Considering a £200 payday/short term loan to tide yourself over for a few weeks or months? Use our guide to compare rates from a range of lenders and to learn more about how short term loans work.
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.
Table: promoted deals, sorted by total payable
How much do you need to borrow?
How long do you need to borrow for?
1 - 5 of 5
Please note: You should always refer to your loan agreement for exact repayment amounts as they may vary from our results.
We compare payday/short term loans from
Is high-cost, short-term borrowing a good idea?
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.
What you need to know about a £200 short term loan
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.
Some key features of a £200 short term loan
High interest rates. Interest rates on £200 payday loans are typically very high compared to other forms of borrowing. Rates are legally capped, but at an eye-watering 0.8% a day. On a £200 loan, that’s £11.20 a week.
Short repayment periods. Payday/short term loans are typically used to help see people over for a few weeks or months. Some lenders will let you borrow for longer, which will reduce your monthly instalments but will increase the amount you pay in interest overall.
Quick access to funds If you decide to go for a £200 loan and have your application approved, many lenders could get the money to you the same day.
Early repayment. Most lenders will allow you to repay some or all of your loan early at any time, which could save you money on interest. Make sure you check early repayment terms before agreeing to a loan.
Paid back by CPA. Short term and payday loans are typically paid back using a Continuous Payment Authority (CPA), but you can sometimes opt to pay by direct debit or manually.
Benefits and drawbacks of a £200 short term loan
Quick turnaround time. Many lenders are able to get you your loan the same day you apply. They typically give quick decisions on whether you’ll be accepted for your loan, and if accepted, many lenders are able transfer funds within the space of a few hours.
Easier approval. Generally speaking, it is easier to have an application for a £200 short term loan approved than a larger and longer loan from a bank. By focusing on affordability rather than credit scores, some lenders have become specialists in providing loans to those with a poor credit history.
High interest rates. In general you can expect to pay higher interest rates with a £200 payday/short term loan than you would with other forms of credit. Although interest is now capped at a whopping 0.8% daily, and many lenders price their loans on or just below this cap.
Disreputable lenders. Unfortunately not all lenders you’ll find online are reputable or approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Before rushing into taking out a £200 payday loan, make sure you spend some time checking a lender’s legitimacy.
Eligibility requirements
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:
Aged 18 or over.
UK resident.
Hold a UK bank account.
Have an email address and mobile number.
Have a regular income.
Meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to take out a £200 loan – only that you will be considered.
What is a Continuous Payment Authority (CPA)?
A CPA is a recurring payment in which you give a company permission to withdraw money from your account on a regular basis.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you take out a short term loan, this will normally be visible on your credit report. If you keep up to date with your repayments your credit score shouldn’t be affected. It’s important to only take out a loan if you’re confident you can afford it – defaulting on repayments will damage your credit score, making it harder to secure credit in future.
It is normally possible to pay back part or all of your loan early – and doing so could save you money in interest. It is a good idea to check the early repayment terms of a specific product before you apply.
You are likely to need to provide information on some or all of the following: employment, income and expenditure, bank account, contact details.
You have the right to cancel your loan within 14 days of receiving it. If you do so you’ll need to immediately pay back your full loan.
If your application is declined you can normally try again at any time, but the outcome will not change unless your circumstances have. Remember that multiple applications for credit in a short space of time could put off prospective lenders.
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
Chris Lilly is Head of publishing at finder.com. He's a specialist in personal finance, from day-to-day banking to investing to borrowing, and is passionate about helping UK consumers make informed decisions about their money. In his spare time Chris likes forcing his kids to exercise more. See full bio
Chris's expertise
Chris has written 602 Finder guides across topics including:
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.
If you’re thinking about applying for a one month payday loan, use our guide to learn more about short term borrowing and compare rates from a range of UK lenders. Fast and simple repayment calculation and comparison of available amounts and eligibility requirements.
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.
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?
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser disclosure
Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Finder receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. Finder compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.