Establishing a Credit History??

I have an iphone now, so basically would just be upgrading. The fiance has an HTC (something or other! No idea of the model.) I have a cheaper droid type phone I use in the UK now- a PAYG one. But I hate it. Not intuitive at all! I really prefer my iphone!

If it was just for the phone, There are easier ways to get it. If you already have an iPhone. You can get a sim only contract which I would like to point out have a much lower credit rating score. Most people do not realise that it is not a one out all out thing. It varies in gradient depending on the tariff and the phone. And also all the carriers use different credit checking. The best carriers to try are Vodafone or Three as they have the general consensus of having the lower threshold for credit checks.

Another option that I never mentioned earlier but if it's for phone contract purposes only is that there is a sneaky way to get around the credit check. They do the credit check by running your bank card through their system they always ask for it. If you use a prepaid credit card from one of the large three American Express, Visa, Mastercard it can be somewhat beneficial since you are not actually borrowing any credit, prepaid credit cards have a guaranteed acceptance no matter what your credit rating is like. Prepaid credit cards are an ideal way to get your hands on a recognised card but without the need to pass any checks.

There are many reasons to hold a credit card other than borrowing though.   They give much better protection if you buy something on them and the item turns out to be defective or the company goes bust.   Or rewards - I get 1% cashback on everything I spend on my cc.   I always pay in full every month without fail, so don't pay a penny in interest and get a nice £150 bonus once a year :-)

OP, my suggestion would be trying to get a credit card from whoever you currently have your current account with.   Although there may not be much on your credit file he bank will be able to analyse your transaction history and see if you manage your account well.

Another trick that helped my wife get credit when she was first here was putting a "notice of correction" on her credit file explaining why she wasn't on the electoral roll.   This seemed to help her get credit manually approved by a human when an automated process would have just declined her (NoCs have to be read by a human)

I lived for 14 years in UK and had two homes with mortgages while I was over there. My wife and I are considering moving back. Does anyone know how you go about checking your UK credit rating? I have been in US for 4 and half years so it will be gathering dust.

We are registered with noddle which gives unlimited access to your credit report. https://www.noddle.co.uk/ they are part of callcredit (1 of the big 3) its been great for us.