If you take at least £10,000 a month on card and want fast funding from a top-rated lender, a 365 Finance cash advance is a strong option — but you pay a premium for the speed.
You get a lump sum against future card takings, then hand back a fixed slice of each day’s card settlement until the agreed total is cleared. There is no APR, only a factor rate.
Before you sign, you want the real cost and the regulatory catch in plain terms. We’ve checked every figure below against 365’s own pages, because a factor rate hides what an advance does to your cash flow.
365 Finance Merchant Cash Advance at a Glance
Our Verdict
For a card-heavy business that wants fast money and a lender that won’t squeeze your cash flow, 365 does a clean job: one fixed factor, a gentle sweep, and a service record to match.
You’re paying for service and flexibility, not the lowest cost: we rate it the best-reviewed MCA here, but still an MCA. Annualise the 1.15 to 1.40 factor and it sits well above a bank loan.
You also carry the risk the rivals share: the advance is unregulated, so the Ombudsman can’t step in. That’s the trade-off in one line.
365 Finance Merchant Cash Advance
Best For
You’ll get the most from it as a card-heavy retail, hospitality or e-commerce business that turns over £10,000 a month or more on card and needs cash this week to cover stock or your wages.
It also suits you if you value a capped daily sweep and a strong service record, and if a bruised credit file has shut the cheaper, regulated doors.
Not Ideal For
You should skip it if you qualify for an iwoca or bank rate, because the same money costs you far less and comes with full FCA protection.
Avoid it, too, if you take under £10,000 a month on card — Liberis fits a smaller takings profile — or if losing the Ombudsman backstop is a line you won’t cross.
Key Facts
| Product | Merchant cash advance (assignment of future card receivables) |
|---|---|
| Advance amount | £10,000 to £500,000 |
| Pricing | Single factor rate, 1.15 to 1.40 (no APR quoted) |
| Fees | None separate – the cost is the factor rate |
| Repayment | Fixed percentage of daily card takings, sweep capped near 16% |
| Eligibility | 6+ months trading, £10,000/month card sales; adverse credit considered |
| Speed | Quote in minutes, ~90% approval; funds within 24 hours |
| Regulation | Advance is unregulated; no Financial Ombudsman or FSCS recourse |
| Trustpilot | 4.9 out of 5 from 1,000+ reviews |
What Is the 365 Finance Merchant Cash Advance?
How the 365 Finance MCA Works
You take a lump sum — £10,000 to £500,000 — against the card sales you expect to make. The size scales off your card volume, so heavier takings unlock a larger advance.
You don’t pay a fixed instalment. 365 takes an agreed percentage of each day’s card settlement, so repayment moves with your cash flow until the total is cleared.
It’s legally an assignment of your future card receivables, not a loan, which is why you see a factor rate rather than an interest rate. The total is fixed the day you sign.
MCA vs Business Loan: Key Differences
A term loan takes a fixed sum from you each month and charges interest on a falling balance, so repaying early saves you interest. The MCA works the other way round.
With the MCA your repayment rises and falls with daily card takings, so a quiet week costs you less that week — useful if your trade is seasonal or weather-driven.
You can’t shrink the cost by clearing early, because the price is fixed in pounds at signing. That makes the advance dearer in APR terms than the headline factor suggests.
365 Finance MCA Factor Rates and Total Cost
Factor Rates and Repayment Multiples
You agree a single factor rate up front — 365 publishes a range of 1.15 to 1.40 — then multiply the advance by it to get the total you owe. It never changes.
Take a £30,000 advance at a factor of 1.25: you repay £37,500 in total. At 1.40 you’d owe £42,000 on the same £30,000, whatever happens to your sales.
Your card turnover and trading record set the rate within that band: stronger, steadier takings earn nearer 1.15, thinner trading pushes towards 1.40. 365 confirms your exact rate after underwriting.
Fees and Charges
You pay no separate fees on top of the factor rate — the all-in cost is simply the gap between the advance and the total repayable. The factor is the whole price, so it’s easy to plan against your cash flow.
Only the clean-factor lenders price this transparently, which is part of why we rate 365 alongside Liberis and above fee-stacking rivals like Capify, which add processing, origination and monthly charges.
You still need to judge the factor itself. A no-fee 1.40 can cost you more than a rival’s 1.20-plus-fees, so always compare the total repaid, not the absence of charges. That’s the catch.
Equivalent APR: What the MCA Really Costs
365 doesn’t publish an APR, so here is the honest maths for you. A 1.25 factor means you pay 25p on every pound — £7,500 on a £30,000 advance.
