A merchant cash advance, without the small print problem
You get a lump sum upfront and repay it as a percentage of your daily card sales. Busy day, you pay a bit more. Quiet day, you pay less. One fixed fee agreed before you sign, no compounding interest, no monthly invoices that ignore your cash flow.
We place MCAs from £5,000 to £500,000 with three lenders. Decision usually within 24 hours.
What it is
A merchant cash advance is a lump sum of cash against your future card sales. You agree the total amount you'll repay upfront. Then a fixed percentage of every card transaction comes off the balance until it's clear.
It isn't technically a loan. You're selling a portion of future card receivables. That changes a few things. Approval is faster (often 24 hours). Credit requirements are lighter. Repayments flex with your takings, which matters more than most owners realise until they hit a quiet month with a fixed-payment loan.
Want the full breakdown including factor rates vs APR? Read our merchant cash advance guide.
How it works
- 1
Agree the terms
You agree the advance amount, the total you'll repay (the factor rate), and what percentage of card sales goes to repayment. For example: £10,000 advance at 1.2 factor rate means £12,000 total repayment, with 10% of each card transaction coming off the balance.
- 2
Take payments as normal
Nothing changes for your customers or your staff. The same terminal, the same checkout. You keep taking cards exactly as you do now.
- 3
Repayments come off automatically
The agreed percentage of each card sale routes to the lender. On a £1,000 day with 10% repayment, £100 comes off your balance and £900 lands in your account.
- 4
Done when it's done
When the balance hits zero, deductions stop. Most businesses repay within 6 to 12 months. You can apply for a top-up once you've cleared 50 to 70%.
What this looks like in practice
A pub doing £40,000 in monthly card sales wants £20,000 for a kitchen refurb.
- The advance
- £20,000
- The factor rate
- 1.25
- The total to repay
- £25,000
- The repayment rate
- 12% of daily card sales
At their current turnover, they'd clear the balance in about five months. If trade dips in January, they'd repay less that month and finish a few weeks later. If summer is busier than expected, they'd finish a few weeks earlier. The total stays £25,000 either way.
Could you qualify?
Two questions. Thirty seconds. No credit check.
Who places MCAs
We place merchant cash advances with three lenders on our panel: YouLend, 365 Finance, and Capify. Each has a different sweet spot.
Compare the three lenders side by sideCommon questions
How quickly can I receive the funds?
Most decisions come back within 24 hours. Once approved, funds typically land in your account within 24 to 48 hours. The whole process from application to money in the bank usually takes 1 to 3 working days.
Can I get an MCA with bad credit?
Often, yes. MCA lenders weight recent card sales performance heavily and credit history lightly. Businesses declined by a bank for credit reasons frequently get approved for an MCA. We'll tell you straight if your profile won't fit.
Are personal guarantees required?
Yes. Every lender on our panel requires a personal guarantee. That makes you personally liable for the outstanding amount if the business cannot repay. No property is taken as security. Your account manager explains the terms in plain English before you sign anything.
Can I keep my existing card machine provider?
In most cases, yes. The lenders we place with work with your existing payment processor. A handful prefer their own integrations, and we'll tell you upfront if that applies to your offer.
More questions covered in our merchant cash advance guide.
Ready to see what's available?
Two minutes. No hard credit check. We'll come back with numbers, not a sales pitch.