Get the funding your cafe needs to grow.

Great for a refit, a new coffee machine, extra covers, or bridging a slow winter stretch.

Unsecured funding from £5,000 to £1,000,000, repaid as a small, fixed share of your daily card and online sales. Never a rigid monthly bank repayment.

Backing UK cafes powered by YouLend, who have funded over 370,000 businesses.
Around 90% of applications approved by our funding partner
Decisions in as little as 24 hours
One simple fixed fee, no hidden extras
No early repayment penalties
Built for cafes

Cafe funding that fits your day

Cafes and coffee shops can apply for funding of £5,000 to £1,000,000 through our funding partner, YouLend, repaid as a small fixed share of each day's card and online takings. Most cafe sales are small, frequent and paid by card, which is exactly what this kind of funding is built on. Trade swings with the weather, the school holidays and the seasons, so instead of a fixed monthly repayment, a sunny Saturday repays more and a rainy Monday repays less.

What cafe owners use it for

  • A new espresso machine or grinders
  • A refit: counter, seating, lighting or a new look
  • More covers, outdoor seating or a covered terrace
  • Display fridges and kitchen kit for a bigger food menu
  • Bridging a slow winter stretch
  • Opening a second cafe or a kiosk

How repayments fit a cafe's week

Each day, a fixed share of your card takings goes towards the funding and the rest settles to you.

Sunny Saturday£1,000 taken£200 repays, £800 to you
Rainy Monday£250 taken£50 repays, £200 to you

At a 20% example rate, the same example used further down this page.

Contactless, chip and pin and online orders all count towards your takings. The actual share is agreed with YouLend before you accept.

Is it right for your cafe?

  • Trading for at least 3 months
  • £5,000 or more a month in card and online sales
  • Recent business bank statements, or an Open Banking connection
  • ID for the owners

Turned down by a bank, or have a CCJ? The decision rests mainly on your everyday sales, so you can often still be considered.

Funding is unsecured and there is no homeowner requirement, but a personal guarantee is needed to go ahead. One fixed fee is agreed before you accept, with no interest and no early repayment fees.

Cafe owners also ask

Most of our sales are small contactless payments. Does that work?
Yes. What matters is your total card and online takings over the month, not the size of each sale. A cafe taking £5,000 or more a month by card and online can apply.
We opened recently. Can we apply?
You need to have been trading for at least 3 months, because the decision is based on your recent sales. Once you have three months of card takings behind you, it is worth checking.
Can I use it for a new coffee machine?
Yes. Equipment is one of the most common uses, along with refits, stock and opening a second site. You can use the funding for anything that moves the business forward.
What if bad weather keeps customers away for a week?
Then you repay less that week. Repayments are a fixed share of each day's card takings, so they shrink when sales do.

Takes about 2 minutes. Checking leaves no mark on your credit file.

Flexible funding in a few clicks? Here's how.

Get started fast with our modern, fully automated application.

1 Takes 2 mins

Apply online

Fill out your normal trading details. No initial credit footprint penalties or tedious business balance checks.

£ Enter requested amount...
FAST DECISION
2 Within 24 Hours

Get an offer

YouLend’s underwriting team reviews your recent card sales data and provides a clear funding contract with one simple fixed cost.

Example offer ready

£25,000 example

3 Fast Payout

Receive funds

Access your money to spend on stock or equipment. Pay back automatically via a tiny % of your card revenue.

Payout Processed

Sent to Business Account

Top Funded Cafes

Through our funding partner YouLend, businesses across almost every UK trade get funded. These are the sectors we see most often:

Retail

Convenience stores, off-licences & grocers, clothing shops, furniture & homeware, florists, pet shops and online retailers.

Hospitality

Restaurants, pubs & bars, cafés, takeaways, hotels & B&Bs, and event caterers.

Health & Beauty

Hairdressers, beauty & nail salons, dental & optical practices, massage and therapy clinics.

Motoring & Trades

Car servicing, MOT centres & tyre depots, plus plumbers, builders and other trades.

Among our most-funded UK trades

RestaurantsTakeawaysPubs & barsCafésConvenience storesGrocersHairdressersBeauty & nail salonsCar repair & MOTClothing shopsOnline & mail-orderFloristsPet shopsHotels & B&BsButchersFurniture & lightingEvent caterersSports & outdoor shopsOpticians

Don't see your exact trade? You're still in.

