merchant cash advance
A form of business financing where a lender provides a lump sum in exchange for a percentage of future credit card sales, with very high effective interest rates.
Example
“The restaurant took a $50,000 merchant cash advance, repaying it through 15% of daily credit card sales — an effective APR of over 100%.”
Memory Tip
MERCHANT CASH ADVANCE = expensive emergency funding. Give up future sales revenue for cash today.
Why It Matters
Understanding merchant cash advances is crucial for small business owners because these financing options can quickly become expensive and drain profitability through high repayment percentages taken from daily credit card sales. Making an informed decision about this type of funding versus traditional loans can significantly impact your business financial health and cash flow.
Common Misconception
Many business owners mistakenly believe that merchant cash advances are actual loans with clearly stated interest rates, when in reality they are sales of future revenue at a discount with effective interest rates often exceeding 40 to 60 percent annually. The lack of traditional loan structure makes it easy to underestimate the true cost of this financing.
In Practice
A coffee shop owner needing $10,000 receives a merchant cash advance where the lender takes 20 percent of daily credit card sales until they recoup $15,000 total, meaning the owner repays 50 percent more than borrowed. If the shop processes $2,000 in credit card sales daily, the lender collects $400 daily, recovering their money in about 37 days while the business loses significant daily revenue.
Etymology
MERCHANT (business owner) CASH (money) ADVANCE (given early, before earned). Cash given EARLY against future MERCHANT sales.
Common Misspellings
Compare personal loan rates in minutes
Related Terms
More in loans
Other loans terms you should know
See Also
Need financial definitions?
Clear definitions for 2,500+ finance, insurance, and investing terms.