Well, Nimble is a financial institution in Australia that specializes in loan provision and financing retail sales. Nimble was founded in 2005 and has grown to become one of the biggest loan providers in Australia. By 2016, Nimble had funded over 1 million loans.
As of the moment, Nimble has funded over 1.6 million loans.
In the early days, Nimble was called Cash Doctors, but they rebranded. Back in 2009, Nimble was the first financial company to have paperless loan application in Australia.
Two years later, the company moved to straight-through processing. This meant that no individual was needed throughout a loan application.
This year, Nimble introduced other loan types for its customers, which include car and personal loans.
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How does Nimble work?
Nimble works by providing loans to individuals who need cash to help them get out of a fix. It doesn’t matter if you are using the loan to pay for emergency expenses or do house renovation, Nimble has you covered.
You can apply for any loan as long as you meet the eligibility criteria. Depending on the loan type, you will agree to a repayment plan that suits you. While applying, be sure to confirm the breakdown of charges you shall incur.
Here is a quick breakdown:
| LOAN TYPE | LOAN AMOUNT ($) | INTEREST CHARGED
(APR) |
ESTABLISHMENT FEE | MONTHLY LOAN FEE | COMPARISION RATE |
| Small | 300 – 2,000 | N/A | 20% of the principal amount | 4% of the principal amount | N/A |
| Medium | 2,050 – 5,000 | 47.616% | $ 400 | N/A | 65.66% |
| Personal | 5,000 – 10,000 | 8.99% – 29.99% | $195 | N/A | 10.31% p.a – 31.49% p.a |
| Personal | 11,000 – 25,000 | 8.99% – 29.99% | $250 | N/A | 10.31% p.a – 31.49% p.a |
| Car | 5,000 – 10,000 | 6.99% – 27.99% | $195 | N/A | 7.68% p.a. – 28.84% p.a |
| Car | 10,001 – 20,000 | 6.99% – 27.99% | $250 | N/A | 7.68% p.a. – 28.84% p.a |
| Car | 20,001 – 50,000 | 6.99% – 27.99% | $495 | N/A | 7.68% p.a. – 28.84% p.a |
Different Nimble loans have different loan repayment terms. For instance, the small loans at Nimble has a loan term of one year. The medium ones have a term of 2 years.
Is Nimble safe?
For a loan provider to earn a ‘safe’ status, it has to adhere to several practices, be transparent, and many other factors. Below are a few aspects that confirm Nimble is safe.
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1. Adherence to responsible lending policies
Any money lender willing to offer you more than you can be able to repay clearly lacks interest in your financial life comfortably. Luckily, that is not Nimble. Nimble will only offer you a loan that you can repay.
In addition, Nimble has gone a step ahead to put in use an advanced technology that eases and helps make the right decision. Getting a loan you can afford means you don’t need to strain to meet the repayable loan amount.
To that end, Nimble takes some checks such as;
- Inquiring about your financial status, income source, expenses as well as your employment status.
- Verifying the information you have provided about your financial status by checking bank statements.
- Asking about the purpose of the loan you are applying for.
2. Transparency
To ensure transparency, Nimble outlines the fee and any other repayment charges you will incur before loan confirmation
3. Licensing
Nimble is licensed to operate in Australia by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission under credit license no. 386010. As such, Nimble observes compliance to the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009. This includes responsible lending.
4. Loans tailored just for you
Nimble makes use of advanced software and mathematicians to calculate the perfect loan for you. Nimble loans are tailored to meet your requirements while at the same time, being affordable.
5. Support for financially struggling customers
In our world, financial hitches can pop up from anywhere. Nimble understands this. In the case of a situation such as income change, emergency expenses, illness, or divorce, you can always talk to Nimble. We can’t promise you how the support at Nimble will react, but Nimble does take each case and handle it individually.
Reading this, you are probably asking if a loan from Nimble is right for you.
Well, there is no clear cut answer to whether the loan from Nimble is right for you. This is because getting a loan entirely depends on you.
Withal, Nimble is a responsible lender. That’s why they let you decide the amount you want to borrow and schedule your repayments.
You should be able to repay your loan as fast as possible without straining. Nimble, however, warns that the loans they offer are meant to be a solution to a bad debt crisis.
If you are uncertain, it is recommended you visit a financial adviser. Applying for a loan when you are in debt, could easily cripple your life. Although Nimble lets you schedule your repayment in a way that suits you, if you want to pay your loan entirely, you still can. Besides, Nimble won’t charge you anything for canceling.
