Your credit score can affect and influence almost everything and anything you do these days. From taking out a mortgage loan to signing up for car insurance, and sometimes, even when applying for a job, you will be required to undergo a credit check. How about during wireless phone service applications? Do companies like TMobile check your credit score, too?
Yes, TMobile does check your credit score. However, it is only necessary if you will be signing up for any of their postpaid plans. Your credit will have to be pulled to know the amount of security deposit you need to put down.
The good news is that TMobile also offers several prepaid plans where no checking of credit score is required, which makes them a great option for people with bad credit or no credit at all.
What Type of Credit Check Does TMobile Run?
TMobile is one of the popular wireless carriers in the US with a wide range of services and plans available for consumers.
TMobile runs a hard credit check if you have opted to sign up for any of their postpaid plans. With these plans, you will be under a two-year contract.
A hard credit check can lower your credit score by several points whenever one is run. This kind of credit can remain in your history for up to two years after one is pulled.
Which Credit Bureau Does TMobile Use for Credit Checks?
It has been known that TMobile uses TransUnion for running a credit check. TransUnion is also the preferred choice for checks. However, TMobile can also pull from several credit bureaus or even possibly swap TransUnion for another in the future.
Why TMobile Runs a Credit Check
The main and most obvious reason why TMobile runs a credit check is to make sure that you were on time with paying your bills in the past. This is a critical factor for any postpaid contract plan.
Simply put, TMobile runs credit checks on their consumers to know if they will be a good paying customers. The company also uses it to determine the type of down payment or security deposit you need to make if you decide to lease a phone.
Required Minimum Credit Score at TMobile
TMobile doesn’t have a specific cutoff for credit scores for their contract plants. More often than not, however, if you have a credit score lower than 550 or 600, you will be unqualified for all postpaid plans not only in TMobile but also in other carriers.
Do Existing TMobile Customers Undergo Credit Checks?
TMobile decided to stop running credit checks on their existing customers back in 2015. It means that if you have decided to renew your contract with the company, there is no need for you to worry about any soft credit check being run for your plan.
Wireless phone service is now a necessity and not only a mere luxury. The good news is that even if TMobile does check your credit score, it is only required for postpaid plans. It means you can always opt for a prepaid plan if you are worried about your credit score.