The UKs Fraud Prevention Service Bamboo | FAQs: Your loan application

How can we help you?
View the FAQs below

If you have been ‘pre-approved’ for a Bamboo loan, it means that you are guaranteed to get a particular offer, as long as the information you have submitted checks out.

You may need to give us some more information to support your application, such as proof of your identity or address. This can be done easily online via our website. We will then make some final checks and provided your documents are approved, we will pay the money into your bank account.

Please note, your pre-approved offer will only be valid for 7 days. If your pre-approved offer expires, we may still consider your application, but we may need to run some additional checks.

When you have a valid pre-approved offer, you are guaranteed the loan at the amount, term and rate you were offered at the time, as long as the details you provided are correct and do not change.

You may need to give us some more information to support your application, such as proof of your identity or address. This can be done easily online via our website. We will then make some final checks and provided your documents are approved, we will pay the money into your bank account.

Please note, all pre-approved offers are subject to final checks and in rare circumstances, we may be forced to decline your application as part of our commitment to being a responsible lender.

When you start your application, you will have 7 days to complete the application. After 7 days your pre-approved status will lapse. We may still consider your application, but we may need to run some additional checks.

Unfortunately, we are unable to disclose why we have declined your loan application.

We make our decision using the information you provided, including any supporting documents that you may have been asked to provide, together with information from other third-party sources, including the credit reference agencies TransUnion and Experian.

Being declined for a loan from Bamboo will not affect your credit file as we only run a hard search on you once your application has been approved and you have e-signed the loan agreement.

If you would like to have a look at your credit report, you can request a copy from TransUnion or Experian. If you spot any inaccuracies, you can request them to update it.

We release loan funds twice a day (excluding Bank Holidays and weekends). For most of our applications, if an agreement is signed before 3pm on a weekday then funds should be paid to the bank account you have provided us before midnight that day.

If signed after 3pm or on a weekend/bank holiday funds should be in the bank account, you have provided to us by 1pm the next weekday.

For some applications, this process may take just a little longer, and please note that Bamboo reserves the right, on occasion, to delay paying out a loan on the same day.

Once you have e-signed your contract you will receive an email and a text message from us to let you know that your loan will be released shortly.

More on payout times.

There are 4 main reasons why your card may not be accepted:​

  1. Your bank account does not have available credit. It is a requirement that you have at least £1 of available credit meaning you should either be in credit or within an authorised overdraft.​
  2. The debit card you have added is not a Visa Debit, Visa Electron, or Debit MasterCard.​
  3. The debit card you have added is a prepaid card.​
  4. Our address verification system electronically matches your application address with the one on file with your card company. If the addresses do not match, your card cannot be validated.​

If you are still having trouble adding your card, please give us a call and our customer service team will be happy to help. ​

At Bamboo, we may conduct checks against various industry databases at any time to verify your details. This is done to ensure compliance with money laundering regulations and to protect against identity theft and fraud.

After all necessary checks are completed, your loan agreement will be sent to you via email. In the email, you’ll find a link to e-sign your loan agreement. This link will direct you to your Bamboo online account. ​

Please read your loan agreement carefully, taking note of the loan amount, term, interest rate, monthly repayments and the total to repay. Proceed only if you are confident in your ability to afford the loan instalments throughout its term. ​

After reading the agreement, you will be prompted to select a monthly instalment payment date and to read our scam warning message. ​

To e-sign your credit agreement, enter your name. Whatever you input will serve as your signature. Additionally, during the e-sign process, you will be asked to create a password for your Bamboo online account.

When you see an offer online for a pre-approved loan from Bamboo, it will normally be valid for 24 hours.

When you start your application, you will have 7 days to complete the application process.  After 7 days your pre-approved status will lapse. We may still consider your application, but we may need to run some additional checks.

If you have not e-signed your loan agreement and wish to cancel your loan application, you can do so in the following ways:​

  1. Use our webchat service by logging into your Bamboo account.​
  2. Send an SMS to 07480 559920 with the text ‘WITHDRAW’​
  3. Call our customer support team at 0330 159 6013.

Once you have submitted your part of the loan application, we will then complete our checks. During this part of the application process, we may request some additional documents and also have a quick phone call with you.

After we have completed our review, you will then receive either an email or a phone call to confirm the outcome of the application. Timescales can vary during busy periods but we try to be as quick as we possibly can be.

All of our contact information can be found here.

Pre-approved offers are only valid for 7 days. If your pre-approved offer expires, we will still be happy to process your application. However, we may need to run some additional checks and there is a chance that your application could be declined.

For an update on your loan application, you can use our convenient WebChat service.

Log in to your application by requesting a secure login link. Once logged back in, you will notice a 'Chat with us' icon on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. Click on it, drop us a message, and one of our friendly customer service agents will provide you with the necessary update. ​

Log in

Yes, it is important that both your debit card and bank account are registered in your own name and your current home address in the UK.

At Bamboo we may at any time conduct checks against various industry databases to verify your details in order to comply with money laundering regulations to protect against identity theft and fraud.

Our address verification system electronically matches your card number to the address on file with your card company. If your address does not match the address on file with your card company, then your card cannot be validated.

As an additional layer of security, Bamboo also validates that your bank account is registered in your name and at your current home address. Therefore if you have recently moved it might be a good idea to contact your bank with your new address.

If you have applied and finished your part of the Bamboo loan application, we will complete the final checks before the loan is paid out.

During our final checks, our underwriting team may request some documentation from you in order to verify your identity. These documents are known as Bamboo Acceptable Forms of Identification.

You may be asked to provide some proofs of identity, home address, income and bank account. This protects you from criminals who might try to use your identity without you knowing.

If you are asked to provide these documentation, please make sure that:

  • The name and address detailed on your identification is the same as the name and address you provide us during your application
  • Your proof of address is dated within the last three months
  • Your proof of bank account shows name, sort code and account number

For most personal loan applications approved before 3pm we aim to pay-out the same day.

Please note that Bamboo reserves the right on occasions to delay paying out a loan on the same day.