Money guide
Comparing Loans & Credit
The representative APR is an average, not an offer. How to compare borrowing on total cost and terms.
Last updated: 2026-08-28
Borrowing is priced individually. A representative APR only has to be offered to a minority of accepted applicants, so the advertised rate is a starting point for comparison and nothing more.
The number that matters is total cost of credit over the term you will actually take, including arrangement and early settlement charges.
How we chose
Wallcrest Media shortlists are built from published, verifiable provider documentation and regulatory registers. We do not accept payment for placement or ranking.
- Authorised lender
- Who is advancing the credit, who regulates them, and whether the site you applied through is the lender or a broker.
- Representative APR in context
- The assumed amount and term behind the rate, and the share of accepted applicants who receive it.
- Total cost of credit
- Interest plus arrangement, broker, late payment and early settlement charges across the full term.
- Eligibility
- Credit, income, trading history and residency requirements as published.
- Secured or unsecured
- Whether an asset is at risk, and what the lender may do on default.
- Flexibility
- Overpayment rights, payment holidays and what forbearance the lender publishes.
Comparison of options
These are the attributes we publish for every provider in this category, and exactly how each is defined.
| Attribute | What we verify | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lender and regulator | The authorised lender advancing the credit, and the relevant register entry. | Verification in progress |
| Representative APR | Representative APR as published, with the assumed amount, term and the proportion of accepted applicants receiving it. | Verification in progress |
| Amounts and terms | Minimum and maximum advance and available repayment periods. | Verification in progress |
| Fees | Arrangement, early settlement, late payment and any broker fees. | Verification in progress |
| Eligibility | Credit, income, residency and age requirements as published. | Verification in progress |
| Secured or unsecured | Whether the credit is secured against an asset, and the consequences of default. | Verification in progress |
We're finalising our verified provider data for this category. Wallcrest Media publishes fees, rates, minimums and terms only after checking them against the provider's own documentation and recording the date we checked. Rather than show unverified figures, we leave this table empty until that work is complete.
“Visit site” buttons are placeholders until commercial relationships exist and are disclosed. No provider has paid for inclusion here, because there is nothing to pay for yet.
See how we review for the verification process.
What to weigh before you choose
- Eligibility checks are not applications
- A soft eligibility check should not affect your credit file. A full application usually does — apply once you have compared.
- Consolidation can cost more
- Lowering a monthly payment by extending the term often increases total interest paid.
- Missed payments have consequences
- Default can affect your credit file for years and, on secured credit, put the asset at risk.
What every provider entry must publish
No provider appears on a Wallcrest Media money page until each of the following is present and sourced. This is the standard, published so you can hold us to it.
- Provider
- Legal entity supplying the product, its regulator and licence reference.
- Key features
- Capabilities stated in the provider's own documentation, quoted not paraphrased.
- Eligibility
- Residency, age, income, credit or business requirements to be accepted.
- Fees
- Every identifiable charge, each individually sourced.
- Rate / APY / APR
- Headline rate exactly as published, with the date it was verified.
- Pros
- Advantages, each traceable to a verified attribute on the page.
- Cons
- Disadvantages and limitations, held to the same evidential standard.
- Methodology
- How the assessment was carried out, published before providers were assessed.
- Sources
- Links to the provider or regulator documents consulted, with dates.
- Last verified
- Date the whole record was last re-checked end to end.
- Affiliate disclosure
- Whether any link on the page is commercial, shown above the content.
Rates, APYs and fees carry the date our research desk verified them. Where a figure has not been re-verified within our review interval, it is re-checked or removed rather than left to imply it is current. Links marked as commercial are affiliate links, disclosed above.
Provider data to submit or correct? Write to our research desk.