ZilchQuick Wins
£5 Free Cash
Value
£5
Zilch is a UK buy-now-pay-later platform that gives you a virtual Visa card you can use anywhere, with the option to spread repayments over six weeks or three months, interest-free. Launched to UK consumers in September 2020 and authorised by the FCA for consumer credit (FRN 843421), Zilch has grown to over 6 million UK customers, making it one of the larger consumer BNPL apps in the country.
Customers
6m
UK accounts
Founded
2020
6 years old
App Store
4.9 ★
20k reviews
Google Play
4.8 ★
25k reviews
Live offers
1
Worth £5
Zilch Technology Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer credit (FRN 843421). Credit subject to status and affordability checks. Consumer credit balances are not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Zilch at a glance
Zilch is an FCA-authorised UK buy-now-pay-later app that gives you a virtual Visa card, with the option to spread repayments interest-free. Quidsy lists the welcome free cash offer for new sign-ups who complete a small qualifying spend. Useful for planned purchases you can comfortably repay. Skip it if you're juggling other debts.
Updated:
Current Zilch offers
Review notes· 5 min read
Zilch details
Zilch is a UK buy-now-pay-later platform that gives you a virtual Visa card you can use anywhere, with the option to spread repayments over six weeks or three months, interest-free. Launched to UK consumers in September 2020 and authorised by the FCA for consumer credit (FRN 843421), Zilch has grown to over 6 million UK customers, making it one of the larger consumer BNPL apps in the country.
Where Zilch differs from Klarna and Clearpay is the model. It's a consumer-first product, not a merchant checkout integration. You don't need the retailer to have signed up with Zilch.
You load the virtual card and spend wherever Visa is accepted, online or in-store. The trade-off is a small one-off fee on some purchases when the retailer isn't a Zilch affiliate.
Zilch suits squeezed optimisers who want to spread the cost of a planned purchase without paying interest, and rewards hunters who like that Zilch passes affiliate cashback and discounts back through the app. It's less of a fit if you struggle to keep on top of repayments. BNPL is still a credit product, and missed payments can affect your credit file.
Is Zilch safe?
Yes, Zilch is FCA-regulated and has been since April 2020. Zilch Technology Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer credit under firm reference number 843421, which you can verify on the FCA register. The licence came through the FCA's Regulatory Sandbox programme, and Zilch secured an additional payment services licence in December 2025 so it can now run more of its own payments stack.
Applying for Zilch won't affect your credit score. Zilch uses Open Banking and a soft credit check to assess affordability. It was also the first BNPL provider in the UK to report payment data to all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), so responsible use can actually help build your credit history. The flip side: missed payments are reported too, and can affect your credit file.
Zilch is a credit product, not a savings account, so there is no balance to protect. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) does not apply in the way it would with a bank.
On the operational side, Zilch reported its first month of operating profit in July 2024 and £110.3m of revenue for the year to March 2025 (93% growth), so the business itself is steadier than the average BNPL startup. Trustpilot rates Zilch at 4.4 out of 5 from over 79,000 reviews, unusually strong for the BNPL category.
Who is Zilch For?
Zilch is ideal for anyone who wants to spread costs interest-free without the hassle of traditional credit.
It's particularly good for: - People who want to budget larger purchases over 6 weeks - Cashback hunters - Zilch offers 2-5% cashback at many retailers - Those building credit history through responsible BNPL use - Anyone who wants a flexible payment card for online and in-store purchases
It might not be for you if: - You prefer not to use buy now, pay later services - You want a traditional bank account with savings features
What does Zilch do?
Pay over 6 weeks
Spread purchases of £10 or more across four instalments. You pay 25% upfront and the rest every two weeks across the next six weeks. Interest-free with a small one-off fee on most purchases.
Pay over 3 months
Stretch repayment further across three months instead of six weeks. With your Zilch card enabled, the fee is 0% to 1.5% per month at most retailers; 1.8% per month otherwise. Minimum £75 purchase. Still interest-free regulated credit.
Virtual Visa card you can use anywhere
Load the card in-app and spend at any retailer that accepts Visa, online or in-store. Zilch is not a checkout button. You decide where to use it.
Credit building
Zilch reports payment data to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, so responsible use can help build your credit history. Zilch was the first BNPL provider in the UK to do this.
No late fees on missed payments
Unlike most BNPL providers, Zilch does not charge late fees or interest if you miss a payment. Missed payments are still reported to credit reference agencies, though.
Pros and cons
What stands out
4 pros- FCA-regulated for consumer credit since April 2020 (FRN 843421); applying uses a soft credit check that won't affect your score
- Interest-free repayment over six weeks or three months, usable anywhere Visa is accepted
- First UK BNPL to report payments to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, so responsible use can help build credit history
- No late fees on missed payments; over 6 million UK customers and 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 79,000 reviews
Worth knowing
3 cons- Missed repayments are reported to credit reference agencies and can affect your credit file
- Small one-off enable-card fees on Pay over 6 weeks at some retailers (typically £0 to £3.50 under £75, plus £1 extra over £75)
- Pay over 3 months carries a 0% to 1.5% per-month fee with your card enabled, or 1.8% per month otherwise, and requires a minimum £75 purchase
For most squeezed optimisers, yes. Zilch is one of the more straightforward BNPL options in the UK because it behaves like a virtual Visa card rather than a checkout integration. That makes it useful for everyday spending you had already planned, where spreading the cost over six weeks or three months is a cash-flow nudge rather than borrowing to buy something you cannot really afford.
The £5 free cash sign-up bonus is a quick win. Easy to claim, no large spend needed, and the credit lands in your Zilch account quickly. I would treat that as the on-ramp rather than the reason to keep using Zilch long term.
Where I would be more careful. Don't use Zilch (or any BNPL) for purchases you cannot comfortably repay. It is regulated credit, missed payments do go on your credit file, and the model only works if you treat each Pay over 6 weeks plan like a four-week direct debit you have already budgeted for. If you are juggling other debts, this is not the right product for you.
For everyone else, Zilch is a genuinely useful spreading-the-cost tool with one of the stronger Trustpilot records in the BNPL category and an unusual no-late-fees policy. The credit-building feature, where Zilch reports payments to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, is a real differentiator vs Klarna and Clearpay. Claim the £5, see if the model suits you, and use it deliberately.
Zilch FAQs
Zilch calls its model an Ad-Subsidised Payment Network (ASPN). Most of the money comes from the retailers you shop with: when you spend at a Zilch partner retailer, Zilch earns advertising revenue and commissions (averaging over 6% from its top 30 merchant partners) and passes part of that back to you as cashback, discounts, and free credit inside the app. The rest of the income comes from Visa interchange fees on transactions and small one-off fees on certain Pay over 6 weeks and Pay over 3 months plans. Zilch does not charge consumer interest on its instalment products.
The current Zilch sign-up bonus is £5 free cash for new customers. You claim it by signing up via a referral link, verifying your identity in the app, and making a small qualifying purchase using your Zilch card. The £5 typically lands in your Zilch account within 14 days, ready to spend like any other Zilch balance. As of May 2026 this is the only active Zilch sign-up bonus tracked by Quidsy.
Next step
Choose your route with Zilch
£5 Free Cash is the strongest live Zilch route we have listed right now.