Does T-Mobile conduct a credit check? (all you must know)
Are you considering switching your mobile carrier to T-Mobile, but have some questions before you do, such as: Does T-Mobile do a credit check?
Do you want to know what bureau T-Mobile uses or have other important questions? If so, read on as I’ve found answers to these questions and more!
Does T-Mobile conduct a credit check?
If you sign up for one of the postpaid plans, T-Mobile does a credit check, which means your credit will be drawn to determine how much you need to deposit in 2022. However, T-Mobile offers a variety of prepaid plans that don’t require a credit check for those with no or bad credit.
Are you looking for more details on T-Mobile’s credit check process before switching? Well, read below for all the facts you need to know before switching!
What kind of credit checks does T-Mobile do?
If you decide to sign up for one of the postpaid plans, T-Mobile does a rigorous credit check, which is where you’ll sign up for a two-year contract.
Also, every time you run a hard credit check, your credit score drops a few points, and that credit check may remain in your history for two years.
Which credit bureau does T-Mobile use for credit checks?
T-Mobile is known to use TransUnion to run credit checks and is the preferred option for checks, although T-Mobile may draw from multiple accounts or change this in the future.
Why does T-Mobile do a credit check?
T-Mobile does a credit check to make sure you’ve paid your previous bills on time, which is important for postpaid contract plans.
So T-Mobile does a credit check to determine if you’re a paying customer and what type of security deposit/down payment you’ll have to pay if you lease your phone.
What is the minimum credit score required by T-Mobile?
T-Mobile does not specify credit score cutoffs for contract plans.
However, in most cases, if your credit score is below 550 or 600, you will not be eligible for any carrier’s postpaid plans.
How hard is it to get approved by T-Mobile?
T-Mobile says about half of Americans don’t qualify for the company’s best phone deals because they don’t have the credit scores needed to qualify.
Additionally, T-Mobile said cell phone plan rejections due to low or poor credit scores are an industry-wide problem, not just its company.
Does T-Mobile offer plans for people with bad credit?
T-Mobile started a program called Smartphone Equality, where you can pay on time for 12 months and then qualify for the best price on offer.
Also, if you join the program, you don’t have to worry about your credit score, because Smartphone Equality means you’ve paid on time.
However, you will need to make 12 on-time payments to enroll in one of the following eligible programs, including:
- gist
- magenta
- one
- simple choice
- Just pay in advance
- monthly prepayment
- Prepaid customers need to switch to a Magenta plan to take advantage of the benefits
Does T-Mobile perform credit checks on existing customers?
T-Mobile stopped credit checks on existing customers in 2015, so if you renew your service with the company, you don’t need to worry about a soft credit check.
Do you need T-Mobile’s SSN?
If you plan to sign up for a postpaid plan, you will need your T-Mobile Social Security number.
That’s because T-Mobile checks your credit before you qualify for a contract plan.
However, if you plan to get a prepaid T-Mobile plan, you don’t need to provide your Social Security number, as these plans don’t require a credit check.
Does T-Mobile do a credit check for upgrades?
T-Mobile doesn’t do a credit check on upgrades, so the only time your credit is checked is when you originally signed the contract, so you don’t have to worry about upgrading.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether T-Mobile caps data, whether T-Mobile prices match, and whether T-Mobile prorates your final bill.
in conclusion
T-Mobile does a rigorous credit check when you first sign up for a contract plan with the company, but T-Mobile doesn’t do credit checks for existing customers or upgrades.
Also, T-Mobile uses TransUnion to check your credit and base your deposit on your credit score, anything below 550 or 600 could be a deadline.
