Merchant Cash Advance in Bristol
CoreFi arranges merchant cash advances, funding advanced against future card takings and repaid as a fixed share of each transaction, for Bristol businesses, principally limited companies. We match your case to funders whose criteria fit. Advance sizes, factor rates and split percentages are indicative and depend on your card turnover and the funder's assessment.
A merchant cash advance advances a lump sum against your card turnover, repaid automatically as an agreed percentage of every card transaction until a fixed total clears. No fixed instalments: busy weeks repay more, quiet weeks less. Bristol is an independents' city, and the product maps onto it neatly. Gloucester Road's long parade of independent shops and cafes, the food and drink cluster at Wapping Wharf and around the Harbourside, North Street in Bedminster, Stokes Croft's bars and venues: these are card-first businesses whose takings move with footfall, weather, term times and the events calendar, and a repayment that flexes with revenue fits that trading shape better than a fixed monthly payment.
CoreFi is a commercial finance broker, not a lender. We work with businesses, principally limited companies, to understand the trading pattern and match the case to funders whose criteria fit. We do not lend and we do not decide the outcome. Whether an advance is offered, and on what terms, depends on your card turnover, trading history and the funder's assessment. Any figure on this page is indicative and for illustration only.
- 1
Share your card turnover
Tell us about the business, the funding need and the timescale, and share recent merchant statements showing your monthly card takings.
- 2
We match you to funders
CoreFi identifies funders on our panel whose criteria fit your turnover, sector and trading pattern, and we help you compare the terms that come back on total cost, not just headline size.
- 3
Review terms and draw down
If an offer works, the funder completes checks and the advance is paid, with repayments taken automatically as the agreed share of card takings. Timescales are the funder's, though this product is typically one of the faster ones.
How a merchant cash advance actually works
Three numbers define it. The advance: typically up to around one month's card turnover. The factor rate: the multiplier setting the fixed total repayable, so £20,000 at a factor of 1.25 means £25,000 repaid whatever the timing. The split: the agreed percentage of each card settlement, commonly between 5 and 20 per cent, deducted automatically until the total clears. There is no accruing interest: the cost is fixed at the start, easy to state, and not usually reduced by early repayment. The comparison that matters is against a term loan for the same cash over the same likely period, and we run it with you before anything is signed.
Who uses it in Bristol, and for what
Typical Bristol cases: a Wapping Wharf restaurant funding a refit or covering the gap between a strong summer and a slow January; a Gloucester Road independent buying seasonal stock; a Bedminster cafe replacing kitchen equipment that failed mid-service; a Stokes Croft venue bridging to a booked-out quarter; a salon adding staff and chairs. The filter is card volume: a business invoicing other businesses is usually better served by invoice finance, and thin card takings will not raise a useful advance. Bristol's independent economy is overwhelmingly card-first, and funders read its merchant statements comfortably; what they want to see is consistency at the site, not a famous street name.
How CoreFi works and what we are
CoreFi is a trading name of JG Core Ltd. We are a commercial finance broker, not a lender. Broking unregulated commercial finance to limited companies does not require FCA authorisation, and we do not hold ourselves out as FCA authorised or regulated. Our role is to understand your trading, package the case clearly and introduce it to funders on our panel whose criteria fit, then help you compare what comes back on total cost. You deal directly with the funder on the advance itself. We cannot promise an approval or specific terms. What we can do is tell you plainly when a cheaper product fits better, and find the right funder when the advance genuinely is the fit.
What funders look at
Card turnover first, evidenced by several months of merchant statements; the monthly average sizes the advance. Then stability: time trading at the site, a readable seasonal pattern, and whether takings are trending up or down. Then the fundamentals: company standing, directors, existing borrowing, and the purpose of the funds. Stacking a second advance on an unfinished first is possible with some funders but compounds cost quickly; it needs sober arithmetic before commitment. Newer openings are harder but not impossible: some funders will consider a strong first six months, particularly where the operator has form elsewhere in the city. All terms are the funder's decision on the specific case.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a Bristol business raise with a merchant cash advance?
Typically up to around one month's card turnover, sometimes more for established businesses. A cafe taking £30,000 a month on cards might raise an advance in that region. The funder sizes it from evidenced average takings, and every figure is indicative until they assess the case.
What does a merchant cash advance cost?
Cost is set by the factor rate, broadly 1.2 to 1.4 on the advance, so £20,000 advanced might mean £24,000 to £28,000 repaid in total. That usually works out dearer than a term loan for the same cash, which is why we run that comparison with you before you commit.
What happens in a quiet month?
Repayments fall with takings, because they are a percentage of each transaction rather than a fixed instalment. For footfall and season-driven Bristol trades that flexibility is the point of the product. A strong month repays faster without usually reducing the fixed total.
My business is quite new. Can I still get an advance?
Some funders will consider around six months of consistent card takings, especially where the operator has a track record elsewhere. The advance will be sized conservatively. More history widens the funder pool and improves the terms, and every decision sits with the funder.
Is a merchant cash advance right for my business?
It fits card-heavy businesses with a short-term need and consistent takings. If your revenue is invoiced, invoice finance is usually cheaper; for longer-term needs a business loan usually costs less in total. We will tell you straight which product fits before matching you to funders.
Is CoreFi FCA authorised?
CoreFi arranges commercial finance for businesses, principally limited companies. Broking unregulated commercial finance to limited companies does not require FCA authorisation, and we do not hold ourselves out as FCA authorised or regulated.
Get matched with lenders for your Bristol business
Tell us what your business needs and we will match you with lenders whose criteria fit. No obligation, no cost to start the conversation, and a straight answer about what is realistic for your situation.
Get matched with lenders