Merchant cash advance for UK card-taking businesses.
Access a lump sum based on future card sales and repay it as an agreed share of card takings. Designed for restaurants, cafés, retailers, salons, garages and other businesses with consistent card revenue.
Quick estimate
See an indicative repayment
Indicative monthly repayment
£4,500 to £5,625
Illustration only, based on a range of typical total costs. Actual pricing depends on trading history, sector, term, amount and credit profile, and differs between providers.
A merchant cash advance is one of the most flexible facilities a card-taking business can use. There’s no fixed monthly repayment, instead, repayments come out of card sales as you make them, so quieter weeks mean smaller repayments and busier weeks settle the balance faster.
The review normally considers recent card settlement and business bank data. Timing and available terms depend on the information supplied, verification and the written offer.
Best suited for
- Restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels
- Salons, barbers, spas and clinics
- Independent retailers and convenience
- Garages, MOT centres and forecourts
How it works
Share your card statements
We need three to six months of terminal statements to understand your card turnover.
Receive your offer
We’ll quote an advance amount, a single fixed fee and a repayment percentage that suits your margins.
Trade as normal
Once you accept, the funds land in your account and repayments come out of card sales automatically.
Eligibility at a glance
A short list of the information commonly considered. Eligibility and available terms depend on the individual business and facility.
- UK-registered business
- Accept card payments via terminal or online
- Minimum £5,000 monthly card turnover
- Trading for at least 4 months
- 3–6 months of recent merchant statements
- UK business bank account
Careful with your data, clear about your terms.
Commercial lending sits outside the FCA perimeter, so the protections of a regulated agreement do not apply. We set out how we work so you can judge it for yourself.
Your data is used to assess your enquiry, never sold or passed on for third party marketing.
Every page and every submission is served over TLS.
Where used, access is read only through FCA authorised providers and can be revoked at any time.
Finance for UK registered businesses and business purposes, not consumer credit.
The initial form is an enquiry. If a credit search is needed later, its type and impact will be explained first.
Total repayable, term, fees and any security stated in writing before you sign.
What a merchant cash advance actually is
A merchant cash advance (MCA) is not a loan in the technical sense, it is the purchase of a portion of your future card receipts at a discount today. You receive a lump sum, and repay a single fixed total by allowing the funder to draw a small, agreed percentage of every daily card settlement until the balance is cleared.
Because repayment is a share of eligible card trading, a quiet week normally produces a smaller cash repayment. The agreement still creates an obligation, so the total cost and collection mechanics should be reviewed carefully.
How the pricing works
MCA is quoted as a factor, not an APR. Borrow £20,000 at a 1.20 factor and you repay £24,000 in total. The cost of capital is fixed on day one, with no compounding or variable rate. Early-settlement treatment depends on the written offer.
A 1.20 factor repaid over 8–10 months is broadly equivalent to a 30–35% APR term loan. That is the honest picture: MCA trades outright cost for flexibility and speed. It is well-suited to short-cycle needs; it is a poor fit for capital that will be deployed for two years.
Who MCA is really built for
The natural fit is any business where more than roughly 40% of turnover comes through card terminals, restaurants, cafés, pubs, hotels, salons, barbers, independent retail, garages, MOT centres and forecourts. Underwriting reads card processor data directly, so a bureau score that does not reflect current trading is much less of a gate than at a high street bank.
A further advance may sometimes be considered after repayment progress. It requires a fresh affordability and trading review and should not be assumed when choosing the original facility.
MCA vs alternative UK working capital products
| Feature | MCA | Business loan | Revenue based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repayment shape | % of card sales | Fixed monthly | % of monthly revenue |
| Credit weight | Card data > bureau | Bureau-led | Trading + bureau |
| Review timing | File dependent | File dependent | File dependent |
| Total cost shape | Fixed factor (e.g. 1.20) | APR on balance | Fixed factor |
| Early settlement | Terms vary | Terms vary | Terms vary |
| Best if | Card-heavy, seasonal | Planned capex | SaaS / e-commerce |
A representative example
- Advance
- £20,000
- Factor
- 1.20
- Total repayable
- £24,000
- Repayment % of card sales
- 12%
- Indicative months to settle
- 8–10
- Early settlement
- Check offer
Illustrative only. Factor and repayment percentage depend on card turnover consistency, trading months and sector.
Explore by need
What do you need funding for?
Bridge a cash flow gap
Cover a quiet month or a slow paying customer.
See options →Pay a VAT or tax bill
Spread a large HMRC bill over a set term.
See options →Buy stock or equipment
Spread the cost of a known purchase.
See options →Card takings business
Repayments that follow your card sales.
See options →Grow online revenue
Funding linked to monthly revenue.
See options →Expand or hire
Fixed monthly repayments over a set term.
See options →Frequently asked
Do I need to change my card terminal provider?
In most cases, no. We work with all major UK acquirers and terminal providers, your customers and tills carry on exactly as before.
How is the cost calculated?
You agree a single fixed fee at the start (e.g, borrow £20,000, repay £24,000). There’s no compounding interest and no variable rate.
What happens in a quiet month?
Repayments are an agreed percentage of card sales, so the cash amount collected falls when eligible card takings fall. You should still review the total cost and wider affordability carefully.
Can I top up partway through?
A further advance may be considered after repayment progress, but it is a new assessment and is not guaranteed.
Related guides
Authoritative UK references
Independent sources cited on this page.
- FCA, Register of authorised firms Financial Conduct Authority
- UK Cards Association / UK Finance UK Finance
- British Business Bank, Finance Hub British Business Bank
Ready to see what you qualify for?
It takes a few minutes and creates an initial enquiry, not a formal application.
Start eligibility check