How do the Credit Checks work?

You might be wondering why we make credit checks for new members. We have to do this to verify the identity of our members, make sure we can responsibly lend bikes to them, and to satisfy our legal requirements.

We only ever make 'soft' credit checks, which don't affect your credit score and won't affect your ability to apply for credit in the future.

We only conduct these credit checks for the initial order and for exchanges. We don't perform any random soft credit checks throughout the duration of your membership.

Our aim is to allow as many people as possible to access high-quality bikes at a reasonable price. Please get in touch if you have any concerns, by clicking the chat bubble in the corner of the screen.

We are a legitimate and trusted UK company. In order to protect ourselves, and our existing members, we perform credit checks on all orders. As a regulated company, we also have a responsibility to ensure our members can afford their monthly payments.

Applying won't affect your credit score

We perform soft credit checks. These are checks that may happen all the time by certain companies, without you knowing about them. It's a quick review of data, and does not affect your credit score.

Who do we accept?

Our main aim is to get the next generation cycling. We want to spread the love of cycling as far as possible, and ensure every child is able to ride a bike. For this reason, we accept as many people as possible. But there are situations where you may not pass.

Will I pass?

The only way you can tell for certain is to apply. The following are some reasons why you will not pass:

If you have a County Court Judgement (CCJ). See gov.uk for more information. A CCJ will stay on your file for 6 years.
You do not have a credit file in the UK.
You do not have a UK bank account. This is required in order to set up and take your direct debit payments.

There are some further checks we make that may flag you on our system. Usually, you will meet more than one of the following criteria before being declined.

You have a very low credit score
You order a large number of bikes, over a short period of time or multiple orders
You order multiple high value items
You place orders, or have a previous history of orders placed from multiple email addresses
You have outstanding arrears on previous or current rented bikes or scooters
Your IP address is a long distance from the delivery or billing address

Where do we get our information from?

We use Equifax to perform our soft credit checks. Equifax is one of the three main CRA's (Credit Reference Agencies) in the UK. These are the agencies that provide the data on credit scores to companies like ourselves.

If you are declined as a member, and don't believe this is correct, you can contact Equifax to request a copy of your personal details. This will not cost you money and should take less than 30 days. Sometimes the CRA's do get people mixed up. So if you pay your bills on time, are registered to vote in the UK, and have no CCJ's, it's definitely worth checking.

If I don't pass, can I apply again?

Yes, of course. We'd recommend seeking advice from the Money Advice Service. They can provide advice and recommendations on how to improve your credit score. When you feel ready, come back to us and you can apply again.

What if my financial situation changes whilst I'm a member?