The Federal Association of Consumer Centers (vzbv) is also critical of the Bonify app presented by Schufa to view your own creditworthiness.
“It is not critical to use the app to get free Schufa information,” said vzbv expert Dorothea Mohn of the editorial network Germany (RND). “I wouldn’t recommend allowing account access, though.” One should think about drawing a line here and regulating such a possibility by law.
Mohn expressed doubts that people willingly give up their data when they urgently need a contract. “Because anyone who needs a specific contract and sees their chances of getting it increased by passing on data is ultimately implicitly forced to allow the app or Schufa to look at the account,” she said.
Schufa’s own app is scheduled to start in 2024
If they wish, consumers can view the data stored by Schufa on their creditworthiness online at any time and free of charge. This requires registration with the Bonify subsidiary’s app, into which the so-called base score calculated by the credit agency is integrated. The Bonify app is just an offer, it said. A Schufa-owned app for free data insight should start in 2024.
You can register with Bonify with your ID card or with your own bank account. With the current process, users give Bonify access to their account for 90 days with their identification. Critics fear that Schufa could collect even more data in this way.
The Schufa rating is important for consumers. Banks, mail order companies, mobile phone companies or energy suppliers inquire about the creditworthiness of their customers from private credit agencies such as Schufa.