These are just the sectors we fund most often, not a checklist. If your UK business takes payment by card or online, there's a very good chance we can fund you. Find out in 2 minutes, with no impact on your credit score.

Funding for other trades

See what owners in each trade use it for and how repayments fit their week.

Repaying it couldn't be simpler.

A small, fixed slice of each day's card and online takings is set aside automatically to repay your funding. The rest lands in your account, usually the same day. Busy day, you repay a little more. Quiet day, a little less.

1. You take a sale

A customer pays you as normal, by card machine or online.

2. A small % is set aside

An agreed fixed share of that sale goes towards repaying your funding, automatically.

3. The rest is yours

The remainder settles straight to your business bank account.

Repayment (20% example)Settles to you£1828 Jul£90 sales£13129 Jul£655 sales£18430 Jul£920 sales£15231 Jul£760 sales

Each bar is a single day's takings. The cyan slice is what repays your funding that day; everything below it is yours. The amount always tracks your sales, so a quiet day never stings.

A £1,000 day? About £200 repays your funding and £800 settles to you. (20% example rate.)
Busy trading periods

Your sales increase

When customer footfall spikes and your sales volume grows, your automatic payback percentage clears down your balance much quicker.

Sales Volume: High Clears down faster
Quiet seasonal cycles

Your sales slow down

If trading trends slump or you close your doors for a holiday week, the payback drops down proportionally with your takings, keeping your bank reserves safe.

Sales Volume: Low Protects cash reserves
Questions? We've got you

No jargon. Just straight answers.

The stuff UK business owners actually ask us before they apply.

How much can I access?
Most businesses can access between £5,000 and £1,000,000, usually up to around twice your average monthly card and online takings. The exact figure comes down to your sales, but there's no harm in checking what you'd qualify for.
How quickly can I get the money?
You'll normally get a decision within 24 hours of sending your statements, and the funds can land in as little as 24 to 48 hours after you accept. No drawn-out bank meetings or weeks of waiting.
How do the repayments actually work?
You agree a small, fixed percentage of your daily card and online sales, and that's it. Busy week, you pay back a little more. Quiet week, you pay back less. It moves with your takings, so it never clobbers your cash flow.
Will applying hurt my credit score?
Checking your eligibility leaves no mark on your credit file. A personal guarantee is needed to go ahead, but you're under no obligation to take an offer once you've seen the numbers.
Do I need to own my home or put up security?
No. It's unsecured and you don't need to be a homeowner. We're looking at how your business trades day to day, not at your house.
I've had a CCJ, or the bank turned me down. Worth a try?
Very possibly, yes. Because the focus is on your everyday sales rather than just your credit history, CCJs can often be considered, and around 9 in 10 applications are approved.
What can I spend it on?
Whatever moves your business forward: stock, equipment, a tax or VAT bill, a refurb, hiring, marketing or opening a new site. There are no restrictions on how you use the funds.
Who actually provides the funding?
Vaulex Flexible Financing is an official introducer to YouLend, an FCA-authorised payment institution that has funded over 370,000 businesses. We help you apply and get the most out of the process; YouLend provides the funding.
What do I need to apply?
Just the basics: at least 3 months of trading, £5,000 or more in monthly card or online sales, your recent business bank statements (or a quick Open Banking connection), and ID for the owner(s). That's enough to get you an offer.
Are there any early repayment fees?
None. Clear your balance early and there's nothing extra to pay. Better still, once you're around 60% paid down you can usually top up again.

2-minute check • No impact on your credit score • No obligation

Access funds in as little as 48 hours after approval.

Find out how much you could be eligible for... Setup processes complete in 2 minutes with zero footprint penalties.

Funding you can rely on

Backed by one of the UK's biggest funders.

Vaulex Flexible Financing is an official introducer to YouLend, so your application is powered by YouLend, one of the UK’s largest small-business funders.

90%

Partner approval rate

24 hrs

Typical decision

370,000+

Businesses funded

£5k–£1m

Funding available

Our funding partner YouLend is rated 4.9 on Trustpilot (1,800+ reviews) · FCA-authorised, FRN 947287