Does Bumper do a hard credit check?

No, Bumper does not do a “hard” credit check when you apply.

When applying for Bumper’s Buy Now Pay Later service for car maintenance, Bumper performs a “soft” credit check, which does not affect your credit score.

However, this is just the initial search. If you accept your Bumper plan and start making repayments, these will be reported to the credit reference agency.

If you make payments on time, this could positively affect your credit score.

Read on to find out more about how credit checks with Bumper work:

Does Bumper do a credit check?

Yes, Bumper does a “soft” credit check when you apply for their interest-free finance product. A “hard” credit check isn’t performed.

Soft credit checks show on your credit report but aren’t visible to other lenders. Only you can see them.

Because other lenders can’t see them, they won’t affect other credit applications, such as a mortgage or finance to purchase a car.

When you start making repayments towards a Bumper payment plan, repayments will be reported to the credit reference agency:

The process works like this:

Initial application – Bumper performs a soft credit check. This is only visible on your credit report to you.

Ongoing reporting – Payments made on time or missed payments would be reported to the credit reference agency.

How strict are Bumper’s credit checks?

If you have a good credit history and have been regularly making repayments to other lenders on time, it is most likely that you’ll be approved.

If you don’t have a very good credit history and you regularly miss repayments or have a history of defaults, you may not be accepted.

However, applications are reviewed on an individual basis, and we cannot guarantee you’ll be approved.

Why does Bumper perform a soft credit check?

The “soft” search Bumper performs gives us a an overview of key aspects of your credit history, allowing us to make an assessment of your creditworthiness.

As a responsible lender, we must do all we can to make sure we don’t approve anybody for credit that they might not be able to repay or could push them into financial difficulty. A soft search lets us do this.

Does a credit check from Bumper show to other lenders?

The soft credit check Bumper carries out when you apply doesn’t show to other lenders.

However, if you start your plan and accept your agreement, on-time and missed payments will be reported to the credit reference agency.

Does a credit check from Bumper show immediately?

Bumper reports the soft credit check to the credit reference agency straight away.

It is important to remember that a soft search only appears to you. It doesn’t show to other lenders.

Does using Bumper improve your credit score?

Yes, using Bumper could improve your credit score.

Regularly making payments on time is a good way to show lenders you’re likely to meet their repayment schedule and can positively impact your credit score.

However, missed or default payments could affect your credit score in a negative way. If you think you’re unable to make your repayments, the best thing to do is speak to Bumper straight away.

Final thoughts – does Bumper do a hard credit check?

Hopefully, this guide has given you all the information you need about how credit checks for Bumper’s car repair finance works.

No, Bumper does not perform a hard credit check. It performs a soft credit check, which only you can see.

If you accept your credit agreement, the payments you make or miss will be reported back to the credit reference agency.