Funding that flexes with your card sales
Take a lump sum against future card sales and repay an agreed slice of each day's receipts, so what you pay back tracks how busy you actually are. Start with a soft credit pull that takes minutes and leaves no mark on your credit score.
The repayment happens where the sale does.
You receive a lump sum up front against your future card sales. From then on a small, agreed percentage of every card payment is collected automatically as your sales settle, so there is no date to defend and no single figure to find at the end of the month.
Because the collection sits in the settlement flow rather than in your diary, it is the sales that decide the pace. A strong Saturday sends more; a wet Tuesday sends less. If you want the wider shape of revenue-linked funding rather than the card-led version, the revenue advance page covers the same idea across all of your income.
A SHARE OF SALES, NOT A FIXED INSTALLMENTNot every pound through the business is card income.
The size of an advance follows what a funding partner can actually see and read, so it is worth knowing which parts of your income they are looking at.
Card payments in person
Everything taken on the card reader, which is the flow most advances are built to read. Steady daily volume matters more than any single strong week.
THE TILLPayments through your online checkout
Online orders settle through a provider on their own cadence, and that flow can be read in the same way as counter sales.
THE CHECKOUTSometimes total revenue
Some funding partners look only at card sales, while others will consider overall revenue including cash and bank transfers, which suits businesses that take payment in more than one way.
WIDER THAN CARDSEligibility leads on revenue rather than on assets: a few months of trading history, steady sales above a partner’s minimum, and recent bank or card-processing statements. Credit history is part of the picture without carrying the weight it would for a conventional loan, because the advance is repaid from live trade. Every decision sits with the funding partner and is subject to their approval.
The percentage tells you how it feels day to day. The total repayable tells you what it costs, and one request puts those totals side by side.
Five things to understand before you sign.
A merchant cash advance does not sit on the same scale as a loan, so comparing it against one takes a moment of translation. These are the parts that matter.
A total, not a rate
The cost is set as a factor rate or fixed fee rather than an interest rate or APR. You agree the total amount to repay at the outset and that figure does not move afterwards.
The share stays the same throughout
An agreed percentage of every card payment is collected automatically as sales come in. Because the percentage is fixed and the sales are not, the amount leaving your business rises in a busy week and falls in a quiet one.
Clearing it early does not usually cost less
It is a fixed fee rather than compounding interest, so paying it off faster generally does not shrink the total. That is worth weighing against a product where a shorter term genuinely reduces what you pay.
A timeline rather than a term
There is no fixed end date in the way a loan has one. A busy period clears the balance sooner, a slow spell stretches it out, and the agreed total stays where it is either way.
Sized to what your trade can support
Advances are usually sized against recent card sales, since that is what repays them. Through Capvant, amounts commonly start from a few thousand and are shaped by how much you take and how steadily, not by a headline figure.
Because the cost is a multiplier rather than a rate, the honest comparison is total repayable against total repayable, next to every other funding type Capvant covers. Capvant is a marketplace and introducer, not a lender: we do not fund, set the cost or make the decision.
Flexibility is worth paying for when you will use it.
Used well, for a short job that pays for itself, the shape earns its cost. Used to plug a gap that keeps reopening, it gets expensive. Here is the honest split.
A good share of your income arrives by card
Retail, hospitality, salons and other consumer-facing trades are where this product does its best work, because the repayment mechanism has something to draw on every day.
Your weeks are uneven or seasonal
A quiet run eases what leaves the business instead of tripping a missed payment, which can sit far more comfortably than a fixed date in the calendar.
The money has a short, revenue-generating job
Stock ahead of a season, a refit, a marketing push before a busy period. Used for something that pays for itself quickly, the cost can be justified by the return.
Only a small part of your income comes through a card machine
There may be too little in sales for the share to draw on, and the shape simply will not work. Compare working capital.
Your revenue is steady and predictable
If you can comfortably service fixed repayments, a term loan or a short-term loan usually works out cheaper, because you are not paying for flexibility you will not use. Compare short-term business loans.
The problem is unpaid invoices, not slow days
If you bill other businesses on terms rather than taking payment at the point of sale, the gap sits in your ledger and invoice finance matches it far more closely. Compare invoice financing.
One advance at a time.
Taking a second advance while the first is still running, sometimes called stacking, is the most common way this kind of funding turns painful. Two shares come off the same daily sales and the operation starts running on what is left rather than on what it earns. If you already have one live, look for an offer that replaces it cleanly instead of piling on top.
The other thing worth saying plainly: advances of this kind are generally unsecured, so you are usually not putting up property or equipment, though some funding partners do ask directors for a personal guarantee on larger amounts. Whether one is asked for is set out by that partner before anything is signed.