On the other hand, if you fail to meet the repayment on time, you will be charged an additional fee. The same also applies if your rescheduling extends your loan term for small loans.
TYPES OF LOANS
Nimble offers different kinds of loans. Each of these loans has different loan terms, repayment plans, interest charged, and establishment fees.
When applying, it is essential to consider all loan types that suit you. The decision on which loan you will apply for will hinge on how much you need and your ability to repay it.
Below are some of the loans that you can apply for at Nimble
- Personal loan
- Cash loan: could be a small or medium loan
- Car loan
Interest
Annual Percentage Rate
At Nimble, an APR is applied to most of the loans. The notable exception where APR doesn’t apply is Small Loans. Instead, for small loans ($300 – $2,000), a fee is charged. This explains why they have no APR.
For medium loans, at Nimble, you will be charged an establishment fee of $400. You will be charged interest at an APR of 47.6158%. In addition, a comparison rate of 65.6597% based on an amount of $2500 is applied.
For personal loans, an interest rate between 8.99% – 29.99% applies.
Car loans have an interest rate of between 6.99 and 27.99 annually. The comparison rate is between 7.68 and 28.84.
Note that the comparison rate only holds for the example. For this reason, it may not include all fees. Factors such as loan amount and term can give a different comparison rate.
Interest is compounded: the interest charged is added to the outstanding balance and accrues interest at a rate similar to the principal amount of your loan.
The interest id debited in arrears monthly
Charges
The fees payable vary according to the loan you are applying for.
Some of the standard fees are:
- Establishment fee
- Late payment fee
- Dishonor fee
- Variation fee
- Early repayment fee
- Duplicate fee
Eligibility
After applying for a loan at Nimble, it is reviewed as fast as possible. Unlike traditional lenders, you don’t need to queue, fill tedious paperwork, and attend a meeting.
Nimble will consider your employment status. To be eligible for any loan at Nimble, you need to be employed. If you are on Centrelink payments, Nimble will review your application.
There is no provision for Nimble loans for the unemployed. Sorry.
The rest of the information you provided, indicating your ability to repay the loan will be reviewed next. You will be then offered a loan that you can repay comfortably.
Nimble understands that financial situation can get worse or better. If you applied and your application was declined, you can still apply once your financial situation is better.
You have to meet the general criteria below to apply for a loan at Nimble. Other loans may require additional requirements
- Be over 18 years
- An Australian citizen
- Employed
- Have an active contact number
Credit History
Nimble includes a credit check when doing the review of your loan application. This doesn’t mean that if you have a default, you can’t get a loan at Nimble. Nimble can still provide you with a loan, although your credit history is far from perfect.
This is dependent on when and why you have the black mark on your credit file. A credit check is only a small part of loan assessment, and it doesn’t necessarily reflect on your current financial situation.
However, some cases will make Nimble turn down your loan application. They include:
- Being bankrupt
- In a Part IX debt agreement
- In a Part X personal insolvency agreement
- Previously defaulted a short-term loan
- A very poor credit history
Poor credit guidelines in Australia
Credit reporting agencies usually keep details of any credit/loan you apply for. In the same file, they also keep data regarding any debt associated with your name. Credit agencies collect your financial history and payment record before reporting it in a single file, credit file.
This file is used to tell you about your creditworthiness. It also determines your credit rating. In Australia, there are different credit agencies such as Experian, Veda, and Equifax.
You can access the file, and if it has misguided information, you can right that at no cost at all. It can only be done once a year.
To access your credit file information, the credit agency may need your:
- Birthdate
- Current and previous address
- Active phone number
- Employer
- Driver’s license copy, passport copy, birth certificate copy or legal proof of age card
- A document issued by an official body which includes your name and address such as utility bill, bank statement copy or rates notice
Information such as payment of bills is not included in the credit file. It is important to check whether all loans listed under your name are those you have applied for. Also, check your name and birthdate are correctly recorded.
The cases where the report can be changed are inaccurate listing or out of date listing.
Credit score
Based on information contained in your credit file, a score that is number based is calculated.
The higher the number, the better your score. Note that your income doesn’t in any way influence your credit score. Although the score is obtained from the information in your file, the two are separate.
Credit score changes over time as it hinges on the purpose of your loan and the credit amount you apply for. Several companies in Australia use this score when you apply for any of their credit products. They include banks, telco, and lending service providers.
