Skyline Direct provides doorstep loans in Northern Ireland and Scotland only. This lender operates online from www.skylinedirect.com that was created in 2009. It does head that they have been operating for over 60 years, but no further background info is presented. They are based in Belfast and it is their home country that is central to them, whilst expansion in Scotland has been a more recent focus. The cash sums of £100 to £500 are promoted on their homepage, but new customers are restricted to £200 and it also notes in the FAQ that £1000 may eventually be possible. You can alternatively receive vouchers if you wish.

You can select 20 or 30 weeks on their payment calculator at www.skylinedirect.com. As I believe, 40 weeks is possible (likely for existing customers). To cover the costs in place, for £300 over 20 you would pay £120 or over 30 this would be £150. This second example works out as the second cheapest home collection loan rate that we have studied to date. The Skyline Direct loans can be paid by debit card if you would prefer not to have the agent collection service that is a nice touch. Once an application has been received they will look to send out an agent within a few days.

It is not mentioned how many agents they have within their organisation and their opening times are also not listed. There is a CCA member badge at the bottom of the site, but no reference in writing to membership. Although Skyline loans are not available in England where most of the sector business is running through, the feedback from their existing user base in NI/Scotland has been supportive. If you do reside within their trading zones then they would be a great choice to go with, especially based on their service costs. Only Mutual beats them, but their product is restricted to East Anglia, East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

SFS Loans is the sister-brand of Shopacheck who are a popular UK doorstep loan company. Each is owned by Welcome Financial Services Ltd (part of Cattles Plc). SFS Loans is served through www.sfsloans.co.uk with this website being created back in 2012. You can receive doorstep cash here between the levels of £200 and £1000. Either 32 or 50 weeks can be selected on their payment calculator. Within their FAQ they do mention 78 weeks as being an available term, although this would likely be accessible to existing customers only. Once you have borrowed from them it is also stated that you can receive higher amounts.

The cost of £300 over 32 weeks would be £180 (399.7% APR). This is the same charge that would need to be paid over at Shopacheck. One thing I like about their calculator is that it does throw up the cost breakdowns for every example entered that isn’t the case with their fellow company. If you are aged over 21 then you can apply at www.sfsloans.co.uk where the application will be processed securely. They would deal with this application between Monday and Friday. The times are usually 9am to 5pm, with the exception being that they open later at 9.30am on a Wednesday.

This is a responsible lender with CCA and CCTA memberships. It should be noted that this service matches that of Shopacheck. Other than the available amounts and terms, this also goes for the same 1800 agents being used. You would need to speak directly to an agent if you wish to settle your loan early or receive more cash. SFS Loans does look to be a good doorstep lender to be using, although there are no distinguishable features against the market leader (Provident). There you can for instance choose between a wider spread of repayment offerings and as a return customer you can even access up to £2500.

Morses Club is a home collection loan business based in Worcester. Their website (www.morsesclub.com) dates back to the year 2002 and there was a big company shake-up when RCapital acquired them in 2009. Other than this, there is no further background history available to reference. They have 36 offices in a range of locations that includes coverage in Northern Ireland and Scotland. As you will see noted below though, not a particularly wide number of areas tend to qualify for loans. Doorstep cash loans is their central focus, although they do also provide high street retailer cards. This includes the likes of Asda and Debenhams.

With the main product, you can select terms of 34 (for £100 to £600) or 50 weeks (£500 to £1000). A term of 33 is available that is specific to Northern Ireland residents only. There is a noted new customer restriction of £150 and so this should make the 34 selection only possible at first. A £100 charge here would be £70 whilst for existing customers £300 would be set at £210. This makes this service more expensive than the rates available from the leading lenders in this sector. When applying, you either fill in a basic form at www.morsesclub.com or you can give them a ring.

