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Join Which? MoneyTransUnion credit score shake-up: what the changes mean for you
Scores are moving from 0-710 to 0-999
Josh is an award-nominated journalist with nearly a decade of experience, including writing for national newspapers. A data whizz, he specialises in covering personal finance and investing.
TransUnion is shaking up how it calculates credit scores, expanding its range from 0 to 710 to a maximum of 999.
The credit reference agency says its new system will look at a broader range of information, including how your account balances change over time and your credit card use.
Here, we explain what’s changing, when you’ll see the new scores, and whether it could affect your chances of borrowing.
Why is TransUnion’s score changing?
According to the group, the change is being made to ‘better reflect consumer behaviours and changes in the lending landscape’.
The credit reference agency says the new scoring system will help you better understand what affects your credit score, how you could improve it, and your borrowing options.
The overhaul is also designed to better reflect people with little or no credit history, such as those who are new to credit, as well as differentiating them more from people with poor credit history.
The change comes after fellow agency Experian announced a revamp of its own scoring in November last year, from 0-999 to a maximum of 1,250.
- Find out more: how to check your credit score for free
How does the new scoring system work?
The new system will give you a score between 0 and 999 determined by your creditworthiness. Based on your score, you will be placed into one of five bands.
TransUnion is also updating the names of two of its credit score categories, changing 'Poor' and 'Very Poor' to 'Low' and 'Very Low'.
The new bands are designed to give ‘an even more meaningful view of their financial standing’.
| Existing credit score band | Existing credit score range | New credit score band | New score range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 628 - 710 | Excellent | 786 – 999 |
| Good | 604 - 627 | Good | 653 – 785 |
| Fair | 566 - 603 | Fair | 563 – 652 |
| Poor | 551 - 565 | Low | 488 – 562 |
| Very Poor | 0 - 550 | Very Low | 0 – 487 |
Will my credit score change?
The new score will roll out across credit monitoring partners in phases from late September 2026 to June 2027.
According to the credit reference agency, during the rollout you may temporarily see two different TransUnion credit scores. This will depend on where you access your score and when your chosen provider adopts the new scoring model.
You’ll also get support to better understand your credit score and how to improve it. This will include practical educational messages, personalised insights and tips tailored to individual circumstances.
- Find out more: what is a credit report?
Will it affect current credit applications?
The group confirmed that information shared with organisations about your credit history will remain unchanged.
It's important to remember that the TransUnion credit score you see isn't necessarily the score a lender uses when assessing your application.
Lenders use a consumer’s credit report alongside their own factors to determine lending decisions.
As a result, seeing different scores while the new system rolls out won't affect lenders' decisions on credit applications.
- Find out more: do you understand your credit score?
What other credit agencies are there?
There are several credit reference agencies in the UK, but lenders mainly use three: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
You have the right to access your statutory credit report for free, which shows the credit information an agency holds about you. You can also pay for more detailed reports or use free app-based services
The information in your credit report can vary between agencies because lenders don't necessarily report to every credit reference agency. Each agency also uses its own method to calculate the consumer credit score it shows you, so your scores can differ.
It's therefore worth checking your credit reports with more than one agency to get the fuller picture of your credit history and spot any errors.
- Find out more: how to improve your credit score
