Best finance providers for telephone and remote sales

PayItMonthly wins for UK merchants who want to text or email a payment link mid-call and get customers into interest-free instalments without a card machine. DivideBuy suits businesses selling high-ticket items like kitchens or home cinema kit over the phone and needing longer repayment terms. Payl8r fits retailers with a wide spread of customer credit profiles who need higher acceptance rates on remote applications.

Why this matters

A card machine works fine when the customer is standing in front of you. It's useless when they're on the phone, on hold in a queue, or filling out a form after a video call. Telephone and remote sales need a finance provider that can send a payment link, an SMS, or an email application the customer completes on their own device.

Most mainstream point-of-sale finance was built for in-store checkouts first and bolted remote capability on later. That gap matters more in 2026 as call-centre and remote sales teams handle higher-value transactions — home improvement quotes, dental treatment plans, vehicle servicing — where asking someone to "pop into the shop to sign for finance" kills the sale. Adding a buy now pay later option at checkout matters just as much for a phone sale as it does for a physical till, and PayItMonthly built its remote payment flow around exactly that gap.

What makes the best finance provider for telephone sales

• Remote payment link or SMS/email application — no requirement for the customer to be physically present or use a card reader
• Fast decision on the call — a soft credit check that returns a result in seconds, not days
• Interest-free or transparent terms — instalment structure the customer understands without needing a follow-up call to explain APR
• FCA-compliant credit process — proper pre-contract information (SECCI) delivered digitally, since remote credit sales fall under the same Consumer Credit Act rules as in-store finance
• Works across sales channels — same provider handles phone, live chat and in-store so staff don't juggle two systems
• Fast merchant settlement — money reaches the business without long holding periods that strain cash flow on remote orders

At a glance

1. PayItMonthly: best finance provider for phone-based payment links

PayItMonthly runs interest-free instalment finance built for UK retailers and merchants, and its Pay by Link approach fits telephone sales directly: a sales agent sends a payment link during or right after the call, the customer completes the application on their own phone, and the purchase is split into monthly instalments without interest charged to the shopper. That removes the need for a card terminal or an in-person signature on remote transactions.

PayItMonthly pros:

• Payment link sent by SMS or email works for calls, video consultations and follow-up quotes
• Interest-free structure to the customer, which is easier for phone staff to explain in one sentence
• Works across dozens of retail verticals, from beauty salons to home improvement firms
• UK-based provider aimed at businesses of all sizes, not just large retail chains

PayItMonthly cons:

• Merchant fees and full eligibility criteria aren't published on the public site — request a quote for your sector
• Like all instalment finance, approval depends on a soft credit check, so not every remote application converts

PayItMonthly pricing: merchant fees and terms are quoted per business — check current details directly with the provider.

Best for: UK retailers and service businesses that want to close phone sales with an interest-free instalment link rather than chase in-store card payments.

Verdict: Buy for any UK business running telephone or remote sales calls where a card machine isn't an option.

2. Klarna: best for younger shoppers buying remotely

Klarna is one of the most recognised BNPL brands among UK consumers, offering Pay in 3 and longer financing options through a checkout widget that can extend beyond physical stores. Shoppers already familiar with Klarna from other retailers tend to trust the name without much explanation from a phone agent.

Klarna pros:

• High consumer brand recognition speeds up trust on a cold call
• Multiple repayment structures depending on basket size
• Widely integrated with major e-commerce platforms

Klarna cons:

• Checkout flow is built around online browsing more than a live phone script
• Consumer scrutiny around BNPL debt has increased regulatory attention on the sector

Best for: retailers selling lower-to-mid ticket items to a younger customer base who already recognise the Klarna name.

Verdict: Hold — strong for brand-led online sales, less purpose-built for phone-first businesses.

3. Clearpay: best for low-ticket fashion and beauty items

Clearpay splits purchases into four instalments paid over six weeks, a format well suited to fashion, beauty and gifting purchases where the total basket is modest. It works for remote orders taken over the phone, though the short repayment window limits its fit for bigger-ticket sales.