When I entered a local postcode in the quick contact box it stated that they did not operate in my area that is never a good sign. If they can cater, then an agent will agree on a time to come round to your home within a few working days. On last count there was approx 180 staff and a further 450 agents. This website contains limited service details. There is for instance no specifics regarding just who can qualify for a Morses Club loan. With a higher price than the major names (who cover every major location), this doorstep lender doesn’t stand out as a particularly desirable choice.

The Mutual loans brand is headed as being the UK’s largest family-owned home collection loan company. They have 240 agents and over 350 employees that are spread out across 15 branches. They reference the founding year of 1898, with Mutual Clothing & Supply Ltd being formed in 1922. Their service is available though www.mutual.uk.com and they do also operate through www.mutualclothing.co.uk. This doorstep lender heads large accessible sums ranging from £50 to £2000. New restrictions aren’t detailed, but you would expect this to be set at a few hundred pounds. There are 4 repayment options that includes 26, 51, 102 or 156 weeks.

Pricing is an area where the Mutual loans shine with APR for the minimum term standing at just 188% and this reduces further as you increase the repayment periods. To cover a few examples per £300 taken out, over 26 weeks the cost would be £90 whilst over 51 weekly terms you would be looking at £120. That 26 week rate works out at around 5% each month. In comparison, a competitive monthly payday loan rate is considered as being 25%. Applications are taken at www.mutual.uk.com that has took on a recent revamp. This includes account logins and SSL being added. No other lender in this niche provides such a facility.

There is unfortunately no nationwide coverage with funds being accessible to those located across East Anglia, East Midlands and South Yorkshire only. Applicants even with a troubled credit history may still qualify. They operate throughout Monday to Friday with the main office appearing to be live from 8.30am until 5pm. Once approved, a similar collection procedure would work as it does with their rival doorstep lenders. It is commendable to see such competitive market rates, but this is negated by their coverage span. It is unknown whether they are planning to expand in the near future. The market leaders on the hand cover the entire UK.

KDS Finance is one of the smaller doorstep loan providers on the market. Their service is served from www.kdsfinance.co.uk that has received a recent design overhaul that is a big improvement, especially due to more thorough product info now being provided. This is a family business that has been offering loans since 1981. The KDS Finance loans span from £100 to £500 with the repayment terms being available over 15, 21 or 28 weeks. Other than this home collection product, they also have sections catering holidays and vouchers. One of the main issues with this product is that the UK coverage is rather limited.

They provide details on their locations catered on their “About” page, but as you will see there they are basically just catering Yorkshire and its surrounding regions. At the application stage you have to enter you postcode to see if they can take you on. I entered my own local postcode for Manchester that was quickly turned down. No SSL is used here at www.kdsfinance.co.uk. One of the recent improvements on this revamped site has been their added payment calculator. To note pricing, a £300 loan over 28 weeks would cost £204. All of the other doorstep lenders have been scored over 32 weeks.

If we take the example of the Provident Loans service then they would provide a £300 loan over 32 that would cost £180. With this in mind, you are handed an extra month and yet the cost is still cheaper there. Each applicant must be over 21 years of age and it is stated that bad credit or CCJs are not a major problem. Applications are processed between Monday and Friday only with the opening times being 9am to 5pm. Pricing is higher than the established names and the lack of nationwide coverage is a limitation. It is good to see that CCA membership has been acquired.

The LoansatHome4U doorstep loan brand is the workings of S&U Plc and SD Taylor Ltd. The service is served through www.loansathome4u.co.uk that was created back in the year 2006. The company roots stretch way as far back as 1938 though. It was in 1975 when they began to target financial sectors. The website in discussion here doesn’t provide too much detailed information surrounding their product. There is for instance no loan cost breakdown provided that itself is a legal requirement for anyone that issues credit. Other than their cash loans that are being addressed here, they do also cater high street vouchers and home shopping.

