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Kent Savers Credit Union
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Personal loans

  • Designed with you in mind

  • Loans of up to £5,000 once we get to know you

  • Save as you borrow to build a nest egg

  • Help to improve your credit score

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Looking for an affordable loan?

We like helping people, including those with a low credit score, low income or on benefits.

Kent Savers’ loans are simple, flexible, transparent and checked for affordability.

First time loans are up to £1,000 (£600 for Child Benefit Loans) on a ‘save as you borrow’ basis, so you have a nice pot of savings to enjoy once your loan is repaid.

Building a good track record helps improve your credit score, improving your financial fitness as well as your chances of getting other loans in future.

Apply now

3 Steps to apply for a loan

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3

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Step 1

If your income is at least £125 a week (or equivalent), go online to join as a member and apply for a loan – it’s simple!

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Step 2

We’ll need to see your recent bank statements – click the Open Banking option when applying

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Step 3

We’ll be back to you within a week; if approved we’ll email you a Credit Agreement to review and digitally sign

Top-Up loans

You may be eligible for a Top-Up loan if you have made all repayments to us over the previous six months as agreed. Top-Up loans are flexible and continue to help finance the important things in life.

Find out more

Child Benefit loans

If you receive Child Benefit for at least one child under the age of 15, you may be eligible for a loan of between £300 and £600, repaid directly by Child Benefit payments made by HMRC.

Find out more

Loan cost illustration

The average value of loan that we grant is set out here, with monthly repayment and savings amounts. These figures are for illustrative purposes only, as an indication of the potential total cost of a loan with us.

We won’t charge you any upfront or late payment fees, ever. In this example, the total cost of the loan (i.e. interest payable) is £416.

When you apply, we will provide you with the amounts that are specific to your application:

Ways to pay & save

There is a number of ways to make your loan repayments. Find out more

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Direct debit

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Online banking

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Standing order

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Child Benefits

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Engage Classic Card

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PayPoint

FAQs

iconWho can apply for a loan?

Anyone living or working in Kent aged 18 or over.

You will need an income of £125 a week (or monthly equivalent) or more from salary, pension and/or benefits (excluding Housing benefit). We ask that you join as a member and commit to save at least £2.50 per week/ £10 a month.

We assess each application individually, taking into account income, expenditure, credit score/history, and whether we think you can afford the loan repayments. See our Loan Terms & Conditions for more information.

iconDo you use credit reference agencies?

Yes. As part of your membership and/or loan application process, we may carry out certain checks on you with Experian, Equifax and/or Transunion (the credit reference agencies or ‘CRAs’).

Please see our Data Protection & Privacy Notice and Use of Credit Reference and Fraud Prevention Agencies documents – together, these set out how your personal information may be used when you apply to join or for a loan or are a member with us.

If a search reveals something that you have not declared to us, we will decline your loan application.

iconCan I apply for a loan if I have a low credit score?

Yes. Your credit history is essentially information about the past, although we also consider your current situation, such as:

  • Do you have sufficient income to cover your current commitments?
  • If you have other debts, have you put in place a repayment plan with those creditors and been making payments to them?

Being able to say “yes” to questions like these will improve your chances of being offered a loan with Kent Savers.

iconHow much can I borrow?

The amount of loan depends on what you can afford and our current limits of between £300 to £1,000 for first-time members (£300-£600 for Child Benefit loans).

Once you have made at least 6 consecutive repayments to us on a loan as agreed, a Top-Up loan may be available to you.

Once you have built a good track record with Kent Savers and if you have a good credit history, you may be considered for a loan up to £5,000.

iconCan I apply for a Top-Up loan?

We’d like that. You can apply online to Top-Up your personal loan once you have made at least six of your repayments. You can track the progress of your current loan through our Members Area. The minimum Top-Up for a personal loan is £200. You can apply for as much Top-Up as you need,  subject to affordability, credit checks and our current loan limits.

You may have one loan with us at a time, so your existing loan balance is repaid by the Top-Up first, then the rest of the balance is available to you.

A Top-Up loan may have a different interest rate and/or loan term to your current loan, which means that you could pay more interest because of the Top-Up than you would with your current loan.

iconHow much interest do you charge?

Our APR ranges from 25.9% to 42.6%, depending on the amount borrowed, your individual circumstance and the loan product selected.

iconHow can I improve the chance of my loan being approved?

Check your credit reports to understand information held on you that is available to lenders when you apply for a loan.

Try checking your credit record for free on  Credit Karma and ClearScore, or contact each of the CRAs below as information that each holds on you may differ (they may charge you a small fee for a copy of your report):

  • Transunion, Consumer Services Team, One Park Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS3 1EP or call 0330 024 7574 or email consumer@transunion.co.uk
  • Equifax, Customer Service Centre, PO Box 10036, Leicester, LE3 4FS or call 0800 014 2955
  • Experian, Customer Support Centre, Nottingham NG80 7WF or call 0115 8286738 or email customerservices@uk.experian.com

Build up your credit score by, for example:

  • Keeping a well-maintained credit card (staying well below the credit limit and paying off in full each month)
  • Having some household bills in your name and paying them on time.
  • Ensuring you are on the electoral roll at your current address.
  • Being aware of your finances, your credit reports and correcting any errors.
  • If you pay rent, report your rental payments to Credit Ladder, to recognise timely and full rental payments within your credit records held with Experian and Equifax.

When applying to Kent Savers for a loan, it may help if you:

  • Are listed on the electoral roll at your current address.
  • Set up a direct debit or standing order to Kent Savers and make at least one payment into your savings account before applying for a loan.
  • Receive benefits, arrange for one of your benefits to be paid into your savings account with Kent Savers before applying for a loan.
  • Establish a pattern of payments into your Kent Savers savings account to demonstrate that you can afford regular payments.
  • If you have a partner and you are going to include your partner’s income as part of your loan application, we recommend that the application should be made by the partner with the largest income.
iconWhy might I be turned down for a loan?

The most common reasons for this are:

  • The total you already owe to other lenders makes a further loan unaffordable
  • Concerns about whether you can afford the repayments for the amount of loan applied for
  • Unpaid loans that you have with ourselves or other lenders, which may or may not be in default or have had a court judgment entered against them

If you are overstretched, a further loan might only put pressure on you.  Instead, consider contacting one of these reputable agencies for free advice on how to improve your circumstances or for help with looking through your finances, to identify any additional benefits available or expenses you can reduce or eliminate.

When applying for a loan with us, it’s important to get all supporting information back to us as soon as possible. We will close your application if it remains incomplete after one month, or you decide to withdraw.

iconCan I repay a loan directly from my pay?

Yes. Payroll Deduction is an ideal way to make regular payments towards your savings or loan. Under this scheme, an agreed amount is taken from your pay every month and paid into your Share account or to repay a Kent Savers loan.

If you are working for a company that is part of our Payroll Deduction scheme just complete a Payroll Deduction Form.

Check if your employer is part of the scheme.

We offer reduced interest rates on employee loans through Payroll Deduction!

  • 0333 321 9050
  • info@kentsavers.co.uk

Kent Savers Credit Union Limited
39-48 Marsham Street
Maidstone
Kent
ME14 1HH

    

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Registered office: 39-48 Marsham Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1HH.

Kent Savers Credit Union Limited, a company registered in England under the Co-Operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 under number IP000745.

Kent Savers is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 745C. FCA Firm no 503258.