PDQ cash advance.
Funding based on your card machine takings. Repaid as a share of daily card sales.
Turn steady card takings into working capital. A merchant cash advance (MCA), also called a PDQ cash advance or card machine loan, gives you an upfront lump sum repaid as a percentage of your daily card sales. No fixed monthly payment, no interest rate, one fixed cost agreed upfront. Advances from £10,000 to £1,000,000.
How a PDQ cash advance works.
Apply
Apply with your recent card machine statements. Decisions based on your trading, not your credit file.
Receive
Decision in 24 hours, funds typically 24 to 72 hours. Funds go straight to your business account.
Repay
Repay as a small share of daily card sales. When card sales slow, the repayment slows too. When sales pick up, you clear the advance faster.
The numbers.
- Advance size
- £10,000 to £1,000,000.
- Fixed cost
- 1.10 to 1.50 (default around 1.25). The total you repay on a £50,000 advance at 1.25 is £62,500. What is a fixed cost?
- Daily repayment percentage
- 10 percent to 22 percent (default around 15 percent) of your daily card sales. How the daily share works
- Repayment term
- 3 to 18 months typical, flexing with your card sales. No fixed end date. Repayment finishes when the fixed cost is paid.
- Funding speed
- Decision in 24 hours, funds typically 24 to 72 hours.
- Security
- Unsecured. Personal guarantee usually required.
- Eligibility
- Sole traders, limited companies and LLPs. Minimum 6 months trading and at least £10,000 a month in card takings. 6 to 12 months of card transaction data is enough to be assessed, plus a card machine in use.
Final numbers depend on your lender, trading history, and sector. Full terms in your offer.
Why a PDQ cash advance suits card-led businesses.
Repayments flex with sales.
Quiet week, smaller repayment. Busy week, you clear it faster. No fixed monthly demand.
No credit score gate.
Approval is based on card machine trading history, not the business owner's personal credit file. Credit checks are still run, but they are not the deciding factor.
Fast decisions.
Decision in 24 hours, funds typically 24 to 72 hours.
Unsecured.
No property charge, no asset security. Personal guarantee standard.
Industries we fund.
PDQ cash advances work best for businesses with consistent card-based revenue. Common sectors we fund:
PDQ cash advance vs a term loan.
| PDQ cash advance | Business term loan | |
|---|---|---|
| Repayment | Flexes with daily card sales | Fixed monthly |
| Interest | None. One fixed cost agreed upfront | Interest rate applied over term |
| Security | Unsecured, personal guarantee | May require asset or property security |
| Underwriting | Card machine trading history | Credit file, accounts, affordability |
| Speed | 24 to 72 hours | Often 1 to 3 weeks |
| Best for | Card-led businesses with seasonal or variable sales | Businesses with predictable cash flow and longer-term capital needs |
Neither is better or worse. The right product depends on how your business takes payment and how you want to repay.
Common questions about PDQ cash advances.
Is a PDQ cash advance the same as a card machine loan?
Yes. Same product, different terminology. Some readers also call it a merchant cash advance or business cash advance.
Is it a loan?
No, technically it is a purchase of future card receivables. But it is often called a card machine loan informally, and functions similarly to a loan from the business owner's perspective. You get money upfront and repay over time.
What if my card sales drop?
Your repayment drops in proportion. You repay a percentage of what you take, so a quiet week means a lighter repayment. The total amount repayable, the fixed cost, does not change, but the time to repay extends.
Do I need to switch card processor?
No. You keep your current card machine and processor. The advance is collected automatically via split processing or daily direct debit, depending on the lender.
What card processors do you work with?
All major UK processors, including Worldpay, Barclaycard, Takepayments, Dojo, SumUp, Square, Stripe, PayPal, and others. If you take card payments, we can work with your processor.
How much can I borrow?
Advances from £10,000 to £1,000,000. The amount offered depends on your average monthly card turnover, trading history, and sector.
How quickly do I get the money?
Decision in 24 hours, funds typically 24 to 72 hours.
Will it affect my credit score?
The application involves a credit check on the business and guarantors. Repayments are not reported to personal credit files, so on-time repayment does not improve personal credit, but the business's repayment behaviour does affect future lending options.
What if my business is seasonal?
PDQ cash advances suit seasonal businesses well because repayments scale with sales. A quiet off-season means lighter repayments. Lenders do review average trading across the year to size the advance.
Ready to see what you qualify for?
No impact on your credit score to check. Decision in 24 hours, funds typically 24 to 72 hours.
Same product, different name. The flagship MCA page with the full product story.
Repayments take a share of total revenue, not just card sales. Built for mixed-income businesses.
Plain-English definitions of fixed cost, daily repayment percentage, and other commercial finance terms.
Ready when you are
Ready to apply?
60 seconds to apply. 1 working day to a decision. No obligation, no credit footprint for the initial check.
Up to 90% approval for qualifying businesses