Australian split payment service humm has launched its first alternative credit offering in the UK, allowing customers to borrow between £1 to £3,000 across 12 months – at zero interest.
The ASX-listed company has launched two offerings: ‘pay in 5’ for purchases between £1 and £500, and ‘Pay in 12’, for purchases between £500 and £3,000, with both requiring the first payment at the point of purchase. In line with humm’s belief in stringent affordability checks and transparency, both products will require a hard credit check, and customers will be signposted to the possible implications of a credit check on their credit score at numerous stages throughout.
With consumers increasingly calling for flexibility and accessibility from their credit products, both ‘pay in 5’ and ‘pay in 12’ will allow customers to make ad-hoc repayments at any time through the self-service customer portal, with no early repayment fees. Customers will also have the option to choose the date of the next repayment at the checkout, whilst being able to spread the humm approved credit limit across multiple purchases in different stores.
The two products mark the first step into the UK market for the payments giant as they look to build on their global reputation as a responsible and flexible alternative to the current consumer credit offering. humm is currently seeking FCA regulation, with plans to launch its full range of products to UK consumers in 2022. Once regulated, humm will be able to lend up to £30,000 over a 72-month period, in line with the company’s vision to be customers’ credit partner throughout their financial lives.
humm UK CEO, PJ Byrne, said: ‘It’s clear that today’s credit market isn’t serving consumers – either with traditional credit or the current suite of alternative credit options. Younger customers are struggling to access credit, yet the innovative solutions being put forward to this problem are currently falling short in their duty to protect consumers. At humm, we hope to bring our learnings from the Australian market to the UK credit landscape. These introductory product offerings are the first of a much broader and flexible range of credit options for UK consumers.
Our vision is to partner with our customers from small purchases, all the way through to the big-ticket essential life purchases such as home and garden renovations. With the UK credit market due to see a number of changes in the coming months, this is an exciting time for consumers who are looking for fresh alternatives to the products currently on offer.”
