Failed Virgin Mobile credit check: your options to get a deal still

Credit checks on Virgin: what do they mean?

A credit check is where a network will check your payment history to telecoms, utilities and other companies to see if they can trust you to pay your bills on time. You’ll have to pass one for all of Virgin’s pay monthly products, even as an existing Virgin Media customer.

When you try to take a pay monthly plan, Virgin will send the details you give them to the credit agencies Equifax and Experian who look through your credit history (see Virgin’s credit check policy here).

Specifically they look for details about your address and your own history of payments. The information they gather is scored against certain criteria. If you fall below that criteria you will fail the check.

It’s the same whether you’re taking a pay monthly SIM only plan or phone contract. In this guide we’ll go over the reasons you may have failed a credit check for either, and take you through your next steps.

I wanted a: Phone contract | SIM only contract

For phones you’ll also have to pass an affordability check

Because Virgin Mobile’s phone contracts are based on finance, they have to prove to government regulators (the FCA) that they’re lending money responsibly. It’s different to a regular mobile contract.

Think about it like getting a loan from a bank. They are legally required to make sure you can actually afford to pay that loan back, otherwise they wouldn’t be loaning responsibly in the eyes of the government.

When signing up for a phone contract direct from Virgin Mobile, you have to sign a Consumer Credit Agreement (CCA) which has a different set of terms and conditions you can read here.

This is all done to make sure that Virgin aren’t letting their customers get into financial trouble. It will make it even harder to get accepted for a phone contract than many other networks, even if you’re an existing Virgin Media broadband or TV customer.

I wanted a: Phone contract | SIM only contract

How we can help you moving forward

It can be a lot of stress being denied a credit check. You might not know what to do next, or what even caused you to fail in the first place. In this guide we’ll go over all the reasons you might have failed.

We’ll also show you what steps you can take to get on Virgin Mobile, build up your credit score or get on a different sort of deal that won’t require you to pass a credit check.

Whether you failed a credit check for a phone contract or a SIM only contract, we’re here to help you. There’s no miracle cure to get the deal of your dreams right away, but you always have options to get back on track.

Keep reading on to see the reasons why you could have failed your credit check and what choices you have moving forward.

I wanted a: Phone contract | SIM only contract

Did you enter your details correctly?

You’d be surprised at how many people fail credit checks because of small mistakes they make when entering their personal details. If you’re not confident, you could go back and make sure you entered your details 100% correctly.

Virgin share your personal information with credit agencies, so if you’ve got even the slightest detail wrong then you will be declined for the credit check.

If you’re sure you entered everything right then you can contact Virgin’s customer service for information as to why. Or you can check your credit score with agencies like Experian just to see if that’s the root of the issue.

Don’t try and force it if you’ve tried and failed again after making sure you put in your details correctly. It’s likely Virgin found something that made them unconfident in selling you a phone. So, what else can you do?

Useful link: Go back to Virgin Mobile phone contracts

Can you get someone else to take out the contract for you?

There’s no reason why you cannot have someone you trust take out a phone contract for you. The key word there is “trust”. Make sure it’s a friend or family member you’re sure will help you out no matter what.

The first issue with it is that there’s a chance they won’t even pass the credit check. And any failed credit checks can negatively affect their credit score, so make sure they’re aware of that beforehand.

If the person helping you is married to or lives with you, your records may be interrelated. So if you already failed, it could just happen again. And you won’t be building up your own credit score on contracts under someone else’s name.

You’ll have to make sure payments are made on time, or you could be hurting your relationship with your trusted person. And never take out a contract in someone else’s name without them knowing. That’s fraud.

Useful link: Go back to Virgin’s phone contracts

Think about taking out a cheaper phone model

You generally need a decent credit score to be accepted for any phone contract, let alone the priciest ones. Networks tend to sort their models into tiers, based on the cost of the device. The higher the tier, the stricter the requirements.

It makes sense, as they’re lending to you for a more expensive model on the promise you’ll pay off the cost. If you failed a credit check for a high end model, it might be worth considering a less expensive one.

