Merchant Cash Advance, Easier than a Loan

A merchant cash advance is a cash payment to a business in exchange for an agreed upon percentage of future credit and/or debit card sales.  This relatively new industry provides business owners quick access to capital coupled with benefits not see with traditional loans.  Many merchant accounts are now providing merchant cash advance options.

It's not a loan

Most merchant cash advance companies point out that advances are not loans.  Basically, this type of cash advance is a purchase of future sales.  Merchant cash advances are not bound by laws that regulate lenders or limit interest rates.  There isn't a required regular fixed payment.  Instead the provider collects a percentage of the merchant's daily credit or debit card sales until the advance and premium are recovered.  Typically, the advance and premium are recovered in fewer than 12 months.  The benefits of this type of cash advance process are that the amount paid back to the provider varies with cash flow.  So a slower month means less money going back to the provider.

This differs from a traditional loan where there is a firm date as to when the loan plus interest has to be paid and there are fixed payments that need to be made on a fixed schedule. A merchant cash advance has no due date or fixed payment.  While this type of cash advance is good for businesses that have strong credit-card sales but might not qualify for traditional loans because of bad credit or little collateral. 

Benefits of a merchant cash advance

1.      Collateral and credit do not matter.  A merchant cash advance is simply a transaction and therefore stays off of the business credit report.  Merchants who get a cash advance avoid the risk of losing collateral, a common situation with a commercial loan if the loan is defaulted.

2.      Application and collection process are easy.  A cash provider only looks at two criteria: monthly credit card returns and how the long the business has been operating.  Minimums for these criteria are typically $5000 in monthly credit card sales and nine months in business. 

3.      Access to cash is quick.  The little paperwork equals a fast turnaround.  In fact, it can happen in as little as a week.  Having instant access is an important asset to a business if immediate funding is needed. 

4.      Approval rating is high.  Because a merchant cash advance is based on actual business performance and not credit it's much easier to qualify for money.  Any stable business will most likely qualify and the amount depends upon average monthly revenue.

5.      Collections are revenue-based.  The advance provider only gets paid when the business gets paid.  In slow months, the provider only gets a little, in bigger months, the provider gets paid more.  Often, this is easier for a business to manage compared to fixed monthly payments with a firm end date. 

Merchant cash advances offer obvious benefits for businesses who cannot afford traditional loans or businesses who need quick access to extra cash. Posted by Forex articles and reviews online.