When you apply for a loan at Nimble, they will review your credit file through a third-party provider. With the credit score, Nimble will tailor the loan amount you can borrow. Nimble will also their independent criteria and suitability check to determine the loan you can borrow.
Loans such as Credit, Interest-free store, Personal, Car, Business, and Home will contribute to your credit score.
Loan Application
For cash loans, you can borrow any amount between $300 and $5000
For a secured car loan, Nimble will have security over your car. As this loan is secured, it can have low-interest rates compared to others. You don’t necessarily need to have found a car to apply for this loan.
Secured car loans have a term of 6 to 84 months. You can borrow anywhere between $5,000 and $50,000. To be eligible for this loan, you must:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Be employed
- Have an Australian driver’s license or passport
- Present your bank details
- Have an active phone number
- Not be having more than half of your income from Centrelink
Note that your vehicle should not be used for business; hence ‘personal use only.’ The vehicles accepted should
- Be of personal use only
- Mileage of less than 200,000km
- Not more than 10 years old
- Has no finance owing attached whatsoever
For personal loans, you can borrow any amount between $5,000 and $25,000. This loan is unsecured.
The application procedure for Nimble loans is straightforward. No paperwork is involved. All you need to do is visit their website and make a few clicks and taps.
You will be required to fill out your details, such as name, address, and phone number. You will also be required to give out your bank details, and if you receive Centrelink benefits, your MyGov account details.
This will help Nimble verify your financial situation. After application, you should relax as your application is being reviewed. You will receive an answer shortly.
For car loans, you will also need to upload your insurance and any other relevant documents.
Nimble may reach out to you to confirm your details. If your application is successful, you will get your funds within an hour of confirming, i.e. if you confirm before 4:30 pm AEST during banking days
Approval
Confirming your loan
After approval, you will need to set up the loan by selecting the loan amount, how long you intend to pay it (frequency), repayment amount, and when you intend to make the first payment.
If you are satisfied with your repayment schedule, then you will be ready to confirm your loan. A loan contract will be sent to you. If everything is perfect, including the Terms & Conditions, click ‘I agree,’ and that’s it.
Your money will be sent to you.
For car loans, your vendor receives the fund rather than you.
In case your loan application is not approved, worry not. There is no common reason for your request to be rejected. Each application is treated differently. You can always re-apply if your financial situation or circumstance gets better.
Transfer time
If you make your loan application outside Nimble operating hours, Nimble will reach to you the next business day. When your application is approved, you will receive the funds within an hour. In case it is not your first loan at Nimble or you don’t have a Visa Prepaid card, it may not take an hour. You can get the funds within seconds.
The time it takes to have the cash in your hands will depend on your bank.
Loan Repayment
Just like the application process, repayment too is simple. Loan payment will be through direct debit. On the repayment dates, the amount due will be automatically deducted from your bank account.
Nimble usually sends a reminder before the repayment dates, so you are not caught unaware.
The period in which you can have the loan varies depending on the loan you apply for. For small loans, as a new member, the loan term is between 2 to 4 months. For medium, it is between 2 to 22 months.
Personal loans have a minimum term of 6 months and a maximum term of 48 months.
The loan terms also hinge on the approved amount and personal circumstances.
In case your direct debit is declined by your bank, your bank and Nimble will charge you a dishonor fee.
For small loans:
- On top of the dishonor fee, a daily fee of $5 will accrue if your account remains to be unresolved. This happens until the total amount owed becomes 200% of the principal.
- If you reschedule to the next month, you will be charged a 4% fee monthly
For medium loans:
- The repayment amount will increase if you fail to pay in time
- Interest will accrue on the outstanding loan balance
- You will incur a service fee if you decide to reschedule your payment
For personal and car loans:
- $5 dishonor fee will be charged
You can reach Nimble at 133156 if you find out the funds in your account won’t cover the repayment amount. This will stop direct debit and help you avoid dishonor fee.
Nimble may be inclined to record in your credit file if you default payment.
Customer support
Customer support is reachable in several ways.
| METHOD | ADDRESS/ CONTACT NO. |
| Phone | 133156 and +61756127200 for International |
| customercare@nimble.com.au | |
| Office Locations | 12-14 Marine Parade, Southport QLD 4215
2 Darling Street, South Yarra VIC 3141 |
Operating Hours
| Weekday | 7:00 am to 7:00 pm |
| Saturday | 9:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Final Thoughts
All factors considered, Nimble is a good money lender. The various loan types available make it even better as you can choose the loan that fits you. Although the interest rates make some Australians walk away, their overall services are great.