The LoansatHome4U loans range from £150 to £600. Details are lacking, but there was some further details presented at www.lenderscompared.org.uk who they directly link to. This identified terms of 23 or 32 weeks. The 32 week term was the cost example provided and a charge was headed at 399.7% APR with a £300 sum costing £180. This matches the prices available on the Provident Personal Credit and the Shopacheck websites. No encryption is used on the form attached to www.loansathome4u.co.uk. When making an application here, you will have to enter your postcode to see if they can cover your local area.

They do appear to have a good number of locations catered since they have over 700 agents. The eligibility requirements are not discussed, but bad credit should be fine. As I’m aware, each applicant must be aged above 21 to qualify here. The opening times vary across their branch network. These are typically open from 9am to 5pm. Their main office may be open from 9am to 8pm (this was referenced on Lenders Compared). Their website really could do with a makeover with even essential basic product data not being provided at this time. This has been surprising to see since this is an experienced home collection loan provider.

Shopacheck was created by Welcome Financial Services Ltd. The main Welcome brand of course closed down after bankruptcy. The group owner was Cattles Plc who can be traced back to 1927. They had their own troubles though and their shares were recently acquired by Bovess Ltd who have taken control. This lender is the second largest in the doorstep loan sector behind Provident Loans. Most of the other companies competing in this niche are left to pick up the scraps. The Shopacheck loans brand is found at www.shopacheck.co.uk that was originally setup back in 1997. As I’m aware, this company actually dates back to the 80s.

Other than this brand, they also trade online as SFS Loans. They state that customers can receive between £200 and £1000, although £500 is restricted at first. With the repayment schedules, 32, 50 and 78 weeks was previously available. However, these terms have been changed and so you can select either 34 or 50 weeks. They provide an example of a £300 loan over 34 weeks costing £210 and so this is now a little higher than Provident who they did previously price match. Full management is provided door-to-door by agents and so there is no logins equipped to www.shopacheck.co.uk although SSL is used here.

Once approved, they send an agent to your home to finalise the details. Once funded the repayments will be collected on a weekly basis. Coverage across the UK is extensive here with there being around 1800 agents. Provident incredibly has 11,000 that shows how large their organisation is. Poor credit including defaults and CCJs may still grant acceptance, but just be aware of the minimum age requirement of 21. The feedback across their customer base always tends to be high and they have took a member place on with both the CCA and the CCTA. Finally, this service is live between 9am and 5pm (Monday to Friday).

Provident Personal Credit is the UK’s leading home collection loan lender. They operate through www.providentpersonalcredit.com and they did also compete in the doorstep loans niche through the sister-brand Greenwood. They have closed this now though that is likely due to their newer released services that includes Satsuma and Tandem. The larger group of course also provides the Vanquis credit cards. This is a company with a rich and historic past. Joshua Kelley Waddilove was the founder way back in 1880. In those early days, vouchers were handed out that could be exchanged for food and clothing with repayments made in weekly instalments. This is similar to what they are still doing.

All new customers can receive £100 to £500 through the term selections of 14, 23, 32 or 52 weeks. Things change once customers have earned trust though. The possible return sums goes as far as £2500 (and 110 weeks). Although they encrypt applications, there has never been a Provident login facility provided at www.providentpersonalcredit.com. All aspects of the loan are controlled through the agent. There are 11,000 of these agents spread out across the UK. They do by the way cater those located in the Republic of Ireland (they have setup www.providentpersonalcredit.ie for this). For pricing, £300 over 32 weeks would cost £180.

Once an application has been received, a local agent will make a home visit to complete the process. As I’m aware, they hand the customer with a pre-paid card that contains the funds so that a full cash withdrawal can then be made. Collections are made weekly and they are usually quite flexible regarding early settlements and no late fees are charged. The Provident opening hours are Monday to Friday (8am/8pm) and Saturday is (8.30am/5pm). This CCA member has a good track record with a reported 95% satisfaction rate. They cater bad credit (including CCJs) and even those with no bank account and so the approval rates here should be high.