You won’t be guaranteed to pass and you won’t have your dream model. But it can be a way of building up your credit score and reputation with Virgin and may make it easier to get accepted for a high end model later.

There’s no way to pay more up front to reduce how much they’re lending you on Virgin. So if you still fail, what options are there?

Useful link: Have a look at the cheapest Virgin phone deals

Ask Virgin for a “classic” phone contract not based on finance

Virgin don’t publicly offer any traditional phone contracts, where you pay for your phone and tariff as one, with no finance agreement, on their website. But you still might be able to get one.

If you call up their sales team, you might be able to convince them to sell you a traditional phone contract. It’s generally easier to be accepted for this kind of contract because there are no affordability checks involved.

Unfortunately, Virgin Mobile’s customer service is sometimes quite poor, so it might not be an easy way to get a phone contract. And you’ll likely get a choice of only a few older, cheaper models. But if could be an option.

Remember, you still have to pass a credit check. If you fail that, then your credit score could further suffer, so you need to decide whether it’s worth the risk of making things potentially worse before taking this approach.

Useful link: Compare all mobile phone contracts

Take a SIM only plan on Virgin to build up credit score

A good way to build up your credit score if you have a poor or no credit history is to take a SIM only plan and keep up with your payments. It’s not ideal if you want a phone right away, but it’s a possible long term solution.

You will have to pass a credit check to get a pay monthly SIM only plan, but it’ll be easier to get accepted than going with a phone contract. There’s no phone involved, so the risk of non-payment is lower for Virgin.

By keeping up with your monthly payments, you’ll not only be building up your credit score but you’ll also be showing them you can be relied upon to make payments on time.

But if you need a new phone as soon as possible and you’ve been denied a phone contract, the best thing to do is to buy it outright. You won’t have to pass a credit check and you’ll own your phone right away.

Useful link: Compare Virgin Mobile’s SIM only deals

Check and see if you entered your details correctly

It’s surprisingly common to fail a credit check because you’ve entered one or more details incorrectly. Even getting a single number or letter wrong can end up with you failing the credit check.

Virgin share your details with credit agencies to run a check on your credit history. If something isn’t right then you’ll fail the check, because it won’t match the records they have on file.

You can contact Virgin’s customer service or check your credit score with an agency like Experian to find out if there are any other issues. There are lots of free services nowadays for this.

If you’re certain it was only an error that cause you to fail, be absolutely sure you put in your details right next time. Failed attempts can hurt your credit score. If you’ve still failed, there are other options.

Useful link: Contact Virgin Mobile’s customer service

Get someone you trust to take out a SIM contract for you

It can be a good idea to get someone you trust to take out a SIM only contract for you if you’ve failed a credit check. They’ll have to pass the credit check themselves and any missed payments will affect their credit.

But if everything goes well, then they can take out the SIM and give it to you to use, and then you pay them the cost monthly, so they can pay Virgin Mobile. It’s what parents do with children.

Make sure that you’re doing this with someone you trust and that you have an arrangement that allows you to make payments on time. Otherwise you could end up straining your relationship with them.

In any case, never take out a SIM only contract in someone else’s name without them being present or just having them take it out for you. This is fraud and it is illegal.

Useful link: Virgin Mobile SIM only contracts

No Pay As You Go options on Virgin

Virgin Media don’t offer any sort of pay as you go or monthly bundle options. As such there’s no way of getting around having to pass a credit check with them like there is on some other networks.

If you want a SIM only deal that’s still on Vodafone’s network and won’t require you to pass a credit check, VOXI are a great low-price option. They offer free social media data on all of their 1-month plans.

VOXI’s best current SIM only plans

Another good option are Talkmobile. They’re a bit cheaper than VOXI, but don’t get you the same sorts of benefits. Still, they’re one of the cheapest UK providers and they’re worth a look:

Cheapest Talkmobile SIM only deals

And finally, there’s ASDA Mobile, also on the Vodafone network. All of their low-price SIMs are on 1-month deals. They’re generally not quite as cheap as Talkmobile, but are still worth looking at.

Best current ASDA Mobile SIM only plans

Useful link: See all the providers on Vodafone’s network