Credit Checking

This section will provide you with information about some checks we need to do when you apply for an account with us – specifically credit checks. 

When you make an application to us for services such as a Pay Monthly contract or Device Financing (Three Your Way), we’ll need to perform credit and identity checks on you with one or more Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs) such as Experian, Equifax or TransUnion.

To do this, we will provide the CRA with your personal information, and the CRA will provide us with information about you.  

We’ll share the information that you have provided us with the CRAs, including information from your application, and information about your financial situation and history. 

The CRA will send us information from both public sources (e.g. the Electoral Register) and shared credit, financial situation, and financial history information, as well as fraud prevention information.

We will then use this information to: 

For as long as we have a relationship with you, we will continue to exchange information with the CRAs. We will inform the CRAs when you settle your accounts with us. Similarly, if you borrow from us and do not repay in full or on time, then we will inform the CRAs, and they will record the outstanding debt. The CRAs may supply this information to other organisations.

When CRAs receive a search from us, they will place a search footprint on your credit file that may be seen by other lenders. 

We will use a combination of credit scoring and/or automated decision-making systems when assessing your application. 

If your application is a joint application, or you tell us that you have a spouse or financial associate, we’ll link your records together, so it’s important that you discuss this and share this information with them before you make your application. 

The CRAs will also link your records together, and the link will remain on both your files until you or your partner successfully files for a disassociation with the CRAs to break that link. 

The Credit Reference Agency Information Notice (CRAIN) provides more detail about the CRAs and how they handle/process personal information. It includes information about the identities of the CRAs, their role in fraud prevention, the data they hold, the ways they use and share personal information, their data retention periods, and your data rights with the CRAs. The CRAIN is accessible from each of the 3 CRAs; the links below will take you to the same CRAIN document:

• Experian
• Equifax
• TransUnion

The credit-checking process will involve us obtaining information about you from one or more CRAs. This information will then be used in an automated decision process to determine whether we can enter a contract with you. 

When you are made aware of the outcome of this automated decision-making, if you wish this to be reassessed by a person, you may do so by:

• Emailing credit.checking@three.co.uk
• Writing to us at: Three Credit Operations, Hutchison 3G UK Ltd, PO Box 333, Glasgow G2 9AG

Please note, if you want your application to be reviewed, you must contact our Credit Operations team within 14 days of the date of your application. 

You also have the right to object to a decision being taken solely by automated processing – see Your Rights for further information.

Information and details that we will share with the CRAs will include:

Credit searches and information shared by us and held by the CRAs is used by us and other organisations to:

This information can also be used by us and other organisations to help make decisions about credit applications made by other members of your household, if you have a financial relationship with them.

For further information about data sharing for the prevention and detection of fraud, please see Fraud checks.