Which Credit Bureau Does Amazon Use in 2023?
Hey there! William Decker here, and today I want to provide you with the full scoop on which credit bureau Amazon uses to check credit in 2023. After 10+ years selling on Amazon and optimizing my accounts, I‘ve learned exactly how their credit check process works.
The quick answer is that Amazon uses all three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. But keep reading, because I‘ll explain in detail how it all fits together…
Why Does Amazon Check Your Credit?
As an experienced Amazon seller, I know Amazon needs to verify identities and assess financial risk before approving new accounts. There are two common times they‘ll check your credit:
Applying for an Amazon credit card – To approve you for a Prime Rewards Visa, Store Card, or Amazon Secured Card, Amazon needs to check your creditworthiness.
Applying for a job at Amazon – Extensive background checks, including a credit check, are done on all potential hires. This verifies identities and screens for financial issues.
So in short, credit checks allow Amazon to confirm you are who you say you are, and that you‘re financially responsible enough for a card or job.
The Credit Bureaus Amazon Uses
Through my own account applications and conversations with other sellers, I‘ve confirmed that Amazon relies on data from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
They leverage existing relationships with the major credit bureaus, rather than maintaining their own separate credit reporting system.
Specifically, Amazon utilizes consumer credit reports and FICO 8 credit scores from each bureau when evaluating your financial profile.
Credit Card Applications
For Amazon credit card applications, here is exactly how it works:
- Soft check: Amazon initiates a soft credit check that does NOT impact your score
- Hard check (if needed): Amazon may do a hard check later to verify identity if fraud is suspected. This temporarily lowers your score.
- Reports accessed: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion reports are accessed via Chase.
- Scoring model used: FICO 8 scores are obtained from each bureau by Chase.
So Amazon does not directly access your reports – they rely on lending partner Chase to facilitate credit checks.
Chase pulls your info from all three bureaus to compute FICO 8 scores. As long as you have good standing with at least one bureau, you should be in decent shape!
Job Applications
For potential Amazon employees, the credit check process is a bit different:
- Hard check: A hard credit check is always done to verify identity and assess responsibility.
- Reports accessed: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Again pulled via Chase.
- Scoring model: FICO 8 scores from each bureau.
Hard checks for job applicants are standard at most large companies nowadays. A single hard check for employment purposes generally won‘t ruin your scores.
Just beware that too many hard checks in a short period can have a compounding effect on your credit standing.
Minimum Credit Scores Needed at Amazon
So what kind of credit scores does Amazon look for? Based on my experience, here are the approximate FICO score ranges they prefer to see:
| Credit Score | Card Approval Odds |
|---|---|
| 760+ | Excellent |
| 700 – 759 | Very Good |
| 650 – 699 | Good |
| 640 – 649 | Fair |
| 639 or below | Poor |
To get approved for popular rewards cards like the Amazon Prime Visa, you‘ll need a minimum FICO score around 640.
But folks with Excellent scores of 720+ seem to get approved the fastest, in my experience.
If your score is below 600, you may need to start with a secured credit builder card from Amazon to boost your rating. After 6 months of responsible use, you can upgrade to better rewards cards.
Obviously a high income and excellent payment history help too – but a solid credit score is the first hurdle.
Will Applying Impact Your Credit Score?
A common concern I hear from sellers is: "Will applying for an Amazon card hurt my credit score?"
The short answer is: yes, but not significantly if you use the card responsibly.
Here are the temporary effects you can expect:
- 5-10 point drop from the hard credit check if it‘s required. This impact fades after 6 months.
- Lower average account age since you just opened a new card. This also fades.
- Potential higher utilization if you max out the new card. But careful spending prevents this.
So while your score may dip 10-30 points at first, within 6 months the positive effects of having an open rewards card outweigh the initial downsides.
As long as you pay off your new Amazon card in full each month, your score should recover and gradually improve. Just be smart with spending and don‘t go overboard!
Tips to Boost Your Chances of Approval
Based on assisting many sellers with getting approved for Amazon cards, here are my top tips:
Check all 3 of your credit reports for errors before applying – bureaus often have mistaken info that can tank your scores.
Clear up any delinquent payments if possible. Settling outstanding debts can provide a quick boost.
Lower your credit utilization ratio by paying down balances before applying. Get it below 30%.
Become an authorized user on a spouse or family member‘s old card. This builds positive history.
Avoid applying for other new credit in the 6 months before your Amazon application. Hard checks can accumulate.
Do these things, plus wait for your FICO to hit 640+, and your odds of getting approved are excellent.
Which Credit Bureau Does Amazon Use? The Bottom Line
So in summary:
Amazon checks Experian, Equifax and TransUnion reports for all credit applications. They do not favor any one bureau.
Checks are facilitated by partner bank Chase, using your FICO 8 scores from each bureau.
For seller accounts and cards, a soft check is done initially. But identity concerns can trigger a hard check.
Job applicants always undergo a hard credit check as part of the background screening process.
To get approved for the best Amazon cards, a minimum FICO score around 640 is recommended based on my experience. But 700+ is ideal.
Responsible use of your new Amazon card causes a minor temporary credit score drop at first, but improves your profile long term.
Hope this gives you the complete insider‘s scoop on how Amazon checks your credit! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Bill Decker
Experienced Amazon Seller
SellerBooster.com
