Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to moneyhelper.org.uk. You can compare our loans to other short term lenders.

Application & Eligibility

Can I apply for a loan?

You can apply for a loan if you:
 
– Have a valid UK Debit card
– Have an active UK bank account
– Live in the UK
– Are over the age of 18
– Are in regular employment – full or part time
– Have a net monthly income (after tax) of at least £400

Can I get another loan before I have paid off the one I have now?

You can apply for another loan even if you haven’t finished paying back your current one. We’ll usually tell you when you can apply again. We’ll look at all the information you give us before we decide whether we’ll lend to you again.

It’s important to think carefully before applying for a new loan. It’s not a good idea to borrow more if you’re already having financial problems.

Even if you’ve paid all of your previous loans on time, we may not be able to give you another. This is especially true if you’ve had several loans recently. When you apply, we will look at your current finances and credit history before making any lending decisions.

How much can I borrow?

If this is the first time you’re applying to us, you can ask for any amount between £50 to £800.

If you are a returning customer, you can apply for £50 to £1500.

We can’t guarantee that you can borrow the amount you applied for. We might offer you a lower amount based on our assessment of your ability to repay.

Will my application be approved?

We can’t guarantee approval until we’ve seen and assessed your application. Even if you’ve had a Lending Stream loan before and paid it back, we’ll use the latest information available about you to make our decision.

We do this to make sure we’re always using the most up-to-date information available and to avoid giving you a loan that might be difficult for you to repay.

Why was I declined?

We know that it can be disappointing and frustrating when a loan application is declined. We work hard to make sure we make the best lending decisions based on your personal circumstances. If the information we collected from you, along with other information we look at, tells us that you don’t meet our lending criteria, we won’t be able to give you a loan at this time. 

Our credit assessment process is confidential, so we won’t be able to tell you about the basis of our decision, even if you ask us.

Things can change quickly, and we’d like to stay in touch. We may contact you again if we think we may be able to help. We can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to agree to any applications you make in the future of course, but we’ll look at each one carefully.  

When will I get my money?

Once approved, the loan will be sent to your bank in under 90 seconds in most cases. However, the time it takes for the cash to appear in your account may vary due to your bank’s policies.

If it’s taking too long, check with your bank first. If they can’t help, contact us:
online
– through chat by logging into your account

and we’ll check the transfer status for you.

Do you run a credit check, and will that impact my credit score?

We check your credit file as part of the application process. However, it’s not the only factor which we use to make our decision. We’ll do a full credit check which will be recorded on your credit file. Too many checks with different lenders over a short period of time can affect your credit score. This may reduce your ability to get credit in the future.

Fees & Interest

How much will my loan cost?

Your loan offer will tell you how much interest you’ll need to repay and how much each repayment will be. We won’t charge you anything extra unless you miss a payment when we will apply a late payment fee to your account. We will never charge you more than £12 in late fees over the lifetime of your loan. More information can be found here.

We charge interest by the day. This means if you pay us early you will pay less interest than if you repay your loan over the original term.

For a 6-month loan we will add 0.8% interest on the amount left to be paid each day. For a 12-month loan we will add 0.42% interest each day.

When we set up your loan, we set up a payment schedule. This means your repayments will be the same each month.

Each payment includes two components: principal and interest.
Principal Payment: A portion of your monthly payment goes towards paying off what you borrowed.
Interest Payment: A portion of your monthly payment covers the interest we’ve charged. In the early months of the loan, a larger proportion of your payment goes toward interest, while the principal portion increases over time.

Here’s a representative example of a 6 month and 12 month loan with Lending Stream.

Representative example: 6-month loan
Annual Interest Rate: 292.0% p.a. (fixed). Total amount of credit: £300. Representative APR 1333%. Duration of agreement: 6 months. Total amount payable: £579.96. Total charge of credit: £279.96. 6 Monthly repayments of: £96.66​​.

Representative example: 12-month loan
Annual Interest Rate: 153.30%. Total amount of credit: £800. Representative APR: 325%. Duration of agreement: 12 months. Total amount payable: £1563.2. Total charge of credit: £763.2. 12 Monthly repayments of: £130.26.

As an example, our 6-month representative APR is 1333%. The interest rate is 292% p.a. which means a daily interest rate of 0.8%.

