What Cheque Centre does

Cheque Centre is the consumer-facing trading name of Quick Loans Limited, a UK-authorized alternative lender founded in 1996 that provides short-term and installment credit to subprime retail borrowers. The product set comprises payday loans ranging from £100 to £2,500, 12-month installment loans, and brokered subprime mortgages, with a credit card product in development and a previously offered FX service now suspended. Operationally, the firm runs an FCA-authorized (Permissions Number 763132) automated decision engine delivering 60-second approvals with 24/7 processing, and the stated technology stack supports instant online decisioning. The business model is direct-to-consumer origination of high-cost short-term credit priced under the FCA price-cap regime, supplemented by brokered mortgage volume that does not sit on the balance sheet. Go-to-market is currently digital-only after the prior 200+ branch high street network was consolidated, with stated plans to restore a physical branch presence. Cumulative scale is 1m+ customers and £500m+ of lending since inception, indicating a long-tailed retail book rather than enterprise concentration.

Name

Cheque Centre

Legal name

Quick Loans Limited

Website

https://chequecentre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cheque Centre is a UK FCA-authorized alternative lender (trading name of Quick Loans Limited) providing short-term payday loans, 12-month installment loans, and brokered subprime mortgages to subprime retail consumers via an automated decision engine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Lending

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223), Credit Card Issuing (52221)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Payment Payday Loans (FSAKAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash Advance (Online & Storefront) (FSAKAMAC), Retail Lending (Personal Loans, Auto, Credit Lines) (FSABAAAB), Credit Cards & Revolving Credit (FSABAAAC)

Keywords

• Short-term loans
• Payday lending
• Consumer credit
• Instalment loans
• Subprime mortgages

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Short-term Loan Interest and Fees: Primary revenue from interest charges on payday loans (up to £24 per £100 borrowed per month, equivalent to 421% APR) and installment loans (Representative 49% APR). Charges applied for late payments and loan extensions.
2. Mortgage Arrangement Services: Brokers mortgages through a panel of lenders, potentially earning arrangement or referral fees from lender partners
3. Foreign Currency Exchange: Buy and sell foreign currency at competitive rates with margins built into exchange rates. Currently suspended due to low demand.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cheque Centre, trading as Quick Loans Limited, is a UK-based consumer credit provider that supplies short-term lending products — including payday loans, 12-month instalment loans, short-term loans, and subprime mortgages — to borrowers who have been declined by mainstream lenders. The company operates an automated online application and decisioning platform with a 60-second approval engine and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 763132).

Product overview

Cheque Centre is a UK-based financial services company (trading as Cheque Centre, operated by Quick Loans Limited) offering a portfolio of credit products primarily through its online platform. The core offering consists of short-term loans and payday loans, supplemented by a 12-month instalment loan product, a forthcoming credit card for subprime borrowers, and mortgage broking services. The company previously offered foreign currency exchange but has suspended that service. The products are designed primarily for borrowers who have been declined by traditional high street banks, including those with poor credit histories or self-employed status. All loans are subject to affordability assessment and are arranged through a panel of lenders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payday Loans
• 12-Month Instalment Loans
• Short Term Loans
• Subprime Mortgages
• Cheque Centre Credit Card
• Foreign Currency Exchange

Quantifiable outcome

• Loans approved and paid within 30 minutes of decision
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Axcess GroupcoreOthersParent company group. Cheque Centre (trading as Quick Loans Limited) is part of the Axcess Group. Information may be shared with group companies for processing, credit checks, and marketing (with consent) purposes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• WageStream: UK earned-wage access provider enabling employees to draw earned wages before payday. An emerging alternative to payday loans in the same short-term liquidity use case, useful as a competitive/adjacent benchmark.
• Vanquis Bank: UK credit card issuer (part of Provident Financial) focused on non-prime and subprime customers. Comparable as a credit card product aimed at the same borrower segment Cheque Centre is targeting with its forthcoming card.

Direct peers

• Amigo Holdings: UK guarantor and subprime loan provider. Serves borrowers with poor credit seeking personal loans; comparable on customer profile and credit product focus, though guarantor-led model differs.
• Peachy: UK FCA-regulated short-term and installment lender offering payday-style and longer-term loans to near-prime and subprime borrowers online. Comparable on products, customer segment, and digital-first GTM.
• Sunny Loans: UK-based short-term and installment lender serving borrowers with poor credit histories. Closely comparable on customer profile (subprime) and product mix (payday-style and installment).
• Cashfloat: UK FCA-authorised online payday and short-term installment lender offering loans up to £1,000 with similar target subprime customers. Directly comparable on product type, regulatory status, and online-only distribution.
• Likely Loans: UK subprime personal loan provider offering installment loans up to £1,500 to borrowers with poor credit. Directly comparable on target segment, product structure, and online origination model.
• 247 Moneybox: UK short-term and installment lender for subprime borrowers, offering loans up to £1,500. Comparable on product set, target segment, and online distribution.
• Fluent Money: UK specialist mortgage broker focused on subprime, adverse credit, and self-employed borrowers. Directly comparable on the mortgage-broker side of Cheque Centre's offering.

Broad incumbents

• Provident Financial: Long-established UK subprime consumer lender operating home credit and Vanquis credit card products. A much larger incumbent in adjacent subprime lending, providing scale benchmarking and competitive context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheque-centre-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cheque Centre