Quick Loans

Small sums of cash available to you in just minutes

Generally people looking for quick loans are looking to borrow a small sum of cash and repay it as soon as possible. Taking out small loans that are credited quickly is a very expensive way to borrow because interest rates are significantly higher than that incurred from larger loans.

In addition, non repayment penalties will also cost you a decent chunk of money. This is the reason that any short-term, high interest loans must only be taken out when all other options have been ruled out.

Quick cash – consider your alternative options

Borrow from friends or family

If you're looking for a quick loan to help tide you over till the end of the month, you may want to consider asking a relative or friend to borrow it to you. This will definitely be a cheaper option and will help you avoid littering your credit report with payday loans.

Get an advance on your salary or wages

Alternatively, before going for a cash advance loan you should consider asking your employer to provide you with an advance on your salary.

Increasing your credit card and overdraft limits

If you already have a credit card but have maxed it out, you can contact your provider to ask them for an authorised overdraft which will allow you to go over your credit card limit without incurring excessive charges.

Interest-free loans from the Social Fund

If you're claiming benefits you may be eligible for an interest-free loan from the Social Fund. If none of these options works for you or, you need more than they can provide-then you're probably going to have to go the personal loan route.

You will certainly not have instant access to the money as you will have to file an application and provide the required supporting documentation but, the loan application can still be done online and you're likely to find out whether or not you’ve been approved within a few days.

Loan options from leading UK lenders

A Credit union will offer you the lowest rates

A credit union will offer you the lowest rates on loans available on the market. By law, a credit union cannot charge more than 3% per month on any loan, this works out to a decent APR but, rates are usually well below this.

A credit union will require you to be a member to qualify for a loan, simply search for your nearest credit union and inquire about the requirements. Supporting your local credit union can help them support other needy families and individuals and considering the good rates they offer – using a credit union is a good idea.

Loans for people on Benefits

If you're on benefits then you should consider applying for an interest-free loan. This is done through the social fund and is definitely the best option available to those who have been claiming some form of benefit for 26 weeks or more. The loan will usually be deducted from your regular benefits as agreed with the social fund.

Quick personal loan from local Banks

Alternatively, if you have good credit you can simply take out a personal loan at a bank. Don't be afraid to negotiate the rate, if they agree you'll save and if they don't, no harm done. Just keep in mind that the smaller the loan the higher the interest will be.

So we’ve discussed ways of getting a cash loan almost instantly but, there are a few ways that you can avoid running short of cash before the month is over.

We’re going to discuss some of the quickest ways to get a loan but, if you are looking to borrow for general spending purposes then you should rather apply for a credit card.

Using Credit cards & Overdrafts

There are many different credit cards available that can meet your needs, offer great bonuses and spare you from having to pay absorbent interest fees. One of the best credit cards for spending is the 0% interest purchase cards.

These can only be used to make new purchases and the 0% interest-free period is set for a specific time period after which a certain interest rate will come into effect.

You must always clear the debt before the 0% interest time period ends otherwise the debt will become as expensive as any other. If you don't manage to clear the balance on the card you will end up with a debt that is equal to or more expensive then a regular personal loan anyway.

You should be aware of the fees associated with a balance transfer and money withdrawals – if a card isn’t designed for this then you'll be charged heavily.

Quick loan in as little as 15 minutes

The quickest way to get a loan online is via a payday micro lender which will give you access to a loan in as little as 15 minutes. Some lenders will credit your loan in an hour or less, depending on which lender you use.

Using a Loan comparison site

Since there are so many lenders to choose from, using an online comparison tool will certainly help you in making a decision. These comparison sites will usually be independent of any lender and will, therefore, provide you with more transparency in regards to interest rates, loan terms and fees.

If you intend on paying back the payday loan within less than a month, you should choose a lender that may have a higher interest rate set but, no early repayment fee. If you intend to repay the loan over a longer period of time then you should shop around for a lender that has a lower interest rate.

Bad credit, no problem!

Payday lenders rarely perform credit checks so even if your credit score is poor, you can still get a payday loan if you earn a stable monthly income. Don't be tempted to roll over a payday loan-even if the lender tries to encourage you to do this.

This rollover will cause you to incur penalty fees and an increase in the interest rate that you took the loan out on.

A Credit card is also an option

Even if you’ve reached your set limit, you should call your provider to ask for an overdraft so you can avoid the unauthorised overdraft fees and an increase in the interest rate. You will be charged transaction fees if you withdraw money whether the overdraft was authorised or not.

Set up an overdraft-you may already be pre-approved

To request an overdraft you can simply call your bank or walk into a branch and they’ll tell you whether they can authorise it or not almost immediately. The problem with overdrafts is that they’re usually very limited.

An unauthorised overdraft may only give you access to £100 while an authorised one will give you about £300. If you’re in the habit of running into overdrafts you may want to consider changing your account to one which allows overdrafts free of both fees and interest.

If you’re happy with your current account but also tend to go over your set credit limit, you could contact your bank and request that the overdraft or limit be extended.

Cheque-based payday loan

An alternative to the regular payday loan that is cheaper and open to people with bad credit is the cheque-based payday loan.

This will not guarantee you quick money since you'll have to send a few blank cheques and a cheque guarantee card to the provider by post. It is cheaper because APR’s are usually lower and great for those with bad credit because providers don't always conduct a credit check.

Since you have to post the cheques to the provider – you will have to wait at least a day or two before you will receive the loan – so if you need cash urgently, this isn’t your best option.

An alternative is a cheque based payday loan is to arrange an authorised overdraft with your credit card provider because it will work out to be cheaper than a payday loan – provided that you stay within the set limit.

Another option that relates closely to pawn brokering is logbook loaning

This is a loan secured against your vehicle and is very risky for those who default because their car can then be repossessed and sold to recover the money lent to you.

Logbook lenders don’t generally allow you to borrow more 50% of the value of your vehicle so you can calculate what you can expect to be offered ahead of time so you know what to expect.

A logbook loan carries a very high interest and may, if taken out over the full term of possible for this type of loan, may cost you more than double the value of the loan in interest.

Depending on the lender, you may have to repay the interest first and then clear the loan in the last month by repaying the amount you actually borrowed.

Certain providers require weekly payments while others request one monthly payment – in the case of the former, you will need to keep track of what you’ve repaid carefully so you don't pay more than you owe.

Always use a lender that is a member of the Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA) to protect you from aggressive and overbearing providers that are in the business of repossessing cars more than lending money.

This is the most viable option for those that need a big sum of money but can wait for a few days for the loan to come in which is usually in the form of a cheque. If you need instant cash then you can request a cash advance however, this will cost you up to 6% of the value of the loan.

Have you been denied a loan recently?

If you’ve been denied any form credit in the last six months you're probably going to be denied again as it will show up on your credit report. When you apply for any form of credit the lender will run a credit check that will show up on your credit report – so you can see how this will only worsen a bad situation.

The more you apply and are denied, the more likely you are to be denied again in which case you simply have to wait at least 6 months for the credit checks to fall away, during which time you can take some additional measures to improve your credit score and increase your chances of accessing credit.

Check your Credit history

You are legally entitled to obtain a free copy of your credit report if at any time you are denied credit but this only applies for 60 days after you’ve been denied.

At this point, you should take the opportunity to review your credit report and ensure that you're being denied for valid reasons as well as begin improving on the negatives listed. You can obtain a free credit report once a year by default.

If you need help managing your debts you should contact Citizens Advice Bureau, the National Debt Line or the StepChange Debt Charity which are three of the main debt counselling agencies in the UK.