Compare Payday Loans

Payday loans make up a significant proportion of the UK lending sector, providing short-term finance for those who need it fast. From meeting bill payments, to handling unexpected expenses, payday loans have proven to be a flexible and reliable form of borrowing that makes it simple to stay on top of your finances. Since new regulation was introduced we have seen even better choice of payday loans and a much safer lending market geared towards ensuring lenders only offer loans that are affordable and borrowers find it easy to repay. There’s now a significant range of different payday lenders in the market so being able to compare payday loans has become an important part of making sure you get the right deal for you. So, how do you do it?

Compare payday loans basic conditions

Most payday lenders – if not all – will require you to be at least 18 years old to apply for payday loans but some may ask that you’re older. Make sure you check this before starting the application. You’ll also find that UK citizenship – or legal residency – is a requirement, as well as a bank account that the loan can be paid into and repayments made out of.

Do you need to be employed?

All lenders will ask that you have a way of repaying the loan that you borrow – this is part of the affordability requirements introduced by new regulation so it’s not something that is negotiable. However, different lenders count different sources as income so it’s worth checking this as you compare payday loans. For example, for some loans you will need to be employed to make an application but for others you may be on benefits and still eligible to apply for the loan.

Find out how much it will cost

When you compare payday loans it’s essential to work out the costs of choosing one lender over another. Check whether there are any fees to pay for borrowing, other than the interest. You can then compare the interest rates that you’re being offered to see which one will enable you to pay the least interest on your loan. New price caps mean that daily interest should be no more than 0.8% - when this is presented as an annual figure it is around 300% APR. Different lenders will offer different interest rates, whether they are shown as a daily rate or an APR so compare what you are offered to find the cheapest.

Compare payday loans repayment

The traditional payday loan repayment is around a month (28-31 days) from the date on which you borrow the loan. However, there are some lenders that may offer a slightly longer repayment term and you should find out what applies to your loan before making the application. It’s standard for lenders who specify a single repayment to take both the loan repayment and the interest amount at the same time and for this to be set up in advance by direct debit.