Catalogue accounts and your credit file
A catalogue account is reported to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion like any other credit agreement. This section explains what they record, what a missed payment does to your file, and how to check and correct it.
A credit search and an account record are two different things on your file
When you apply for a catalogue account, the retailer asks a credit reference agency (a company that holds your credit history, the main three being Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to run a check on you before deciding whether to lend. This is a credit search, sometimes called a credit check, and it leaves a mark on your file showing that you applied on that date. It does not show whether you were accepted, and it says nothing about how you have managed credit elsewhere.
What the search does, and does not, tell other lenders
A search stays visible on your file for a limited period, usually 12 months, and other lenders can see it when they run their own checks on you. One search on its own rarely makes much difference. Several searches close together read differently, because a lender sees a run of recent applications as a sign that you may be short of credit elsewhere, and that can make the next application harder. This is one reason it is worth thinking through whether you need the account before you apply. How catalogue accounts work covers what the retailer is actually agreeing to lend you.
What happens once the account is open
Once you have a live account, the lender reports something different: an account record, updated each month with your balance and whether the payment due that month was made on time. This is not a one-off entry. It runs for as long as the account stays open, and it continues to show on your file for six years after the account closes, whether it closed in good order or with missed payments recorded against it.
The search and the account record answer different questions for anyone looking at your file. The search shows that you asked for credit. The account record shows what you did with it once you had it, month by month, for as long as the account exists. A missed payment does not change the old search entry; it appears on the account record instead, and it is the account record that future lenders weigh most heavily. What a missed payment sets in motion, including any default notice and what it means for the account, is covered in when a catalogue account becomes a problem.
This page explains how the mechanism works and what appears where. It is general information, not financial advice on your own file or your own borrowing, and if you want help working through a personal decision, MoneyHelper (moneyhelper.org.uk) is free and independent, and you can check whether a firm you are dealing with is authorised on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk.
The three credit reference agencies compared
The three agencies hold separate files on you, built from different lenders reporting to them, so a mistake with one does not necessarily appear on another. Checking all three is the only way to see the full picture.
| Agency | What it covers | How to check | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experian | One of the three agencies most catalogue lenders report to | Free statutory report available directly from Experian | Runs its own dispute process if you flag an error |
| Equifax | Also used widely by catalogue and other retail credit providers | Free statutory report available directly from Equifax | Some lenders report only to Equifax and not the other two |
| TransUnion | The third agency, sometimes overlooked because it is checked less often | Free statutory report available directly from TransUnion | Worth checking separately, since it can hold entries the others do not |
This is general guidance on how each agency works, not a tested comparison of their services. Each agency's own website has current detail on how to request your report and how disputes are handled.
How to correct an error on your credit file
What counts as an error
An error is something on your file that is factually wrong: an account that is not yours, a balance that does not match what you actually owe, a payment marked as missed when it was made on time, or an account still showing as open after you closed it. This matters because a lender assessing a new application reads the file as it stands, so a wrong entry can affect a decision it should never have influenced.
Raising a dispute with the credit reference agency
You contact the credit reference agency (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion, whichever holds the file) or the lender that supplied the entry, and set out what is wrong and why. Under UK data protection law you have a right to ask for inaccurate personal data to be corrected, and a dispute over a credit file entry is normally handled as this kind of correction request.
What the agency has to do
The credit reference agency passes the dispute to the lender that supplied the data (the data furnisher), and the lender has to confirm whether the entry is accurate or amend it. Industry practice is to complete this within 28 days, and while the dispute is open the entry is usually marked as disputed on your file so a lender checking it can see the position is contested. If the lender confirms the entry is wrong, the credit reference agency corrects or removes it.
If the lender says the entry is right and you still disagree
You can add a notice of correction: a short statement, normally up to 200 words, that sits alongside the disputed entry and is shown to anyone who checks your file afterwards. It does not remove the entry, but it gives your side of it a permanent place next to the lender's version, which matters if the entry keeps coming up in future applications.
Where to take it if the dispute is not resolved
- Complain to the lender directly if you have not already, since most disputes are resolved at this stage.
- Take an unresolved complaint about the lender or the credit reference agency to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free and independent.
- Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office if you believe your data protection rights have not been respected.
This page sets out how the dispute process works in general terms. It is not financial advice, and if you need help deciding what to do about your own file, MoneyHelper (moneyhelper.org.uk) explains the options in more detail, and you can check whether a firm is regulated on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk. If the entry relates to an account that has become unmanageable, When a Catalogue Account Becomes a Problem covers what happens next.
Check your credit file for free with all three agencies
Errors happen and they can be corrected. Checking your file costs nothing and does not affect your credit score.