I think a lot of people don't realise that when they apply for a payday loan online they are actually going through a broker. Until recently I worked for such a broker and was shocked at some of the practices. Payday loan brokers try to get the loan from the lender that pays them the highest commission - they are not interested in getting the best deal for you in terms of APR, or repayment terms for example. Lenders can pay up to £40 commission to the broker for each loan secured. Remember, that £40 comes out of your pocket - you are paying for the privilege of getting the best deal for the broker and possibly the worst deal for yourself. Brokers tend to be a bit secretive about the order in which they send applications to the lenders. In many cases I don't think the lenders realise how far down the "food chain" they are. But, as one of the commercial managers once told me: "There is little transparency or honesty in this industry". Brokers may also damage your credit rating by sending inaccurate personal details to lenders, most of whom will perform a credit check on you. The industry is currently enjoying an orgy of unregulated greed. Having worked for one of the major payday loan brokers, my advice is to kick the habit and don't touch these loans. The profits that are being creamed off vulnerable people are enormous, enabling people in the industry to live in tax havens like Monaco. I believe the UK Government will inevitably have to regulate this industry but we should also try to avoid using their "services" BTW, while customers tend to be the main victims of this industry, spare a thought for some of the staff. Our call centre manager once boasted that if any of his staff failed to get any clients to take out a loan during their working day, they were made to sit in the corner with a dunce’s hat on. I may be naive, but I thought that kind of maltreatment disappeared with the Victorians. I'm surprised nobody has sued them for breach of human rights and employment law. However, it gives you an idea of the kind of people running these businesses.