Borrowing £200 over a 6-month period based on the above APR and annual interest rate of 292%, would mean paying back 6 monthly instalments of £64.44. At the end of the term the total amount repaid would be £386.61.

What fees do you charge?

We don’t charge any fees to apply, to run your account or if you repay early. The only fee we will charge is if you don’t repay when you’ve agreed to (and not let us know there is a problem).  

If you do miss a payment, we will apply a late payment fee to your account. We will never charge you more than £12 in late fees over the lifetime of your loan. More information can be found here.

If you want to make sure you’re on top of your loan payments, log in to your account, where you can see your payment schedule.

Making your payment

How can I check if my payments are up to date?

Log into your online account on the website. Once you’re there, you can view the status of your most recent Lending Stream payment and your payment history.

How can I pay?

Log in to your account and click on “make payment” or “pay loan”. This will show the loans you have with us.
1. Find the loan you want to pay. If you have more than one loan, your newest loan will be at the top, but you might need to scroll down to find the one you want to pay.

2. Choose how much you want to pay. If you have more than one loan, you can do this for any loan you want to pay on this screen.

3. Double-check that you only selected the loan(s) you want to pay in the payment summary at the bottom.

4. Go to “Select payment method” (Google Pay, Apple Pay or Existing or new Debit Card) and enter your payment details to finish your payment.

Alternatively, you can make a bank transfer to our account. Here are our details:

Account Number: 83129896
Sort Code: 20-19-90
Bank Name: Barclays
Account Name: Lending Stream Collections
Reference: Your Lending Stream account number (which you will be able to see on your online account). We need this so we can apply the payment to your account quickly.

How can I pay with different debit card?

1. Log in to your account and look for the section called “Useful links”.

2. Click on the link that says, “Update my debit card”.
3. You have two options:
– You can change your default payment card by selecting a new one.
– If you want to make a payment with a different debit card just once, you can do that too.

Remember, it’s important not to send your debit card details by email. This can put you at risk of identity theft.

Can I pay with Google Pay and Apple Pay?

Absolutely, you can, this option is available when using a debit card stored in your wallet. Google Pay and Apple Pay allows you to link your debit card to the app and make secure payments. To pay your loan, simply select the payment method Google Pay or Apple Pay within your Lending Stream account. Payment made through this method will generally reflect within couple of minutes on your account.

Can I pay early?

You have the option to make repayments before they are due. When you sign into your account, you can check how much you still owe. You can then make this payment online. If you pay back the money earlier, you will end up paying less in total because there won’t be as much time for interest to build up. And the best part is, there are no fees for repaying early.

What happens if I pay late?

If you’re late with your repayment, it’s important to get in touch with us. If it’s marked as a missed loan payment, we will apply a late payment fee of £12 to your account. We will never charge you more than £12 in late fees over the lifetime of your loan. More information can be found here.  

It’s also worth noting that the interest will keep adding up for a longer time than you planned, which can make your loan cost more. Missed payments will also be recorded on your credit file. This might make it harder for you to get credit in the future. So, it’s best to reach out to us if you’re having trouble making your payment on time.

Money trouble, life events & extra help

Trouble repaying

If you’re having trouble making your payments, or think you might, we’ll be happy to talk to you about options we can offer about your payments. The sooner we know the more we can do. We can work with you to identify the best next option whether that’s a payment break or an affordable repayment plan.

If you’d like to get some free, impartial advice, go to the government backed, independent, free to use service Moneyhelper (moneyhelper.org.uk) or call them on 0800 138 7777#.

Whether you’ve been caught off guard by higher bills and payments, uncertain income, loss of a job, or finding yourself in a difficult situation that may need an expert’s view, they can help you find your way forward and take the first step towards getting on top of things.

Additional needs & life events

If you need any additional support to help you manage your account, or if there is anything we should know about your circumstances to enable us to help you better, please get in touch and tell us.

When life throws something at you, we’re here to help. From difficulties with physical or mental health to serious illness and other sudden and unexpected life events. If you feel like you can’t manage your finances, we’re ready to provide you with the support you need. Additionally, if you’d like to get some free, impartial advice, go to the government backed, independent, free to use service Moneyhelper (moneyhelper.org.uk) or call them on 0800 138 7777#.

We won’t judge. We’ll use the information you provide us to understand how we can support you.

You can find out more about how we have already helped customers like you. We’ve gathered some of our customers stories here. If any of these sound like your situation, please contact us.

