Does Klarna perform a credit check and will this affect my credit score?

Yes, we perform a credit check. Klarna evaluates your ability to pay by assessing available data to ensure responsible lending.

As a responsible lender, we want to ensure we’re helping you make the right financial decisions for your circumstances. When a credit check is performed, we verify your identity using the details you provided and we look at information from your credit report to understand your financial behaviour and evaluate your creditworthiness.

We will not perform a credit check when:

• Signing up to use Klarna
• Downloading the app

We will perform a soft credit check when you:

• Use Pay in 3, 6 or 12 interest-free instalments
• Use Pay in 30 days
• Use Financing
• Apply for a Klarna Credit Card

Soft credit checks do not affect your credit score and will not be visible to other lenders.

Our credit checks are performed by the credit reference agencies Transunion & Experian. If you have questions regarding their services, your credit score, or the data provided as part of a credit check, contact the credit reference agencies directly. Credit checks are performed in accordance with Klarna’s Terms & Conditions.

How using Klarna will affect your credit score

Borrowing more than you can afford or paying late may negatively impact your financial status and ability to obtain credit, including with Klarna. Information such as payment holidays and existing, late and unpaid balances is visible on your credit file to other lenders. Making repayments on time consistently will help build a positive history when using our payment options.

Good to know: Mortgage lenders could possibly include your monthly Buy Now Pay Later commitments as part of their affordability checks.