See the full processPick the range you have in mind and see what the card sales support, alongside the shapes that might cost you less.
Frequently asked questions
What is merchant cash advance?
Funding repaid as a small share of your daily card sales, so payments rise when you are busy and ease off when trade is slow. Through Capvant you compare merchant cash advance offers from multiple funding partners in one place, then choose what works for your business.
How much can I borrow?
Amounts depend on your trading history, revenue and the offers our partners make. Many businesses access $5,000 to $500,000 and beyond.
Will checking my options affect my credit score?
No. Seeing your options through Capvant is a soft credit pull, so it leaves no mark on your credit report. A lender only runs a full credit check if you decide to accept an offer.
Is Capvant a lender?
No. Capvant is a funding marketplace, we match you with funding partners and you choose the offer that suits you. Funding decisions, rates and terms are set by the lender, subject to approval.
How fast can I get funded?
Once you accept an offer, many businesses receive funds within a few business days, some products fund same day.
Is there a fixed monthly payment?
No. Instead of a set installment on a set date, an agreed percentage of your card sales is collected automatically as the sales come in. The percentage does not change, so what leaves your business rises when trade is strong and eases when it is quiet.
What if trade goes quiet for a few weeks?
Because the share is proportional, a slow run takes longer to clear rather than creating a payment you have to find. The total you agreed at the outset does not grow because it took longer, but a long stretch of quiet trading does move the finish line.
Can I take a second advance on top of one I already have?
Taking a second advance while one is still running, sometimes called stacking, is a common way this kind of funding goes wrong, because two shares are then coming off the same daily sales. If you already have an advance running, look for an offer that replaces it cleanly rather than one that sits on top of it.
Do I need to put up security?
Advances of this kind are generally unsecured, so you are usually not putting up property or equipment. Some funding partners do ask directors for a personal guarantee on larger amounts, and whether one is required is set out by that partner before you agree to anything.
See what your sales could support.
One request, competing offers compared on the total repayable, and a soft credit pull that leaves your credit score exactly where it is.
No obligation. Checking your offers won’t affect your credit score.
Disclaimers & footnotes
- 1Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender. We match business owners with third-party funding partners; we do not make credit decisions, lend money, or set rates or terms. All funding decisions, rates, terms and approvals are made solely by the lenders in our network, subject to their criteria.
- 2Checking your options through Capvant does not affect your credit score. A lender may carry out a soft or hard credit search depending on the product, stage and your consent. A full hard credit check is only carried out where required by a lender before you proceed.
- 3Funding speed, including any reference to funding in as little as 24 hours, is typical for some products and lenders and is not guaranteed. Actual timescales depend on the lender, the product, and how quickly requested information and documents are provided.
- 4Funding amounts and ranges are indicative only and vary with your business profile, trading history, the lender and the market. Figures shown are not an offer of finance and do not guarantee any particular amount, rate or approval.
- 5Any offers, rates or repayment figures shown in illustrations or examples are for demonstration only and are not real quotes. Your actual offers, if any, are provided by lenders and are subject to approval.
- 6Product availability varies by market. Some products are only available in certain countries. Capvant currently serves businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Capvant is not a lender and does not make credit decisions, we introduce businesses to third-party funding providers. Capvant is not authorized or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Capvant does not compare every lender, broker, funding product or offer available in the market. We only show options from funding partners in our network that may be relevant based on the information you provide.
Capvant may receive compensation from lenders, brokers, funding partners or referral partners when a customer is introduced, approved, funded or takes another qualifying action. This compensation does not guarantee that any lender will approve an application or offer specific terms. Capvant does not charge business owners a fee to compare funding options unless clearly stated otherwise.
If you access Capvant through a partner, introducer or embedded funding page, that partner may receive a referral fee or commission if your request results in funding. This does not increase your cost unless expressly disclosed.
Capvant is intended for business-purpose funding only. Eligibility may depend on entity type, location, trading history, revenue, industry and lender criteria. In the UK, Capvant currently focuses on limited companies, LLPs and plcs, and does not currently support sole traders or ordinary partnerships.
Information on Capvant is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consider whether funding is suitable for your business and seek professional advice where appropriate.
Calculators, eligibility checkers and funding-readiness tools are estimates only. They are based on limited information and assumptions, and do not represent a credit decision, quote, approval or recommendation.
Company information may be sourced from public registers such as Secretary of State business filings, or from information you provide. Public register data may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate and should not be treated as a full credit assessment.
The Business Credit Score by Capvant is an independent statistical assessment based on public register data. It is not provided by a credit reference agency and may differ from scores used by individual lenders.
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Some US commercial financing offers may be subject to state-specific disclosure requirements. Where required, additional disclosures will be provided and must be accepted before a transaction is finalised.