Credit Reporting, account details & protecting your personal information

How we work with Credit Reference Agencies

When you apply for a loan, we’ll conduct a search with Credit Reference Agencies. This will give us information about your current and previous handling of credit. You’ll be able to see that we made a search of your record on your credit file.

We check your credit file as part of the application process. However, it’s not the only factor which we use to make our decision. We’ll do a full credit check which will be recorded on your credit file. Too many checks with different lenders over a short period of time can affect your credit score, reducing your ability to get credit in the future.

Once you’ve taken a loan, we’ll tell the Credit Reference Agencies about your repayments every month. If you ever want to check information on your credit report, there are a number of services available which you can use free of charge to do so. These include www.CreditKarma.co.uk and www.ClearScore.com.

One of the credit reference agencies we use is Trans Union. You can find more about them and other Credit Reference Agencies here: Credit Score Frequently Asked Questions | TransUnion UK

The data we have about you & your options

To manage your account, we’ll store some information about you. We’ll tell the Credit Reference agencies every month about how you are managing your payments.

You can ask us at any time to show you what information we hold about you. You can do this is by going to our contact us page and making a Data Subject Access Request.

When our relationship ends, we’ll only store the information we have about you for as long as we reasonably think we need to. We will destroy all data that we no longer require.

Full information on how we use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy which can be found here.​​

Avoiding Scams

Please make sure you’re dealing with the real Lending Stream. There are fraudsters out there who may try to trick you into applying elsewhere. We’ll never ask you for upfront payments, application fees or processing fees.

If you receive a phone call and you are not sure if the person is genuine, end the call, and call us on 0203 808 4440#

Please don’t provide personal or financial details to anyone who contacts you to request them. You should report them immediately to Action Fraud by contacting them on 0300 123 2040 or using their online form https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud

Making account changes

It’s easy to update your information. Just go to your online account and go to “My Profile” where you can make changes. You can also call us on 0203 808 4440# or chat to us when you’re logged in.​​

Issues & Complaints

When you think something isn’t right

If you have a concern about our service or performance, we want to hear about it straight away. We can usually sort things out quickly and without fuss. However, you always have the right to make a formal complaint to us.

The best way to contact us or making a formal complaint is by logging into your account and chatting with us.

You can also contact us:
– on our Contact Us page
– by phone on 0203 808 4440# We are available from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday.

We’ll acknowledge your complaint within two business days of receiving it. We’ll give you our final answer within eight weeks.

If you’re not satisfied with our final response or have not received a final response from us within 8 weeks of making your complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help – visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk or phone 0800 023 4567 (free from most phone networks).

Download our full complaints handling procedure here.

How many complaints have been reported to the FCA in the last reporting period?

Firm Name: GAIN Credit LLC
Trading Name: Lending Stream, Drafty, bettercredit, & Afforda
Reporting Period: January 2024 – June 2024

Brand: Lending Stream
Product/ Service /Grouping: Credit Related
Provision (at reporting period end date): 1.90%
Number of complaints opened: 2584
Number of complaints closed: 2851
Percentage upheld: 42.41%

Brands: All brands under GAIN Credit LLC
Product/ Service /Grouping: Credit Related
Provision (at reporting period end date): 1.47%
Number of complaints opened: 3104
Number of complaints closed: 3370
Percentage upheld: 41.04%

Managing Account

How to Log in to Your Lending Stream Account?


– Open the Lending Stream website.

– Click on the “Sign In” tab.

– Enter your username (email address).

– Choose how you would like to receive the One Time Password (OTP):

– In case you choose “Send code via Email

– You will receive the OTP within 20 seconds.

– Enter the OTP to log in.

– If you do not receive the OTP within 20 seconds, you can resend the code via the “Resend Code” – option or choose to send it via SMS

– In case you choose “Send code via SMS

– You will receive the OTP within 20 seconds.

– Enter the OTP to log in.

– If you do not receive the OTP within 20 seconds, you can resend the code via the “Resend Code” option or choose to send it via email.

– If you still encounter issues, please get in touch. You can do this by going to our contact us page or by calling us on 0203 808 4440#. We are available from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday.

We use cookies to improve your experience of our site. You can learn more and see your options in our cookie policy. To accept our cookies, click continue to browse as normal.