You repay that as your card sales come in, with no fixed end date, so the effective annualised cost depends on speed. As a rough guide, a 1.25 factor over a year works out near 35% to 45%.
You’re still paying multiples of a high-street loan, even though there are no extra fees. Carry the effective cost into any comparison, because the factor alone always looks smaller than it is. That’s the number that matters.
Watch the same quirk every MCA shares: faster sales clear the advance sooner, which actually raises your annualised cost. You pay the same pounds either way, over a shorter window.
365 Finance MCA Eligibility
Who Can Apply
You apply as the business owner or director. 365 markets no security and no business plan, though a personal guarantee is typically required for a limited company or an advance over £50,000.
You don’t need filed accounts or a clean score. 365 underwrites on your card-processing and open-banking data instead, so your bruised credit file rarely sinks an application on its own.
Card Turnover and Trading History
The floor is higher than some rivals: you need at least £10,000 a month in card sales and around six months of trading. That rules out the very smallest card-takers.
Your advance size then scales off that card volume — a business taking £10,000 a month might be offered about £10,000, with larger takings unlocking up to £500,000.
If most of your money arrives by bank transfer or invoice, the MCA won’t fit. 365 lends against card receivables, so cash and BACS turnover don’t count toward the floor.
Business Types Accepted
You can apply as a limited company, sole trader or partnership, as long as the business is UK-based and takes a meaningful share of its money on card terminals.
You’re judged on your card receipts, not a clean file alone: 365 weighs merchant turnover over filed accounts, which opens the door to businesses a bank has already turned down.
365 Finance MCA Application Process
How to Apply for a 365 Finance MCA
You start with a quick online quote that checks your card turnover and trading length. 365 markets a 90% approval rate, so most card-taking businesses get past the first step.
You then connect your card-terminal or open-banking data, and an account manager confirms the offer. There’s no business plan to write and no security to pledge.
Documents and Checks Required
Your core evidence is card-processing data, because that revenue is what 365 lends against. Have a few months of merchant settlement statements ready before you apply.
You’ll also pass standard ID checks, and 365 may run a credit search. It reads your cash flow and card history as closely as any score, so consistency matters more than a perfect file.
Decision and Funding Timeline
You’ll usually have a decision the same day and funds within 24 hours of acceptance. The card-data underwriting is largely automated, which is what makes the turnaround so quick.
When a supplier wants paying on Friday and a bank quotes you three weeks, that 24-hour turnaround is what you’re really buying. Speed is the product’s strongest card.
365 Finance MCA Repayment and Cash Flow
How the Percentage-of-Sales Repayment Works
You agree a split — a fixed percentage of your daily card takings, generally 10% to 20% — and 365 caps the daily sweep at 16%, gentler than rivals that can take up to 30%.
Each day your card processor settles, that slice goes straight to 365. You never write a cheque, so repayment moves with your cash flow rather than against a fixed calendar.
There’s no fixed end date, and once you’re part-repaid you can renew or top up the advance. A busy stretch clears it sooner, but the total you owe stays fixed at the factor rate.
Cash Flow Impact in Slow and Busy Periods
In a quiet month you pay less, because the split is a percentage of a smaller number. The 16% cap means it can’t swallow your cash flow even when takings dip.
In a busy month it takes more, so you repay faster — but remember the fixed cost. Clearing early never refunds a penny of the factor-rate premium.
Avoid the renewal trap: rolling into a fresh advance before the first clears stacks one fixed cost on another, and that’s how you can drift into dependence on the funding.
365 Finance MCA Customer Reviews
What Customers Like
You’re looking at a 4.9 out of 5 from more than 1,000 reviews, one of the highest scores of any UK business finance provider and a genuine standout in the MCA market.
When your cash flow is tight, the praise is consistent: fast funding, repayments that flex with sales, and a hands-on account team. We read the same themes again and again.
Common Complaints
You’ll see one complaint recur even here: cost. Some borrowers felt the factor was clear but the effective annualised cost wasn’t, and the bill landed steeper than expected.
You should also note that renewing too early stacks costs. Neither is hidden if you read the agreement, but both are why we’d annualise the factor before you commit or roll over.
365 Finance MCA Support and Regulation
Customer Support
You get a named account manager rather than a call-centre queue, and the 4.9 score leans heavily on that. It means one contact who knows your file at renewal.
That hands-on model is part of what you pay for, and we think it earns its keep. If you value one person to call when a repayment question hits your cash flow, 365 delivers it.
Regulatory Status and Complaints
You need to read this line carefully: the cash advance is unregulated. Because it’s legally an assignment of future receivables, not a credit agreement, it sits outside the FCA perimeter.
