Merchant cash advance vs overdraft vs business credit card
These three products solve the same headline problem, short-term cash, with completely different structures. An overdraft and a credit card are standing facilities you dip into and clear; a merchant cash advance is a lump sum with a fixed total cost repaid out of card takings. Which fits depends on whether your need is a buffer, a purchase, or a sum of money for a defined plan.
The comparison below is structural rather than a price list, because pricing on all three varies widely by provider and by the business applying. Compare real quotes for your own numbers before deciding anything.
The three structures side by side
The differences that matter day-to-day are how you access the money, how the cost accrues, and what happens in a quiet month.
| Merchant cash advance | Business overdraft | Business credit card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Lump sum against future card sales | Standing facility on the bank account | Revolving credit for purchases |
| Cost behaves like | Fixed total, set by factor rate at the start | Interest on the overdrawn balance, day by day | Interest on balances carried past the payment date |
| Repayment | Percentage of daily card takings | Whenever money comes in | Minimum monthly, ideally cleared in full |
| Quiet month | Repayments shrink with takings | Balance and interest grow | Balance and interest grow |
| Repay early | Usually no saving — cost is fixed | Saves interest immediately | Saves interest immediately |
| Typical availability | Card-revenue businesses, few months trading | Harder to get; banks have cut small-business overdrafts | Widely available; limits often modest |
| Security | Usually a personal guarantee | Varies by bank | Usually a personal guarantee |
Which situations does each one fit?
A credit card fits small, short-lived spending that gets cleared monthly: supplies, travel, online services. Carried balances get expensive, which is the product’s main trap.
An overdraft, where a bank will grant one, fits genuine buffer use: a few days negative around payroll or a rent quarter, cleared as takings arrive. A business that lives at its limit permanently has outgrown the product, and pays overdraft pricing for what is really a loan.
A merchant cash advance fits a defined sum with a defined purpose for a card-revenue business: stock ahead of a season, equipment replacement, a refit. Because the total cost is fixed at the start, it suits money that earns its keep on a plan, and suits standing-buffer use badly; an MCA left "idle" still costs its full fixed amount.
The published numbers behind the three
Rates on the facility side are anchored to Bank Rate, which has been 3.75% since 18 December 2025, with every 2026 decision so far holding it there. Barclays publishes fixed rates on unsecured business loans of £1,000 to £25,000, and a choice of fixed or variable tracking the Bank of England base rate from £25,001 upwards, over terms of up to 25 years. Funding Circle publishes loans of £10,000 to £750,000 over six months to six years, fixed rate for the whole term. Neither is an overdraft, and both are what a business ends up comparing an overdraft against once the bank says no.
On the advance side the published figures are amounts and shares rather than rates. 365 Finance funds £10,000 to £500,000, takes 5% to 15% of card sales, and says the typical payoff runs five to ten months. Liberis funds £1,000 to £1 million on its direct route with a minimum monthly amount of up to 3% of the balance, collected by direct debit where card takings do not cover it. That last clause is the one that makes an advance behave less like a facility than the marketing suggests. All read on the providers’ own sites on 7 September 2026.
Facility-shaped alternatives are wider than the two banks on your street. 55 lenders on our panel write unsecured business loans over a span of £1,000 to £20 million, and 21 of them will read a business trading under a year. Panel checked September 2026; composition changes.
Comparing costs fairly between the three
The structures price differently, so single-number comparisons mislead in both directions. An overdraft or card quotes an annual interest rate but the real cost depends on how long balances sit; an MCA quotes a fixed total but the equivalent annual rate depends on how fast takings repay it. The fair comparison for your case: estimate what each option would actually cost in pounds over the months you realistically need the money, on your own revenue pattern, and put those pound figures side by side. Any quote should give you the inputs to do this; be wary of one that does not.
The panel behind this page
Through our broker network we place cases with a panel of 200+ UK lenders offering 1,800+ products, from high-street banks to specialist funds. We check criteria first and approach only the lenders whose requirements you fit. The full roster, category by category, is published in our lender directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is a merchant cash advance cheaper than an overdraft?
Neither is cheaper as a rule; they price differently. An overdraft charges interest only while you are overdrawn, so light, short use is cheap. An MCA has a fixed total cost regardless of speed of repayment, so it compares best when the money is fully used for a plan over several months. Compare the pound cost of each over your realistic usage period rather than comparing a rate to a factor rate.
Why did my bank refuse or cut my business overdraft?
Banks have reduced small-business overdraft lending across the market for portfolio and policy reasons as well as customer-specific ones, so a cut is not automatically a judgment on your business. Alternatives with a similar shape include flexi-loans and revolving credit facilities from non-bank lenders.
Can I use a business credit card for working capital?
For small, short gaps that are cleared quickly, yes, and cards are convenient for spreading purchases within a month. Carrying meaningful balances month after month gets expensive and signals that the business needs a differently shaped facility, such as a term loan or, for card-revenue businesses, an MCA sized to the need.
Is CapExpand FCA regulated?
CapExpand Ltd is not directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. CapExpand Ltd (FRN 1060885) is an Appointed Representative of White Rose Finance Group Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630772). That appointment means White Rose Finance Group Limited is responsible for our credit broking, and both firms appear on the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk. We are a credit broker, not a lender.
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CapExpand Ltd · Company No. 14433858 · ICO ZB789649 · Annesley, Nottingham