Money Matters
We’ve put together some tips and tools on ways that might be helpful in managing your money and tell you about services that can provide you with free support and advice.
We have a free benefit checker tool that can help you save money on your bills and check if you are getting the right amount of income, even if you're not on benefits. Click here to find out if you’re getting the right income.
When you’re on the electoral roll your details are recorded on your credit report, and this helps lenders check your name and address which can help improve your credit score.
Click here for more information
Your credit score is a picture of you to a lender that they usually look at when you apply for a loan, the higher your score the better your chance of a lender saying yes to you and you will also get better deals like lower interest rates and higher credit limits. Remember, you shouldn’t take out credit just to improve your credit score, there are lots of different ways to improve your score (see our access to credit section).
You can check your credit score for free on the following websites:
Some tips to keep your credit score:
- Limit the amount of credit applications you make.
- Make payments for all your credit on time. Remember as well as loans this can include catalogues and your mobile phone contract.
- If you can’t make payments on time, talk to your credit provider and come up with a payment plan.
- If you have a credit card, using a large amount of your credit limit can reduce your credit score over time
- Make sure you are registered on the electoral role
- Check your credit file is up to date and you report any errors as this could affect your score and getting a loan.
Remember at Moneyline we don’t just look at your credit score. We want the loan to be affordable and work for you.
We want the loan to be affordable and work for you.
With the rise in cost of living many people are now worried about paying their bills, we are all talking more about how we are managing our money. The more we talk openly about it, the easier it is to get help. If you’re struggling with repayments contact the lender, it’s best not to ignore it as most lenders will help.
If you’re struggling with your Moneyline loan repayments contact us by email at serviceteam@moneyline-uk.com, by phone 03456431553 or by visiting our app and logging into your account.
Get free advice about money worries or debt at one of the places below:
Having a budget can help you keep on track with your spending, this can help prevent overspending and help you save. Do regular checks of your own money, here are some tools which can help you with this.
There are lots of different illegal money lenders. Some look like other lenders and some don’t. Being illegal means that they don’t follow the same rules as legal lenders like Moneyline and most charge much more, especially when you can’t make your payments.
If you or someone you know has borrowed from a loan shark and your worried, help is available. Click here for more information.
All water, electricity and gas companies can help if you can’t make your payments but sometimes its difficult to talk to the right person and explain your problem.
If you are having problems with any of your household suppliers:
- Keep paying your bills – until the problem is resolved you need to carry on paying.
- Think about how you want to contact them and then find the contact information you need from their website – email or phone number.
Things to have ready for your call or email:
- Pen and paper to take notes.
- Account number or reference number.
- Write down what has happened, what went wrong, when it happened, why you are unhappy, how can they help you.
- Write down the person’s name you spoke to and the date and time of the call. If its an email, keep the email you sent.
If you are not happy with the answer, contact your local Citizens Advice who can help talk to you about the next steps (click here to find your local CAB)
If you still have an issue, you can make a complaint with your supplier to make sure you get the service you need, details of how to do this are usually in the ‘get in contact’ section of your suppliers website.
Remember – they will try to look at this for you as soon as they can, however sometimes they can take up to 8 weeks to resolve.
There is lots of help available at the moment but sometimes it can be hard to find.
If you are on benefits there are social tariffs available for people on benefits and some water and utility companies also have grants available if you are struggling. Use our benefits checker which also helps find cheaper cost options for you too. Or have alook at the ofcom website list of what’s available, click here to find out more.
The government also has a website, help for households, that will give you the most up to date information in what’s available to help with costs.
The National Databank is like a foodbank but provides free mobile data, texts and calls to help people in need to get online and stay connected to loved ones. People in need can access 20GB of free O2 data a month – enough for around 220 hours of internet browsing.
Click here to find your nearest Databank
