably because I am in the process of remortgaging and I wasn’t sure how far along in the process I was.

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

It was really interesting to see how many people have searched my credit report, every time I change insurer or utility providers.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

It was pretty good. I don’t have much money but I try and keep a pretty close eye on the money I do have. I must be doing ok.

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

Suitable for my circumstances and when I next decide to change I will definitely be looking here.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

I feel more in control of my finances which is always a good thing. Definitely recommend

How did you find the overall experience ?- It was the first time I have ever checked my credit rating and very interesting to see all my account/ borrowing history so clearly laid out.

How did you find the sign up process ? - It was incredibly quick and easy which was great.

Which aspects do you like most/ are most useful to you ? - It was great to be able to check my credit rating and in particular to see where searches have been done on my credit rating.

What did you think of your borrowing power ? It was interesting to see how much I could borrow if I needed to.

How did you find the recommendations ? - They were interesting but I do not think I will go with any of them at the moment but may revisit.

Has your knowledge of your financial situation changed ? I was pretty aware of my financial situation but it was good to see it all set out in black and white. The only thing I did not understand is why all my bank accounts show as having zero in them.

I will definitely be logging in again to keep an eye on any searches made and my credit score.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Very good compared to other sites ive used in the past. Very user friendly

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Easy peasy...easier than noodle

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

I like everything about it

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

I was surprised

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

Very good

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

Definitely, its not as bad as i thought 😂 will definitely recommend totally money to friends and family

Tester feedback:

• How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney? I found it relatively easy and straightforward to access the different areas although I wasn't always sure where to go when exploring the areas Mumsnet requested we did.
• How did you find the sign-up process? Incredibly quick and easy.
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? It was good to be able to see my credit rating and to see what credit checks have been made on me and why. I did know about them but it's good to see at a quick glance.
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? My borrowing power was as expected because I'm not in employment at the moment.
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? The recommendations for credit cards was a good tool, but I've always been very good at managing credit cards and always pay the balance.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? I feel like I'm more aware of what my credit rating is - and pleased with it. It's not something I've really thought about but it's good to know especially because insurers and banks know what it is but I'm never told!

Thanks Mumsnet for giving me this opportunity, it was really interesting and didn't take long either.

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Roughly the same as other sites,

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Quick and straightforward.

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

I liked the ability to see offers and clear number for borrowing power.

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Roughly what I expected. It would have been good to see how it was calculated.

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

Not many recommendations and not ones I would take up.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

No change in my knowledge of my financial situation.

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

It was simple and staightforward, though it doesn't seem to have the most up to date info - for example an account I opened in the past couple of months is not listed.

• How did you find the sign-up process?

Very quick and easy, I didn't have to go searching for any info.

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

Seeing a score of my credit - though I am not convinced it is 100% accurate! (See above)

• What did you think of your Borrowing Power?

Better than I thought!

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

I like that it tells you your % chances of being accepted.

• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?

It hasn't - I keep on top of things and generally know what is happening with my finances. If this had all my accounts listed I would be more inclined to trust the credit score which I like to keep track of.

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

• How did you find the sign-up process? Very easy and straight forward
• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? Seeing my accounts as it appears I had one open which I thought I had closed a long time ago.
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? My borrowing power is low which was a surprise to me given our household income.
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? There was not much recommended for me but it is good to know this so that I don't blindly make applications to loans and cards which I am not eligible for.
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? - I now know which cards and loans I might be eligible for in my situation.

1 very easy to use took couple of minutes, 2 sign up fast and easy dont need much info to do it ready fast.3 liked seeing my credit score thought i would be ok but nice to see it in print how it was, liked seeing credit cards /cashback for ideas, 4 borrowing power great idea to help with credit cards,tells me how to improve my credit score,always handy to know, i knew a lot of it but learned a few bits as well, very good site easy and fast to use, will highly recommend to friends and family thank you for picking me

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

It was positive. More information was correct on it than another service I use which is reassuring

• How did you find the sign-up process?

It was quick and easy. It also made me realise I hadn't updated some addresses on certain things since I moved a year ago!

• Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site do you like the most? And which were most useful to you? The recent addresses was good, as we have moved around a lot in the last 5 years it's sometimes hard to remeber all the dates but they're there listed
• What did you think of your Borrowing Power? It looks great, it's nice to know if needed I have such a high rating
• How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products (e.g credit card/mortgages)? Some of the aprs were quite high on the recommendations but i expect that for a new service. I'm sure they'll come down with more people using it
• How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed? It's a lot better than i thought it was and that's with using another free checking service

How did you find the overall experience of using TotallyMoney?
Very simple to use, easy sign up, it didn’t pick up one of my credit cards but apart from that everything was spot on, I couldn’t find anything about what my credit score meant though.
Which aspects of the TotallyMoney site did you like the most? And which were most useful to you?
The borrowing power feature and recommendations for credit, also the ease of use.
What did you think of your Borrowing Power.
It was a bit better than I thought it would be.
How did you find TotallyMoney’s recommendations for products(eg.credit cards/mortgages)?
Fairly useful, I would probably do a wider search however if looking for credit.
How has your knowledge of your financial situation changed?
Not massively but still a useful site especially if you want specific products