Important: Provident is no longer taking new loan applications. This page has been preserved for historical purposes, and you can compare a range of short term loans here.
Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to moneyhelper.org.uk.
Please note: High-cost short-term credit is unsuitable for sustained borrowing over long periods and would be expensive as a means of longer-term borrowing.
Definitely one of the older companies in short term loans, Provident Financial was founded in 1880 with the aim of helping working families provide for themselves. It’s also the parent company of a number of popular credit providing brands, like Vanquis Bank, Satsuma and Moneybarn. Here’s our review of Provident’s best known service – its doorstep loans.
Provident loans have a representative APR of 535.3%, but the rate you receive will be based on factors such as your loan size and term, as well as your credit history.
To apply for a Provident loan you must:
Provident take your credit history into account when considering whether to give you a loan, but it’s not the only thing they look at. You’re still able to apply for a Provident loan if you have bad credit, but will also need to meet Provident’s lending criteria.
A doorstep loan is an unsecured personal loan where funds are both issued and collected in person, at your home.
Doorstep loans have come under attack recently as they are not subject to the same restrictions as payday loans. After payday loans received a huge amount of bad publicity, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) put limits in place to protect borrowers who used high-cost, short-term credit, but these restrictions did not cover the provision of “home credit” (doorstep loans).
Learn more about doorstep loans
Borrowers can begin their loan application online and receive a provisional loan agreement. Next, a face-to-face affordability assessment will be conducted by an agent, which Provident calls the Customer Experience Manager (CEM), at the borrower’s residence. The agent can also answer any questions the borrower might have. The agent will then return at prearranged times each week to collect repayments until the loan is paid off.
If you already have a Provident loan, Provident is willing to offer additional borrowing options. Be advised however, that at the time of writing, home credit is not covered by the same restrictions as many other forms of high-cost, short-term credit as defined by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – meaning that if you roll an existing loan over into a new loan, you could end up paying more back in interest than you initially borrowed. If the loan is not affordable, or you fail to keep up repayments, you could end up with mounting debts in this way.
If you’re experiencing difficulty paying back your loan or would like to take out a bigger loan then you should call Provident’s customer service team or chat to your Customer Experience Manager (CEM) in person. Your CEM is the member of Provident’s team that visits your home. They are there to answer any questions you have.
Provident provides loans for those who are unlikely to be approved for regular personal loans, including those that are unemployed, self employed, have poor credit or even received county court judgements (CCJ) in the past.
While it may be attractive for those who need to borrow money and have limited options, you’re going to pay for the privilege, and are likely to end up paying a lot in interest. As with any short term or bad credit loan, a Provident loan should only be considered as a last resort.
Before you take out a loan, first ask yourself if the expenditure you’re planning is urgent and essential. If you’re struggling to pay a bill for example, you could try talking to your utility provider about a payment plan. There’s a wealth of free information on alternatives at the government’s moneyadviceservice.org.uk, plus sound advice on managing debt generally.
Other financial products available that you may wish to consider include credit builder credit cards, guarantor loans, logbook loans (secured against a vehicle), high street money shops and online short-term loans.
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