Your credit score is one of the foremost things that a lender checks when you apply for a loan or a credit card to know about your creditworthiness. This is to determine your ability to repay the debt on time. A strong credit score improves your chances of getting your loan application approved.
There are four credit bureaus in the country (CIBIL, Equifax, Experian and CRIF Highmark) where most banks prefer the CIBIL score. Therefore, it is advised to regularly check your CIBIL score.
You need to pay Rs. 550 on the TransUnion CIBIL website to check your CIBIL score whereas, at Paisabazaar.com, you can get it for free, forever.
How to Check CIBIL Score By PAN Card
Paisabazaar.com provides a free CIBIL score along with monthly updates. To get your free CIBIL score using your PAN card, follow the steps stated below:
- Visit Paisabazaar.com or click here
- Select your gender (Male/Female)
- Provide your full name, as per your bank records
- Enter your date of birth in DD-MM-YYYY format
- Enter your PAN (Permanent Account Number)
- Enter PIN code, as per your bank records
- Provide your mobile number (make sure it’s working)
- Enter the OTP sent to your mobile number in the pop-up screen
- Click on the checkbox, providing Paisabazaar with the authorization to receive your credit information from credit bureaus
- Once all the fields are duly filled, click on “Get Your Credit Score”
You will be redirected to your newly created account on Paisabazaar.com, where your CIBIL score will be displayed.
Effects of PAN Change on CIBIL Score
If your PAN card is lost or stolen and you have requested for a new one, it won’t have any effect on your CIBIL score as the PAN number will remain the same. However, if you have two different PAN cards, then it is advisable to surrender one in order to avoid any issues.
Also, getting a new PAN might affect your CIBIL score. It’s because your credit score is based on your credit history which is mapped to multiple banking transactions, address, date of birth, etc. So, if you apply for a new PAN, then the TransUnion CIBIL database will probably show a red flag on your account.
Other Factors Affecting Your CIBIL Score
Following are the major factors that influence your CIBIL score:
Bad Payment History
Making repeated late payments or missing out on your EMIs will negatively impact your CIBIL credit score. Maintaining a track record of timely EMI and credit card due payments is arguably the single most important factor impacting your CIBIL score.
Multiple Hard Enquiries
If you have recently applied for multiple loans or credit cards and those applications have been sanctioned, then the lenders will view your application with caution because this behaviour indicates your debt burden has increased, thus impacting your score negatively.
High Credit Utilization
An increase in the current balance of your credit card shows that there is an increase in the repayment burden, thus affecting your credit score negatively. It is advised to keep your credit utilization not more than 30% of the total credit limit. This shows that you are not credit hungry and chances of you as a borrower turning into a defaulter are slim.
Right Credit Mix
Having a balanced mix between secured loan (like a car loan or home loan) and unsecured loan (like a personal loan or credit cards) is likely to have a positive effect on your credit score. It is advised to keep a check on your unsecured loans. However, it has a fairly low impact on your credit score. You should not go for a secured loan just because you have a lot of unsecured loans and no secured loan.
Other than this, if any of the cheques have bounced in the past or you have defaulted as a guarantor, then that will also affect your credit score negatively. In order to make sure that your credit score is on the higher side, make sure you pay all the credit bills on time, avoid taking too many unsecured loans and keep the right mix while applying for credit.