There are lots of good reasons to improve your credit rating but new research shows that it may also improve your love life.
According to a study by personal finance firm Intuit Credit Karma, dating app profiles with a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ credit score encouraged half of singles to ‘swipe right’, compared with those with poor credit scores.
Based on a research experiment involving 1,000 adults in the UK, the study also found that two in five singles say their partner having a good credit score is important to them, while 47% of daters who showcased their credit score on their dating profile secured more matches.
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Financial compatibility
Akansha Nath, general manager at Intuit Credit Karma, which also provides credit scores, said: “There are many different factors that make a relationship work but being financially compatible is clearly important to many people.”
The results were found after one cohort of experiment participants were shown the dating profile of a man that featured either an ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘needs work’ or no credit score at all. Just over 60% of this group were more likely to pick the profile of the man with the ‘excellent’ credit score.
Similarly, a second cohort of experiment participants were shown a dating profile of a woman that also featured either ‘excellent’, ‘good’ or ‘needs work credit score' or no credit score at all. Just over half of this group were more likely to pick the profile of the woman with a ‘good’ score.
The company said: “In an era of financial instability, having a partner with similar financial priorities is increasingly important, with 39% of singles agreeing their partner’s credit score is important to them. A further 15% listed having financial stability in the top 10 attributes they look for in a partner.”
‘Open and honest conversations’
Some Brits are even taking things a step further, the company added, with a quarter saying they wish dating apps had a feature to filter potential matches by financial status.
Nath says: “The best way forward is to have open and honest conversations about money from the beginning of a relationship to avoid any difficult conversations later on.”
Away from credit health, the survey also found that a sense of humour (48%) is the personality trait that came out on top, with honesty (43%) and intelligence (31%) coming in second and third.
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