Easy Rates

It's 2026, and things are very different from when Easy Loans started back in 2011. In those days the model was simple: the lender advertised an APR, and it was up to you whether you applied at that rate. If you did, the application marked your credit file, so you had to be sure before you clicked "apply".

Fifteen years on, the industry has changed. Soft credit checks mean lenders can give you an accurate quote based on your own circumstances before you decide whether to go ahead, and before anything touches your credit file.

For borrowers, that means making an informed decision before requesting the money. Someone with a strong credit score can get a loan through brands like ours from as little as 13.8% APR, which for a non-high-street lender we think is competitive. Someone with a weaker score, perhaps with missed payments behind them, can still get a loan, but it's likely to sit nearer the 100% APR end of the range.

Either way, the decision to go ahead is yours, and it's an informed one.

It's 2026, and things are very different from when Easy Loans started back in 2011. In those days the model was simple: the lender advertised an APR, and it was up to you whether you applied at that rate. If you did, the application marked your credit file, so you had to be sure before you clicked "apply".

Fifteen years on, the industry has changed. Soft credit checks mean lenders can give you an accurate quote based on your own circumstances before you decide whether to go ahead, and before anything touches your credit file.

For borrowers, that means making an informed decision before requesting the money. Someone with a strong credit score can get a loan through brands like ours from as little as 13.8% APR, which for a non-high-street lender we think is competitive. Someone with a weaker score, perhaps with missed payments behind them, can still get a loan, but it's likely to sit nearer the 100% APR end of the range.

Either way, the decision to go ahead is yours, and it's an informed one.

The rate you're offered is almost always down to the risk you present to a lender, meaning the risk they won't be repaid. The lower that risk, the lower the APR. If your history suggests higher risk, your rate is normally going to be more expensive.

Your payment history. By far the biggest factor is whether you've missed repayments in the past. Lenders can see whether you're up to date on your current commitments, how you've handled credit over the last six years, and whether you have a CCJ. It's worth knowing that a CCJ stays on your file for six years from the judgment date whether or not you've paid it. Paying it does help, because it's recorded as satisfied and lenders can see you've put it right, but it doesn't disappear from your file. Payment history isn't just the biggest influence on your rate, it's central to whether you're approved at all.

Lenders like to see stability. How long you've lived at your address, how long you've had the same mobile number, how long you've used the same email address. Contact details have become nearly as useful to lenders as address history, partly because they help confirm you are who you say you are. It's not something to reorganise your life around, but if you're planning to apply, it's worth not making unnecessary changes in the weeks beforehand.

This one catches people out, because it's a separate test from your credit history. Lenders have to check that the repayments fit around your income and your existing outgoings. You can have a clean file and still be declined, or offered less than you asked for, because the monthly payment doesn't leave you enough room. If that happens, a longer term or a smaller amount will often get you an approval, though a longer term means paying more interest overall.

Most people aren’t aware that they have a right to pay off a loan early. You can settle a regulated loan early at any point. That's a statutory right under the Consumer Credit Act, not something a lender chooses to offer, and it applies whether you want to clear the whole balance or just pay off a chunk of it.

When you settle early you get a rebate on the interest you haven't used yet, so you don't pay for the months you're no longer borrowing over. The lender doesn't simply stop the clock on the day you ask, though. The rules let them add a short period of interest on top, which is where people are sometimes caught out. On a loan with a term of 12 months or less, they can add up to 28 days. On anything longer, it's up to 58 days.

To settle, ask your lender for a settlement figure. That's the exact amount that clears the balance, and it's valid for a set period, so pay it before that runs out or you'll need a new one.

This matters more than it sounds if you're borrowing at a higher rate. Interest is charged over time, so clearing the loan a few months early can save a meaningful amount, even after the extra days are added. If your circumstances improve partway through, it's worth asking for a figure and comparing it against what you'd pay by running the term out.