Loans

1. What is a short-term loan?

   • A short term loan is typically repayable over terms that are a year or less. You can choose to take your short-term loan with Provident over 26 or 52 weeks.
      
     We’re here to help as little or as much as you need. Just choose the amount you’d like to take and how long you’d like to take to pay it back.
      
     You can apply now and get a decision in principle online.

2. When do I start paying the money back?

   • You will make your first repayment 7 days after you received your loan. Your Agent will visit you at your home to collect your repayment from you.

     When you take out your loan you will be given a payment book that your Agent will fill in every time you make a payment. It is important that you keep this in a safe place so that you can keep an accurate track of the repayments you have made and the amount that you still have outstanding.

3. What is Home Credit?

   • Home credit (also known as home collected credit) is  a personal service that offers customers small loans with their fixed and manageable weekly repayments collected from their homes each week.
      
     The weekly payments are collected by Agents who are paid commission on the amount of money that they collect each week and not on how much they lend out. This means that Agents will never lend you more than they feel you can comfortably afford to repay.
       
     If you would like to find out more information on our Agents, visit What is an Agent?

4. What is a bad credit loan?

   • If you think you may have bad credit, it can be difficult to apply for a loan.
      
     Provident treat everyone as an individual so we could help even if your credit history is not as good as it could be, if you’ve been turned down before or even if you’re not working at the moment.
      
     As a responsible lender, the last thing we want to do is encourage further bad credit – so we only lend fixed, sensible amounts of money that you can repay comfortably each week.

5. Are there any extra charges?

   • No. Your repayments are fixed and there are absolutely no hidden charges. 

     Unlike many high street banks and credit card companies, we do not charge for missed payments or overdraft facilities.
     

6. What is the APR for my loan?

   • The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is worked out based on the amount that you want to borrow and the terms that you would like to repay it over.
      
     Once you have agreed both of these things with your Agent, they will be able to tell you what the APR on your loan is.

     If you would like to have a look at the APRs of the loans we offer, try our loan calculator.
      
     If you would like to find out more about APRs and what they mean, visit our APR explained page.

7. How much is it going to cost me?

   • The amount that you pay back all depends on the amount that you want to borrow and the number of weeks that you want to repay it over.  However, we will never lend you more money than we believe you are able to comfortably afford to repay each week. 
      
     You can find out what your weekly repayments could be by using our Loan Calculator.
     

8. Do you offer flexible repayment loans?

   • We offer small, unsecured loans and fixed weekly repayments with no hidden fees or late payment charges.
      
     We are flexible in that, unlike traditional loans, if you miss a payment with us, we don't increase the cost of your loan.
      
     We're flexible about how you borrow from us too – as well as Cash Loans, we also offer One4all Gift Vouchers.

9. How is Provident different to a normal money lender?

   • We are a home credit lender, which means loans are issued and collected from home every week by your local Agent.

     This personal service  is at the heart of our service and sets us apart from normal lenders. Also, we are not concerned about your past credit history – instead, we are interested in your current circumstances and your ability to repay a loan.

     Unlike normal money lenders, we are happy to consider your application even if you have a bad credit history.

10. Do you offer loans to tenants?

    • Yes, we could offer you a loan if you are a tenant. We have many customers who are tenants in private, council and housing association properties so don't let this put you off applying for a loan with us.

      Apply online using our application form and you will receive a decision in principle within minutes.

11. What is a doorstep loan?

    • A doorstep loan is simply another name for home collected credit. As the name indicates, your repayments are collected from your 'doorstep'.
       
      Home collected credit is a personal service that offers small loans from €100 to €500 that have fixed and manageable repayments which are collected from your home every week.
       
      At Provident, your repayments will be collected by your local Agent.

12. How do I get cash in a hurry?

    • If you need a fast cash loan, complete our online application for approval in principle in just minutes - and your cash could be delivered to your door within days.
       
      Go to our quick and easy application form to Apply Online.

13. How are agent-collected loans different to other loans?

    • Agent-collected loans are different because our agents call at your home to collect your repayments. To find out more about our agents visit What is an agent.
       
      Agents are paid commission on how much money they collect, not how much they lend. So it's in their interest to make sure you only borrow what you can afford to pay back.
       
      Finally, agent-collected credit gives you the option to borrow small amounts – we offer loans starting from just €100.