The Questions We Get Asked Most

You don't need any paperwork, but it helps to know your rough monthly income and outgoings before you start. Lenders need to be satisfied you can afford the repayments before approving an application.

You can apply if you're a UK resident, aged 18 or over, and able to afford the repayments.

Most people complete the form in three to four minutes. If you already know your figures and the bank details you want the money paid into, it can take under two.

The FCA does not require loan applicants to be employed. Instead, applicants must be able to afford the repayments from a reliable source of income, which may include earnings, a pension or certain benefits. However, some lenders are cautious about lending to applicants who are not currently employed. While certain lenders may technically consider applications from unemployed customers, approval is unlikely based on our experience.

Yes. As long as you have a regular income and can afford the repayments, your application will be considered. Select self-employed or benefits as your employment status on the form, and the rest is handled from there.

Yes. We know some sites restrict applicants from Northern Ireland, but Easy Loans welcomes applications from anywhere in the UK.

Applying shouldn't harm your credit profile. A soft search will be recorded on your credit file. It won't affect your score and other lenders can't see it. A hard search - which is visible to lenders - is only carried out if you proceed with a full application to a lender. By that point the offer is already in place, so the full application is a formality.

A soft search is usually carried out to check your eligibility and show you the loan amount, interest rate and repayment term you may be offered. It allows lenders to consider information about you without leaving a visible credit application on your credit report.

In simple terms:

Soft search: “What loan could you offer someone in my circumstances?”

A hard search normally takes place when you decide to proceed with a particular offer and submit a full application. It is recorded on your credit report and may be visible to other lenders.

Hard search: “I would like to apply for this loan at the stated rate and repayment terms.”

A soft search should not affect your credit score, whereas several hard searches within a short period could make it more difficult to obtain credit.

You'll get a full decision while you wait - typically in under two minutes, occasionally up to three.

If your aspplkication is declined, you will see our dedicated declined page. It won't go into specifics about why your application was declined, but it will offer to give you generic literature on how lenders come to their decisions.

What it we won’t do is email or write to you with our decision unless you request it. The majority of our applicants have told us that they do not want us to write to them with the decision – we do appreciate that individuals have their own reasons and we respect their wishes.

Yes, you can apply again. However, we recommend waiting at least 30 days before submitting another application, as this gives time for your circumstances or credit information to change. The initial checks carried out through our service are soft searches, so applying again through Easy Loans will not affect your credit score.

It depends on what you mean by “bad credit”. Some people may consider themselves to have bad credit because they have missed one or two payments, while others may have more serious issues, such as defaults or multiple County Court Judgments. The term itself is subjective, and every lender uses its own criteria when assessing an application.

Many of the lenders we work with are non-prime lenders that specifically consider applicants whose credit histories are not perfect. Having bad credit does not necessarily mean your application will be declined, although it may affect the loan amount, interest rate or repayment terms you are offered.