Cardiff Review: Fair Credit Option for Business Lending
Cardiff isn't available on Finder right now.
- Loan amount
- $5000 to $500,000
- Cost:
- 1.1 to 1.5
- Min. Credit Score
- 550
Our verdict
A direct lender offering fast working capital for small businesses — but with high effective costs.
Cardiff is a direct lender providing a variety of business financing, including merchant cash advance, business credit cards, business lines of credit and equipment leasing. You only need a 550 credit score, six months in business and $20,000 in revenue to qualify. Applying is easy with funds arriving in as little as 24 hours, but effective APRs are high, so you may want to shop around for better terms.
Best for: Business owners with fair credit who can’t qualify for bank loans.
Pros
-
Low credit score requirement of 550
-
Choice of daily, weekly or monthly repayments
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Only six months in business required
Cons
-
Factor rates translate to high borrowing costs
-
Short repayment windows of 3 to 24 months
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No positive customer reviews
Is Cardiff legit?
Yes, Cardiff is a legitimate provider of business loans. Founded in 2004, Cardiff has lent more than $12 billion to small businesses all across the country. The company maintains industry-standard safeguards to protect customer information on its website. It’s accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has earned an A+ rating on that site.
However, there are few customer reviews available online, and those are primarily negative, which raises some concerns about overall borrower satisfaction.
What makes Cardiff shine?
- Fast funding and simple online application. You can complete the entire process online in just minutes and get approved funds in as little as 24 hours.
- Accessible eligibility requirements. You only need to be a legal US resident, have six months in business, a credit score of 550+, a business bank account and at least $20,000 in monthly revenue — no collateral required.
- Flexible loan amounts and repayment options. Borrow anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000 and repay automatically through your linked bank account on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule.
- Accredited. Cardiff is accredited by the BBB with an A+ rating, which adds credibility and trustworthiness.
Where Cardiff falls short
- High cost of borrowing. Cardiff uses a factor rate instead of an interest rate, which often results in very high effective APRs. For example, a factor rate of 1.4 on a $100,000 advance means you’ll repay $140,000 in total. If that advance is repaid over six months, the effective APR is around 80%, which is much higher than a standard term loan.
- No benefit for early repayment. You pay the full repayment amount regardless of when you pay off the advance, meaning there’s no savings for paying early.
- Short repayment terms. The maximum term is just 24 months, offering far less flexibility than many other business lenders.
- Low borrowing limits. Cardiff caps funding at $500,000, which may not meet the needs of larger businesses. If you need to borrow more than $500,000, you’ll have to look elsewhere, like with Lendzi or Lendio.
- Limited and negative customer feedback. With no Trustpilot profile and mostly critical BBB reviews, it’s difficult to assess Cardiff’s overall reputation.
Cardiff loan details
| Loan amount | $5000 to $500,000 |
| Terms | 3 to 24 months |
| APR | Factor rates of 1.1 to 1.5 |
| Turnaround | As little as 24 hours |
| Minimum credit score | 550 |
| Other requirements |
|
| Fees | Not disclosed |
Cardiff contact information
| Phone number | 888-234-0166 |
| Customer service hours | Weekdays: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| info@cardiff.co | |
| @cardiffco | |
| @justcardiff | |
| Threads | @justcardiff |
| YouTube | @justcardiff |
How to qualify for Cardiff
Cardiff is best known for its merchant cash advances. To qualify for one, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:
- Have a credit score of 550+
- Be in business for at least six months
- Earn a minimum of $20,000 in revenue per month
- Have a separate business bank account
- Be a legal resident of the United States
- Provide proof of identification
Cardiff also offers business credit cards, business lines of credit and equipment financing. Criteria for those types of financing are similar to the list provided above, but may differ slightly.
How to apply
You can apply for a Cardiff business loan entirely online. Here’s how the process works:
- Fill out the application. Start by completing Cardiff’s online form with basic information about your business, ownership and funding needs. This should only take a few minutes to complete.
- Get preliminary approval and view offers. After reviewing your information, Cardiff provides an initial decision and shows available funding options. You can review estimated terms, repayment schedules and select the offer that best fits your business.
- Provide documentation. After preapproval, you’ll upload required documents, including your business organization papers, driver’s license, six months of recent bank statements, most recent tax return and a voided business check. These help Cardiff verify your information and confirm eligibility.
- Link your bank account and receive funds. After you accept an offer, connect your business checking account for ACH withdrawals. Cardiff deposits funds directly into that account, often within 24 hours.
- Repay and renew. Payments are withdrawn automatically on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. After you repay your balance, you may qualify to renew your loan for additional capital.
How Cardiff compares to other lenders
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How we picked theseWhat is the Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches 12+ types of business loans across 35+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.
To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like loans. So if you're comparing the best business loans for startups loans, you can see how each business loan stacks up against other business loans with the same borrower type, rate type and repayment type.
Lendio reviews and complaints
| BBB accredited | Yes |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | A+ |
| BBB customer reviews | 1 out of 5 stars, based on 4 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 29 October 2025 |
Cardiff doesn’t have a profile on Trustpilot, but it is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating for providing consistent responses to official customer complaints. The company has had only two complaints lodged against it on the BBB website in the past three years.
There are only a handful of reviews given by past customers on the BBB, and they’re all negative. The company’s average rating is a single star. The primary complaint is the high cost of borrowing and how difficult it is to pay the loan back and keep up with other business-related expenses. Other issues include inconsistent communication, unclear loan terms and short repayment periods.
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Frequently asked questions
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