Short term or “payday” loans are designed to help cover occasional unexpected shortfalls in cash, perhaps fixing an essential home appliance or paying a vet’s bill. If you need to borrow £200 for a short period of time, a short term loan is one way to bridge the gap but there may be cheaper alternatives. And if you’re having debt problems, Money Helper is a good place to find support.
If your application for a short term loan is accepted, funds can usually be transferred to you within a day. The amounts on offer are generally smaller, and rates higher, than those provided by banks. The loans also generally come with much shorter repayment periods as they’re designed to be a short term helping hand, not a long term solution.
Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to moneyhelper.org.uk.
Please note: High-cost short-term credit is unsuitable for sustained borrowing over long periods and would be expensive as a means of longer-term borrowing.
Payday/short term loans are a very expensive method of borrowing and are not a good idea for borrowing over longer periods, or for sustained borrowing. They may not solve your money problems.
Before you apply for a payday or short term loan, make sure you’ve considered other options. Is the expenditure that you’re planning absolutely essential? If you can defer a purchase then you could save yourself money in the long run. If you’re struggling to pay a bill, then why not talk to your electricity, gas, phone or water provider to see if you can work out a payment plan? Read more about alternatives to payday loans at moneyadviceservice.org.uk.
As you may have already guessed from the name, short term loans are really only a short term option. They’re designed for when unexpected costs arise that you’re unable to afford. They are not a solution for longer term financial issues and should be paid off as soon as possible.
Before applying for a £200 loan you need to be certain you can meet the repayments. You’ll also need to meet the following criteria:
Meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to take out a £200 loan – only that you will be considered.
CPA differs from direct debit because they give the company being paid the ability to withdraw money from your account whenever they wish, and to take payments of different amounts without consulting you. Most payday loan companies will use CPA to collect your repayments, however you can cancel this at any point by either consulting with your provider or your bank.
Browse our collection of payday loan guides, designed to answer all of your short term loan questions and help you find the right payday loan.
If you need to cash a cheque, it may take up to 3 days to clear it with a bank. Cheque cashing services give you immediate access to your money.
QuidMarket offers an instant decision on loans of up to (or for returning customers) and once approved, you can expect the money in your account on the same day. QuidMarket will consider you for a loan even if you have a bad credit history. Find out how other lenders compare.
If you need to borrow cash quickly and tend to use a prepaid card for regular spending, you may be looking to get a payday loan transferred to your prepaid card.
The Money Platform is a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform that matches investors with borrowers and provides loans of up to . But at it’s core, is it just another short term lender?
Anico Finance is an online lender providing personalised, transparent, short-term loans of – to help cover and spread the cost of an unexpected financial shortfall. Read the full review and compare its rates and eligibility criteria with a range of lenders.
Wageme is an online platform providing flexible and transparent short term loans of to for unforeseen financial shortfalls.
Sunny is an online platform providing clear and transparent short term loans of between – for when unforeseen circumstances pop up. Find out how their lending options compare.
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A payday loan gives you the money you need quickly, even if you have bad credit or low income. But which one is best for your situation?