A merchant cash advance, sometimes also known as a business cash advance, lets you borrow against your future credit card transaction revenue.

Imagine this: you need some extra cash today, but you don’t have business assets that you can pledge as collateral for a standard business loan. Instead, you can ask for a cash advance from a lender now and repay it through a fixed percentage of your daily, weekly or monthly credit card payment receipts. If business grows, you will repay the advance more quickly. If things are slow, you get more time. It’s a fast and flexible solution for many small businesses in areas like food and beverage, retail and leisure.

Any business that receives payment via a card terminal may qualify for a merchant cash advance. Because the lender works with the card terminal provider that processes your transactions, they can easily see the volume of card payments your business receives. The lender uses this information to calculate the sum they will lend and a plan to pay back the loan.

Because the loan and repayment plan are based on the volume and value of your transactions, merchant cash advances adapt to the way your business operates. The percentage of customer receipts you pay to the lender does not change, but the sum you repay daily, weekly, or monthly, does. It will fluctuate to match your card payment income. This flexibility can work particularly well for businesses with variable or seasonal income.

Merchant cash advances make repayment simple. The repayments are taken “at source,” which means they are sent directly to the lender by your card terminal provider.  

How much you can borrow will depend on factors such as how much credit card business you process and the total amount the lender is confident you can comfortably afford.

Technically, all types of borrowing for a small business or startup can be considered a business loan, but merchant cash advances differ from standard business loans in several ways.

For one thing, a merchant cash advance is unsecured. That means it does not require collateral such as inventory, equipment or real estate to back the loan. The money is lent to your business and you pay it back as a percentage of your card payment income. The volume of your card payments and the amount of money your business makes are what determine whether you qualify and how much you can borrow.

Another difference is in how merchant cash advances can adapt to your business. As you grow, you repay faster. During lulls, you repay slower. The time it takes to clear the loan is determined by the performance of your business. However, like other loans, a merchant cash advance does have a final date for full repayment of the loan. This can be anywhere from a few months to a few years in the future. Finally, standard business loans can come with hefty late charges or penalties for early repayment. A merchant cash advance does not. Because repayments are automatically deducted from your daily, weekly or monthly card transactions, it is not possible to be late, so there can be no late charges. If your small business or startup grows rapidly, you’ll pay the loan back sooner without worrying about penalties.

You can use a merchant cash advance for just about any legitimate business purpose, including:

• Buying inventory
• Renovating or expanding your premises
• Covering a cashflow shortage
• Paying taxes or vendors
• Advertising and marketing
• Hiring and training
• Purchasing equipment

In short, if your small business or startup needs money to grow, a merchant cash advance could work for you.

Calculate your merchant cash advance repayments using the calculator below. Enter the amount you would like to borrow, the factor rate, and the amount your business takes in card sales each month to see an example repayment amount.

The number one requirement for a merchant cash advance is an established history of processing a steady flow of credit card transactions. When you apply, you will likely be asked to provide several months of card transaction history as well as bank statements.

Another requirement is a completed application form, but this is usually relatively short and simple, and approval times are often quick – sometimes as short as 24 hours.

In some cases, you may be required to switch card terminal providers. Although this step is inconvenient, it can be a condition of approval from some lenders. It is definitely not always required.

A merchant cash advance does not have an interest rate in the usual sense. Instead, you pay a fee of a certain number of cents per dollar borrowed. This is usually expressed as a “factor rate.” For example, a fee of 20 cents per dollar is expressed as a factor rate of 1.20.

To see how much you will have to repay, multiply the amount you borrow by the factor rate. For example, if you were to borrow $5,000 at a factor rate of 1.20, you would be required to repay $6,000. This is calculated as $5,000 x 1.20 = $6,000.

The factor rate of your merchant cash advance will generally be set somewhere between 1.07 and 1.35, depending on the size and stability of your business, the volume of your transactions, the value of your transactions, and other factors that may be unique to each lender.

The factor rate is the fee charged by the merchant cash advance provider. Unlike an interest charge, that may be variable, the factor rate is set at a fixed number of pennies per dollar borrowed. For example, a fee of 20 cents per dollar is expressed as a factor rate of 1.20.

The factor rate is set at the time the loan is made and will not change over time. This is different than some loans or lines of credit, where the interest rate can fluctuate over time.

A merchant cash advance repayments are set as a percentage of each card transaction – for example 10%. Increased card payments will result in a larger repayment, which will pay the loan off faster. Less card payments will generate a smaller repayment and extend the time it takes to pay down the debt.

In many cases, yes. Because merchant cash advances are granted based on business performance and card turnover, bad personal credit is often not a problem. If you’ve been turned down for other types of funding, you may still qualify for a merchant cash advance.

Probably not. Although lenders will look at your card payments volume and history first, you must expect to show some financial records. This could mean bank statements and/or documentation related to your cash flow, balance sheet or tax returns.

Although each lender is different, they are all seeking to identify risk. The more information they have about your business, the more accurate their offer will be. If your company is a startup, or if you don’t have adequate business financial records, your personal tax returns may help the lender make their decision.