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Guest Post: 5 totally shameless payday loan offers

May 11, 2023

finance

 

From ridiculous interest rates of 1000%+ to poor customer service and tactics bordering on bullying, pay day loan companies get a bad rep.

Image: Philip Taylor PT (flickr)

Putting aside the morals of whether or not they should market quick cash and no credit checks to people with bad credit; they sure don’t make it easy for themselves!

I’ve compiled a list of my five favourite payday loan offers which definitely do not paint them as reliable and trustworthy lenders, with some of them bordering on unethical. Are you ready to be shocked by the marketing tactics these companies employ? Keep reading…

1. The price of love is 1,737%*

Payday lending website Cash Lady was offering up to £300 to make Valentines Day one to remember. Borrowing the £300 for 31 days would mean interest of £75, adding up to a total repayment of £375. Nothing says I love you like 1,737% interest!

2. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket*

If you’ve put all your eggs in one basket over Easter, never fear because Speed E Loans is here to help. I’m not sure how many Easter eggs you could possibly have bought to be in trouble, but offering up to £500 seems a little excessive. I suppose that doesn’t matter if your slogan is “No stupid rules, no paperwork, just straightforward fast cash loans”. Shocking!

3. Bank holiday borrowing

QuickQuid took advantage of the recent May bank holiday with this subtle message, just in case you didn’t know that the banks were closed. Even on bank holiday Monday, you’ll still get your cash within 10 minutes of approval, although I’m not quite sure why a bank being closed for one day means you need to take out a loan at 1,734% Representive APR. I could withdraw £10 from the cashpoint within 10 seconds (faster than QuickQuid) and save myself the expense.

4. Cash from the Chancellor himself*

Taking advantage of the UK Budget update, our friends at Speed E Loans offered up to £500 for their very own Chancellor. How noble of him! This ad is very subtle but it plays on the emotions of people who may struggle more with the new budget in place. Still, they can get £500 in their bank within an hour. I wonder if “No stupid rules” extends to actually repaying the loan?

5. Get your friends into debt

Both QuickQuid and Wonga offer up to £20 if you refer friends on Facebook, Twitter and e-mail to their service. Lots of businesses do have a referral service and it can be a good sales driver, but many believe that these payday loan providers are targeting young people who are not financially savvy with their social marketing. Especially when you consider that a £400 month long loan with Wonga costs £119.98 compared to just £5.88 on a Barclaycard or £30 for an authorised Bank of Scotland overdraft. Still want to refer your mates to a payday loan?

Have you seen any interesting payday loan ads, banners or offers? If so, let us know in the comments and we’ll add them to the main article.

This article was written by finance blogger Ian Nuttall. His most recent article is 58 Ways to Get Out of Debt and he occassionally pokes fun at payday loan companies.

The information provided in this blog is not intended for trading purposes or advice. The information contained herein should not be used for financial decision making. Money Lion is not responsible for any informational errors or actions taken as a result of the information provided. A full disclaimer can be found on our about page.

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  • https://www.facebook.com/grassyllama Margaret Kay

    Eeek- How did Speed E Loans find out about my £500 easter egg habit?