There are so many viable, strong businesses that have been and continue to be underserved by traditional finance. Our flex loan is a useful solution that gives even more of these overlooked SMEs flexible access to funds whenever they need it. This isn’t a loan as you know it – we think of it as working capital on demand.

What is a Flex Loan?

Similar to a credit card or overdraft, a flex loan gives you an agreed limit between £5,000 and £100,000. You can access your whole limit at once, or withdraw smaller amounts whenever you want to. With flexible terms, you choose the repayment schedule that works best for your business. Your available balance then automatically adjusts depending on how much you’ve already withdrawn and repaid. The best part? You only pay for the funds you actually use.

How does a Flex Loan work?

Apply. It takes just a few minutes online and you’ll get a decision within 72 hours. You can get started with your application here. Make sure you have 6 months’ business bank statements on hand.

Activate. To activate your flex loan, you need to make your first withdrawal within 14 days of being approved. This can be as much or as little of your pre-agreed limit as you like and you won’t pay any setup or activation fees.

Request. Once you’ve activated your flex loan, you can simply go on requesting funds (up to your limit) as and when you need to.

Repay. You’ll pay by monthly direct debit on your preferred repayment schedule. This gives you the flexibility to pay back over anything from 3 months to a year. You’ll pay a fixed fee on the funds you use starting from 1.4% per 30 days, and there’s no charge for early repayment.

Repeat. Every time you make a repayment, you reload your available balance. This means you can withdraw and repay your flex loan as many times as you like. This is true for both smaller amounts that you borrow over time or your entire pre-agreed limit.

Let’s take a look at an example, imagining your business has been approved for a limit of £50,000. When you activate your flex loan you withdraw £10,000, leaving you with access to another £40,000. The following week, a massive order comes in from a new customer and you need to purchase a huge amount of materials very quickly. You withdraw another £10,000, leaving you with £30,000 to dip in and out of whenever you like.

You decide to repay the first £10,000 over 3 months and the second £10,000 over 6 months to give your business a bit of breathing room. You find you don’t need to withdraw any additional funds during that time. Six months later, you’ve reloaded your balance to the full £50,000 which you withdraw all at once to buy new equipment. This time you choose a 12-month repayment schedule, gradually reloading your balance every month. This gives you the flexibility to dip back in a few times when cash flow is tight.

What kind of business is a Flex Loan good for?

A flex loan allows you to access smaller sums to manage regular cash flow needs and can be used by both B2B and B2C businesses. That makes it a great way to manage any operational spending you have like rent, salaries or supplier payments. Use it to help hire the extra people you need at certain points, or to manage your outstanding invoices and marketing costs.

In our beta testing stage we saw it work really well for businesses in the retail and wholesale sector who needed to make stock purchases. At a time when customers are extending their payment terms and suppliers are shortening theirs, having a buffer for your cash flow is extremely valuable.

Is my business eligible for a Flex Loan?

Like any finance solution, flex loans have certain eligibility criteria. You can apply for a flex loan if…

• You’re a limited company or LLP registered in the UK
• You’ve had an average monthly turnover of £5,000 or more for 6 consecutive months
• You’ve been trading for at least 12 months
• One or more of the company’s directors lives in the UK
• Neither the company nor any of its directors are currently facing any insolvency or bankruptcy procedures

Fast. Flexible. Affordable

So much of our lives is taken up by admin. When you take away or simplify admin, there’s more time left in the day for the important things. When you’re running a business, that means you can focus on how you’re performing and how you can grow. Having fast, flexible access to cash doesn’t just give you the capital you need to operate. It gives you back the time and energy that goes into worrying about not having that cash. And all on terms dictated by you.

To find out more about flex loans and how to apply, head to our dedicated page here.