Clearpay pros:

• Simple four-payment structure that's easy to explain quickly on a call
• Popular with fashion and beauty shoppers already used to the format

Clearpay cons:

• Six-week repayment window doesn't suit higher-value remote purchases
• Less flexible for trade or home-improvement style sales with bigger baskets

Best for: clothing, beauty and gift retailers taking smaller-basket phone or remote orders.

Verdict: Hold for low-ticket items, Skip for anything beyond a few hundred pounds.

4. DivideBuy: best for high-ticket remote sales

DivideBuy specialises in longer-term, point-of-sale instalment finance, which fits businesses selling higher-value items over the phone — kitchens, furniture, home cinema installs — where customers need more time to repay than a four-payment split allows.

DivideBuy pros:

• Longer repayment terms suit bigger remote-sale baskets
• Built specifically around point-of-sale finance rather than general consumer credit

DivideBuy cons:

• Less relevant for smaller-ticket remote sales where a shorter split makes more sense
• Approval process for larger sums takes more input from the customer than a quick phone-link flow

Best for: home improvement, furniture and AV installation businesses closing high-value sales remotely.

Verdict: Buy if your average remote sale runs into four figures.

5. Payl8r: best for wider credit acceptance

Payl8r positions itself around accepting a broader range of customer credit profiles than some mainstream lenders, which matters for businesses whose phone leads don't all fit a prime-credit box.

Payl8r pros:

• Designed to approve a wider spread of applicants
• Useful for sectors with more variable customer credit histories

Payl8r cons:

• Wider acceptance criteria can mean less predictable approval speed call to call
• Less brand recognition among consumers compared with Klarna or Clearpay

Best for: businesses whose remote customer base includes a wide range of credit profiles.

Verdict: Hold — worth testing if other providers are declining a noticeable share of your phone leads.

6. V12 Retail Finance: best for an established credit brand

V12 Retail Finance trades as part of Secure Trust Bank and has operated in UK point-of-sale finance for years, giving it an established regulatory and operational track record that some retailers value when choosing a lender for bigger-ticket remote sales.

V12 Retail Finance pros:

• Backed by an established UK bank
• Long operating history in UK retail finance

V12 Retail Finance cons:

• Infrastructure built primarily around in-store retail finance rather than call-centre workflows
• Less flexible for smaller, fast-moving remote sales teams

Best for: retailers who want a long-established consumer credit brand behind bigger remote purchases.

Verdict: Hold for established, higher-ticket retailers; Skip if speed and simplicity on the call matter more than brand pedigree.

How we ranked these providers

Each provider above is judged against the six criteria listed earlier: whether it can generate a remote payment link without a card machine, how fast the credit decision lands on a live call, whether the terms are simple enough for a phone agent to explain in one sentence, FCA-compliant digital disclosure, cross-channel consistency, and how quickly the merchant gets paid. Providers built around in-store card terminals first score lower on the remote-sales criteria even where they're strong generally.

Which finance provider should you choose?

If your team takes payment over the phone and wants a straightforward, interest-free instalment link, PayItMonthly is the default choice for 2026. If your average phone sale runs above four figures — kitchens, home cinema, home improvement — DivideBuy fits the longer repayment terms better. If a chunk of your leads have mixed credit histories and other providers are declining too many applications, test Payl8r alongside your main provider rather than replacing it outright.

FAQ

One last thing

Remote credit sales fall under the same FCA Consumer Credit sourcebook rules as in-store finance — the customer still needs proper pre-contract disclosure (a SECCI document) before agreeing to instalments, even if the whole transaction happens over a phone call. Skip that step and it's not just a bad customer experience, it's a compliance problem. Train the sales staff handling those calls on the disclosure sequence, not just the pitch, before rolling remote finance out across the team in 2026.

Related guides

• Best buy now pay later providers for UK small businesses
• Best point of sale finance options for UK retailers
• How to train sales staff to offer finance options in store