A merchant cash advance is approved on your business’s revenue and daily card and deposit volume — not your personal FICO. Scores as low as 500 accepted. $5K-$5M, same-day decisions, funded in 24-48 hours.
Apply Now (305) 384-8391A merchant cash advance is not a loan. It is a purchase of a portion of your business’s future card sales or deposits at a discount. That structural difference is the reason bad credit matters so much less here than it does at a bank. When the product is built around your revenue stream, the number that drives the decision is how much money moves through your business each month — not a three-digit credit score from a personal bureau report.
Banks and traditional term lenders lead with your FICO. If it is under 680, most of them stop reading the file. An MCA underwriter works in the opposite order. They open your business bank statements first and look at how consistent your deposits are, how much card volume you process, and whether the account stays positive. A 540 FICO with $60,000 in monthly deposits is a far stronger MCA file than a 720 FICO with erratic, thin revenue. Credit is a factor, but it is a small one, and it never overrides steady cash flow.
Bad credit shows up for ordinary reasons — a slow season, an old medical bill, a personal event, a maxed-out card used to keep the business running. None of that tells an MCA underwriter whether your business can support an advance. Your bank statements tell that story, and they tell it in three months instead of two years of tax returns. That is why owners who have been declined everywhere else are routinely approved for a merchant cash advance.
Underwriting centers on your monthly deposits and card volume, not your personal credit score. Strong revenue can carry a weak FICO.
Our minimum is 500. Credit is one small input on an MCA file, well behind deposit consistency and time in business.
Bad credit does not slow the timeline. Same-day decisions and funding in 24 to 48 hours once statements are in.
Three months of business bank statements is all most files need. No two-year return package for a working advance.
See your offer without a hard inquiry. We only pull hard credit once you accept terms, so shopping costs your score nothing.
A live underwriter reads your file and can weigh context an algorithm ignores. You can explain a rough patch to a person.
A merchant cash advance is the most credit-flexible product we offer, but it is not the only one. Depending on your revenue and how you get paid, one of these may fit better. All six weigh revenue and cash flow more heavily than personal credit.
Repayment as a fixed percentage of daily card sales or a set daily/weekly ACH. The most bad-credit-friendly option because it is sized on volume.
Learn moreDaily or weekly ACH payments for general cash flow gaps. Decision in 24 hours. Approved on deposits, not FICO.
Learn moreFixed daily/weekly ACH (not card-split). Term typically 6–18 months. Larger amounts for businesses with strong, steady revenue.
Learn moreRevolving access. Draw only what you need, pay interest on the balance. Best when cash needs are unpredictable.
Learn moreAdvance against outstanding invoices. Because it leans on your customer’s credit, your own score matters even less.
Learn moreUp to 60 months, self-secured by the equipment. The collateral offsets credit risk, so soft-FICO files still clear.
Learn moreIf credit score is not the deciding factor, what is? These are the inputs that carry the real weight, in roughly the order an underwriter weighs them.
| Criteria | Bank Loan | Online Term Lender | MFE Merchant Cash Advance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Decision Factor | Personal FICO | Credit + revenue | Business revenue |
| Minimum FICO | 680+ | 620+ | 500+ |
| Decision Speed | 4–8 weeks | 3–7 days | Same day |
| Time to Funding | 30–60 days | 5–10 days | 24–48 hours |
| Tax Returns Required | 2 years | 1 year | Not under $250K |
| Collateral Required | Always | Usually | Most files PG only |
An MCA trades a higher cost of capital for speed and access. If your credit is strong and you can wait weeks, a bank loan is cheaper. If you have bad credit and need capital now, an advance is often the only realistic option — and the honest tradeoff is cost, which we cover below.
Straight talk, because a good decision needs real numbers. An MCA is priced with a factor rate, not an APR. You multiply the advance by the factor to get the total payback.
You cannot fix your FICO overnight, but you can control the things that actually move an MCA decision. A few small steps before you apply can raise your offer and lower your factor rate.
Underwriters read the account your revenue lands in. Running sales through personal accounts, cash, or multiple scattered accounts hides your real volume and shrinks your offer. Consolidate deposits so three clean months show the full picture.
Recent bounced payments and negative days are the fastest way to lower your approval odds and raise your factor rate. Give it 30 to 60 days of positive balances and no NSFs before applying if you can. It is the highest-leverage thing a low-credit file can do.
Taking a second or third advance while the first is open makes your file look over-leveraged and can trigger a decline regardless of revenue. Pay down what you have first. One product at a time keeps your daily payment manageable and your file approvable.
A one-page application, three months of business bank statements, a voided check, and basic business details (EIN, time in business, ownership). Complete files get faster decisions and better terms than files an underwriter has to chase.
A real underwriter can weigh context an algorithm ignores. If there was a one-time event behind the credit damage, say so. An honest explanation on a strong-revenue file often gets a yes where a bank’s automated system prints a no.
Here is exactly what happens after you apply. Bad credit does not add a single step — the flow is the same and just as fast.
A one-page application asks for your business name, EIN, time in business, monthly revenue, and use of funds. Upload three months of bank statements to the secure portal. No credit gymnastics, no business plan.
A soft credit check with no FICO impact plus an automated read of your statements returns a non-binding pre-approval with estimated terms in minutes. Shopping your options never dings your score.
A live underwriter reviews deposit consistency, card volume, time in business, and existing obligations — not just a credit number. Most files clear the same day. Your dedicated rep answers questions directly.
Once you accept and sign, funds hit your business checking account within 24 to 48 hours. The agreed daily or weekly ACH schedule begins one business day after funding.
Some context on the low-credit files that get funded, and how to pick the right product for your situation.
Yes. An MCA is approved primarily on your business’s revenue and daily card and deposit volume, not your personal FICO. We fund owners with scores as low as 500 when bank statements show consistent deposits. Bad credit is common on the files we approve.
Our minimum is a 500 FICO. Credit is one small input on an MCA file. Monthly deposit volume, time in business, and a clean recent history matter far more, and strong revenue can carry a weak score.
The biggest factors are consistent monthly deposits, daily card and deposit volume, at least six months in business, a mostly positive account balance, and no open bankruptcy. Your bank statements tell that story better than any credit report.
MCAs are priced with a factor rate, commonly in the 1.15 to 1.49 range depending on revenue, time in business, and risk. Lower credit generally means a higher factor. There is no compounding interest and no prepayment penalty — pay early and save on the remaining cost.
No. Pre-qualification uses a soft credit pull with no impact on your score. We only run a hard inquiry once you accept terms, so you can shop and compare offers freely.
Most applicants get a same-day decision and funds within 24 to 48 hours once three months of statements are submitted. Bad credit does not slow anything down because underwriting focuses on revenue.
An open bankruptcy is one of the few things that can hold up an MCA. A discharged bankruptcy or an isolated old issue usually does not disqualify a strong-revenue file. Talk to a rep — a live underwriter can weigh the specifics.
Apply in 4 minutes. Same-day decision. Funds in 24-48 hours. Soft pull to pre-qualify — no credit impact, no obligation. Scores from 500 accepted.
Apply Now Start an Application Free Funding Audit (305) 384-8391