Frequently asked questions

To apply you must be at least 18 years old, a UK resident, and have an active UK current account with a direct debit facility. You must also have a regular source of income — we accept employment, self-employment and most benefit income. You will need a valid UK mobile number and email address so we can send you your decision and loan documents.

Yes — we run two separate checks. When you first request a quote, we carry out a soft credit search: this is invisible to other lenders and has no impact on your credit score. If you choose to proceed and formally accept your offer, we then conduct a hard (full) credit search, which is recorded on your credit file and visible to other lenders. We are transparent about this because we think you deserve to know exactly what you are agreeing to before you commit.

We welcome applications from people with a less-than-perfect credit history. We look at your whole financial picture — not just your score — including your current income, regular outgoings and ability to afford repayments. Having missed payments or a County Court Judgement (CCJ) in the past does not automatically disqualify you, though it may affect your rate and the amount we can offer. We will not lend if our assessment shows the repayments would be unaffordable for you.

Yes. Self-employed income is accepted. We assess affordability based on your declared monthly net income and outgoings, the same way we do for employed applicants. You may be asked to provide additional evidence of income — for example, recent bank statements or SA302 documents — but we keep this to a minimum and never ask for more than we genuinely need to make a fair decision.

Benefit income is accepted and treated on the same basis as any other income in our affordability assessment. We do not automatically exclude applicants whose primary income is from Universal Credit, disability benefits or other state payments. That said, affordability is our overriding test — if the repayments would represent an unaffordable portion of your income, we will decline and point you towards free financial guidance instead.

Everything is done online — no paper, no branch, no phone call required. You complete a short application form on our website (or via the Credicorp hub), which takes most people around two minutes. Our system returns a decision automatically. If approved, you receive your personalised offer, review it, sign your agreement digitally and we send the money to your bank via Faster Payments.

We ask only what we need: your full name, date of birth and current address; your employment status and monthly net income; a summary of your regular monthly outgoings and any existing debt commitments; how much you want to borrow and over how long; and your UK bank account details (sort code and account number). We do not ask you to upload payslips or call us during office hours — if we need anything extra, we will contact you.

Our automated decisioning system is designed to return a result in under 2 minutes for the majority of applications. A small number of applications — typically those requiring manual affordability review — may be referred to a human underwriter. In those cases we aim to respond the same working day. We will always keep you updated by email or SMS so you are not left waiting and wondering.

Open Banking is a secure, FCA-regulated way to share a read-only view of your bank transaction data with a lender — it helps us verify your income and spending quickly and accurately, without you having to upload documents. Providing Open Banking consent is optional. If you choose not to, we may ask for additional information or documents to complete our affordability assessment, which can take longer. Open Banking data is read-only; we cannot move or access your money through it.

If we are unable to approve your application, we will tell you clearly and promptly. We are not always able to give a detailed reason — the decision is automated and designed to protect your financial wellbeing. Being declined by us does not prevent you from applying elsewhere, but we would encourage you to pause before immediately applying to other lenders, as multiple hard credit searches in a short period can affect your credit score. If you are in financial difficulty, please see the free debt advice services listed at the bottom of this page.

Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to moneyhelper.org.uk

A short-term loan can be a sensible solution for a genuine one-off need — an unexpected bill, a car repair, bridging a cash-flow gap before payday. It is not suitable for ongoing financial shortfalls, as a way of meeting other debt repayments, or for non-essential spending. Before you apply, honestly consider whether you can comfortably afford the monthly repayments from your regular income. If you are unsure, speak to a free, independent debt adviser first.

If you are worried about your finances or existing debts, these services offer completely free, independent, confidential advice:

• Citizens Advice — free advice in person, by phone and online. citizensadvice.org.uk
• StepChange Debt Charity — free debt management plans and advice. stepchange.org
• National Debtline — free telephone and online debt advice. nationaldebtline.org
• MoneyHelper — government-backed money and debt guidance. moneyhelper.org.uk

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we want to hear from you. Send your complaint in writing to [email protected] — please include your full name, a description of the issue and what outcome you would like. We will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours and aim to resolve it within 8 weeks. As Cash Train is an unregulated lender, the Financial Ombudsman Service does not apply to your agreement. If you remain dissatisfied, you may seek independent legal advice or contact Citizens Advice.

You have a contractual right to withdraw from your loan agreement within 14 calendar days of signing — no questions asked, no penalty. To exercise this right, notify us in writing (email to [email protected]) within the 14-day window. You will need to repay the capital amount borrowed plus any interest accrued up to the date of repayment. As Cash Train is an unregulated lender, the statutory 14-day withdrawal right under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 does not apply, but we offer this right contractually in your loan agreement.

We take data protection seriously and comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your personal and financial data is used only for the purposes described in our Privacy Policy — processing your application, managing your loan and meeting our regulatory obligations. We do not sell your data to third parties for marketing purposes. You can request a copy of your data, ask us to correct it or request deletion at any time by emailing [email protected]. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.