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.
Creditspring is a subscription service offering interest-free loans. Instead of paying interest on money borrowed, customers pay a fixed membership fees of either £7, £10 or £12 a month based on their subscription – a bit like an insurance policy.
Creditspring lets you borrow a set amount (either £200, £300 or £500, depending on which plan you’re eligible for) twice per year. You’ll have 6 months to pay back each advance, starting one month from the day you receive it. This means if you borrowed £1,000 today, Creditspring would collect £83.35 45 days after drawing and £83.33 for the next 5 months on each monthly anniversary. You will also pay a £12 monthly membership for the 12 months.
You can take out your second advance as soon as the first one is repaid in full and on time. Members have access to 2 advances per year.
Creditspring is limited to those with an annual income of at least £14,000 p.a.. After becoming a member there is a 14 wait period before you can draw your first advance. You’ll also be subject to credit and affordability checks.
Creditspring offers three levels of membership:
With Creditspring Step (the “stepping stone” product to Core), you’ll be able to take out 2 loans of £200 per year, and pay it off each time over 6 monthly payments.
With Creditspring Core, you’ll be able to take out 2 loans of £300 per year, and pay it off each time over 6 monthly payments.
With Creditspring Plus, you’ll be able to take out 2 loans of £500 per year, and pay it off each time over 6 monthly payments.
| Product Name | Creditspring Membership |
|---|---|
| Available Amounts | £600 to £1,000 |
| Representative APR | 54.6% |
| New customer maximum | £1,000 |
| Loan terms | 12 months |
| Soft search eligibility check | |
| Funding speed | You'll need to wait 14 days from signing up before you can borrow, and then you can borrow at any point. The transfer process is usually immediate. |
| Repayment period options | Monthly |
| Default repayment method | Direct debit |
| Additional repayment methods | Online payment |
| Repay early at any point | |
| Parent company | Inclusive Finance Limited |
| FCA registration number | 786052 |
The facility comes with a 14-day waiting period before you can take out a loan. The aim is for people to use their advances as a back-up plan for future emergencies, not to use immediately.
You should only join and borrow from Creditspring if you are certain you can comfortably meet both the monthly payments and the loan repayments. To become a member you must also meet the following criteria.
| Residency | UK resident |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Min. income | £14,000 p.a. |
| Applications from self-employed considered | |
| Applicant with CCJs | Creditspring states that you must not have recent CCJs. |
| Applicant with bankruptcy | Creditspring states that you must not have recently had an IVA or been bankrupt. |
| Additional eligibility notes | Creditspring does consider applicants that are self-employed. |
If you apply and aren’t eligible, your application won’t affect your credit score. It will leave a “soft footprint” on your credit report that only you will be able to see.
If you’d like to become a Creditspring member, complete the application form on the website. You’ll be asked to provide some personal and contact information as well as details about your employment and outgoings. Creditspring will run a “soft” credit search that won’t affect your credit score.
If you’re approved, and opt to become a member, Creditspring will then run a “hard” credit check, which will be visible on your credit record. You can then take out your first cash advance after a 14-day cooling off period. You can expect the money in your account within 24 hours of your request (payments are made between 8am and 8pm seven days a week, excluding bank holidays).
This is a non-exhaustive selection of the advantages and disadvantages membership brings.
Yes. There are some key circumstances that could invalidate you during your membership:
You can repay all or part of your advance early at any time. Your monthly repayments would then be adjusted according to your new remaining balance. You can also cancel your membership at any time. If you choose to do so while you have a loan outstanding, you’ll need to contact Creditspring to request an early settlement figure.
Because Creditspring charges a monthly membership fee but no actual interest, repaying early won’t make any difference to what you pay overall (but repaying early if you can is usually a smart idea).
You will not be charged for any late payments for your membership or loan repayment. Although Creditspring will try their best to find a repayment plan that works for you, if you do make late payments, it could harm your credit rating. This can make it more difficult for you to obtain credit in the future.
| Option to change repayment date | |
|---|---|
| Repay early at any point | |
| Repaying early can reduce overall interest | |
| Interest is only applied to days where funds are outstanding | |
| Multiple loans allowed at the same time | |
| Option to extend loan term | |
| Phone number | 020 3870 3332 |
Inclusive Finance, which operates Creditspring, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can check out its listing in the FCA’s Financial Services Register. Creditspring states that it protects user data with bank-level 256-bit encryption.
No. In fact Creditspring is designed as an alternative option for people who might otherwise use payday loans. You can’t take a loan out until you’ve been a member for two weeks, and when you do, it’s interest-free (Creditspring makes money through the monthly subscription fees it charges).
Simply head over to the cancellations page. If you have an outstanding loan, you’ll need to pay it back first. Likewise, if you have any outstanding subscriptions to pay, they’ll need to be settled first. If you’re cancelling after having taken out a loan and paid it back, you may be given a final settlement figure on cancellation.
London-based Creditspring, which launched in September 2018, was founded by two former bankers, Neil Kadagathur and Aravind Chandrasekaran. Their stated aim was to give consumers access to credit in a simpler, safer and cheaper way. Creditspring is a trading name of Inclusive Finance Limited, and is a direct lender authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Innovative lenders like Creditspring offer an alternative to those urgent, payday-style loans. It doesn’t charge interest, but the cost of credit is covered in the membership fee – that’s how Creditspring makes a profit.
If you’ve found yourself taking out short term loans on a semi-regular basis, and you meet Creditspring’s eligibility criteria, then this facility is likely to make sense financially.
If you don’t take out a loan during the year, then you’ve effectively paid an interest rate of, erm, infinity percent. But if you use the facility just once in that period, you’ll have beaten the payday lenders’ rates – and by a healthy margin too.
If you’re looking for sensible ways to avoid payday loans, check out our list of alternatives.
Creditspring offers you 2 interest-free loans per year in return for a monthly subscription fee. Find out who else is shaking up the short-term loans market.