You therefore get no Financial Ombudsman recourse and no FSCS cover on the advance. That’s the free backstop you’d have on a regulated loan, and you give it up for the speed and access.
If a dispute arises, you raise it with 365 directly and, failing that, through the courts. Keep written records of every quote and call, and read the agreement before you sign or renew.
365 Finance MCA vs Alternatives
365 Finance MCA vs Liberis Merchant Cash Advance
You’re comparing two clean-factor advances with no extra fees, so the split comes down to floor and feel. Liberis starts at just £1,000 a month in card sales; 365 wants £10,000.
Pick 365 for the capped 16% sweep, the renewals and the standout service score. Pick Liberis if your card takings are smaller or younger, where it clears a floor 365 won’t.
365 Finance MCA vs Capify Merchant Cash Advance
You’ll find Capify leans larger on advance size and takes worse credit, but it stacks a processing fee, 4% origination and a monthly charge on top of the factor. 365 charges the factor alone.
You should pick 365 for a cleaner, usually cheaper deal and a far better service record. Pick Capify if you need a bigger advance or your credit is poor enough that 365 declines.
365 Finance MCA vs Alternative Business Finance
You’ll find iwoca’s Flexi-Loan (49% representative APR) and Funding Circle (from 6.9% APR) cheaper than any MCA, but they want a reasonable credit file and steadier trading.
You’ll also find a high-street bank cheaper still and FCA-regulated. The 365 advance only wins when those doors are shut, you need cash fast, or you want repayments tied to your card sales.
Liberis Business Cash Advance
iwoca Business Loan
Capify Business Loan
Final Verdict: Is the 365 Finance Merchant Cash Advance Worth It?
You fit this well on a clear profile: you take £10,000 a month or more on card, you want fast, flexible funding, and a strong service record matters to you more than the rock-bottom rate.
On that profile it’s the MCA we’d shortlist first, and you’d struggle to beat the service: one clean factor, a capped 16% sweep and a 4.9 Trustpilot score lead the card-sales market.
For everyone else you’re taking on expensive money, and the regulatory gap matters. An effective cost of 35% to 45% on your cash flow, plus no Ombudsman recourse, makes it a considered choice.
So treat it as a tool: you should annualise the factor, get a Liberis or iwoca quote to test it, and make sure no cheaper, regulated door is open before you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 365 Finance cash advance a loan?
No. It’s a merchant cash advance – legally an assignment of your future card receivables, not a loan – which is why it’s priced on a factor rate, not an APR, and why it sits outside FCA consumer-credit rules. Verified June 2026.
How much does a 365 Finance advance cost?
It’s a single factor rate, published between 1.15 and 1.40, with no separate fees. A 1.25 factor on a £30,000 advance means you repay £37,500 in total. Cleared over about a year, that works out near a 35% to 45% effective annualised cost.
What are the eligibility requirements?
You need at least £10,000 a month in card sales and six months of trading. There’s no business plan and no security required, and 365 underwrites on your card and open-banking data, so adverse credit is often considered.
How much of my card takings does 365 take each day?
A fixed pre-agreed percentage, generally 10% to 20% of daily card sales, with the daily sweep capped at 16% – gentler than rivals that can take up to 30%, which protects your cash flow. It flexes with your takings, so a quiet day costs you less and the advance just runs a little longer.
How quickly can I get funded by 365 Finance?
Usually within 24 hours of acceptance. A quote takes minutes online, 365 markets roughly a 90% approval rate, and the card-data underwriting is largely automated, which keeps the turnaround fast.
Is 365 Finance regulated by the FCA?
The cash advance is not. Because it’s an assignment of future receivables rather than a credit agreement, it sits outside the FCA perimeter, so it carries no Financial Ombudsman recourse and no FSCS cover – a real trade-off for the speed and flexibility.
Methodology and Disclosure
How We Reviewed the 365 Finance Merchant Cash Advance
What we assessed. We reviewed the 365 Finance cash advance on pricing, fees, eligibility, the application process, repayment mechanics, customer sentiment and regulation.
We paid particular attention to total cost, converting the factor rate into an effective annualised cost, and to the regulatory status, because the advance sits outside the FCA perimeter.
Data sources. We verified every load-bearing figure against 365finance.co.uk and the FCA register in June 2026, and confirmed the Trustpilot score of 4.9 out of 5 from more than 1,000 reviews.
We weighed 365’s standout service record and capped 16% sweep against the recurring complaint about effective cost, and against the cheaper, regulated alternatives a qualifying business should check first.
Update cadence. We re-verify the factor rate, fees, eligibility and regulatory status on this page at least quarterly. We’ve no affiliate relationship that affects this assessment. See our editorial policy.