Responsible lending
We only lend what you can repay
That is not a slogan. Before we enter a credit contract we have to assess whether the loan is not unsuitable for you — under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009. If the repayments do not fit, we say no.
- Licensed to lend Venture 5 Group Pty Ltd trading as CashnGo Australia, Australian Credit Licence 431627.
- A real assessment We look at your income, commitments and a credit check. Approval is never automatic.
- Hardship is a right Tell us if you cannot meet a repayment. You do not have to wait until you are overdue.
- Independent review AFCA membership 44281. Free, and independent of us, if we cannot resolve a complaint.
- Direct lender, own licence You apply with us, we assess it, we lend our own money. No broker in the middle.
- Verified, not guessed A read-only bank feed and a credit check sit behind the decision, with your consent.
- A person if it goes wrong Customer Care on 13 13 11, Monday to Friday 9am–8pm and Saturday 9am–5pm.
What the law requires
Responsible lending is an obligation, not a marketing line.
Chapter 3 of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 stops us entering a credit contract if it is unsuitable for you. A contract is unsuitable if you would be unable to meet the repayments, or could only meet them with substantial hardship, or if it does not match what you said you needed the money for.
For Small Amount Credit Contracts of $2,000 or less there are extra protections. We cannot enter that contract if you are already in default under another small-amount contract, or if in the 90 days before you applied you owed money under two or more of them — unless we can show you can meet this one without substantial hardship. By law, Small Loan repayments also cannot take more than 10% of your net income.
We review how we lend. Saying no when the numbers do not work is part of that, including the times when saying yes would have been easier for us. Applying leaves a credit enquiry on your file whether we approve or decline.
Our guiding principles
Four things we have to do before we lend
These are the responsible-lending steps we take on every application. They come from the law. We do not skip them because an application came in after hours or because you asked us to hurry.
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Ask about your situation
We make reasonable inquiries about what you need the money for, your income, and your regular commitments. That is why the application asks what it is for and how you get paid.
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Check the numbers
We take reasonable steps to verify what you told us. The secure, read-only bank feed is how we do most of that, so you usually do not post payslips. We also run a credit check, with your consent.
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Decide if it is not unsuitable
We assess the contract before you sign. If the amount you asked for does not fit, we may offer a smaller loan — or decline. You do not have to accept an offer. Applying leaves a credit enquiry either way.
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Keep the door open if life changes
If you cannot meet a repayment, tell us as early as you can. Hardship assistance is a legal right on these contracts, not a favour. Call 13 13 11 or use the hardship path on this site.
Before you sign
Every figure that applies is on the contract.
Small Loans of $2,000 or less have no interest. You pay a 20% establishment fee plus a 4% monthly fee, over 62 to 180 days. Borrow $1,000 over 3 months and you repay $1,320 in total — $1,000 principal, a $200 establishment fee and $120 in monthly fees.
Medium Loans of $2,100 to $5,000, over 3 to 12 months, have a $400 establishment fee and a maximum annual percentage rate of 48% (comparison rate 65.6597% p.a.). A $3,000 loan over one year would come to $4,289 including the establishment fee.
Those examples are on the rates page as well. There is no early-repayment fee. Funds only go out after you have signed the contract electronically.
If things change
You do not have to wait until a repayment bounces.
Financial hardship can be a job change, illness, a relationship breakdown or a bill you could not have seen coming. If you cannot meet a repayment, contact us as soon as you know — ideally at least two business days before it is due.
Call 13 13 11, email hardship@cashngo.com.au, or submit a request in the Members’ Area. The hardship policy on this site sets out informal options, the formal program, documents we may ask for, and how long a decision can take.
The National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 is free if you also want advice that is independent of us.
If we get it wrong
Complain to us first. Then AFCA if you need to.
Call 13 13 11 or email complaints@cashngo.com.au. We must give you a response within 45 days. If Customer Care does not resolve it, ask for an internal review by our Internal Dispute Resolution team.
If it is still unresolved, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority can look at it. AFCA is free and independent. CashnGo’s membership number is 44281. Phone 1300 56 55 62, use afca.org.au, or write to GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001.
If you go to AFCA before we have finished our internal review, they will usually send you back to us first. That is how the scheme is designed, not a way of stalling you.
Who you are dealing with
A named company, a named licence.
The credit provider is Venture 5 Group Pty Ltd trading as CashnGo Australia, ACN 156 288 078, ABN 82 156 288 078, Australian Credit Licence 431627.
You can ask for a written copy of our Loan Suitability Assessment before you sign, or at any time within seven years of the contract, at no fee. Within the first two years we provide it within 7 business days of the request; after that, within 21 business days.
Our Target Market Determination sets out who these products are designed for. Applications can be started online at any time. Customer Care is Monday to Friday 9am–8pm and Saturday 9am–5pm on 13 13 11. This page was last reviewed in September 2026 against our Credit Guide and hardship policy.
Responsible lending, in plain questions
The same facts as the Credit Guide, written the way people actually ask. Last reviewed September 2026.
It means we are not allowed to enter a credit contract that is unsuitable for you. We have to make reasonable inquiries, take reasonable steps to verify what you told us, and assess the contract before you sign. If you could not meet the repayments without substantial hardship, or the loan does not match what you needed it for, we cannot lend it.
No. We cannot tell you the answer before we have assessed the application. Applying leaves a credit enquiry on your file. If you are bankrupt, in a Part IX debt agreement or a Part X personal insolvency agreement, the application will be declined.
A smaller amount than you asked for is sometimes the outcome of that assessment, not a sales trick. You do not have to accept it.
Yes. A credit enquiry is the record a lender leaves on your file when they look at it to assess an application. It stays there whether you are approved or not.
Applying with us leaves an enquiry, the same as it would with any lender. We also run a credit check, with your consent. If you do not consent, we cannot assess the loan.
We do not offer a “check if you qualify” step that skips the credit file. A string of enquiries in a short window can weigh on a decision, which is why shopping the same application across several lenders in one afternoon usually does not help.
We cannot enter a SACC if you are in default under another small-amount contract, or if in the 90 days before you applied you owed money under two or more of them — unless we can prove you can meet this contract without substantial hardship.
By law, Small Loan repayments also cannot take more than 10% of your net income. Those rules sit on top of the ordinary unsuitability assessment that applies to every CashnGo loan.
A score is one input. We look at your current income, your recent banking history and whether the repayments fit the rest of your budget. That is why we ask what the money is for and how you get paid, and why we use a read-only bank feed rather than taking a score and calling it a day.
If the repayments would not fit, or the contract would be unsuitable, we say no. Customer Care can explain what that means. They cannot reverse a responsible-lending decision just because you ask.
If we can offer a smaller amount than you applied for, that is the assessment talking, not a bait-and-switch. You do not have to accept it. The enquiry from applying is still on your file either way.
Yes. You can request a written copy of the Loan Suitability Assessment before you sign, or within seven years of the contract. There is no fee. If you ask within the first two years we provide it within 7 business days; after that, within 21 business days. Call 13 13 11 or email customercare@cashngo.com.au.
Tell us as soon as you know. Call 13 13 11, email hardship@cashngo.com.au, or use the Members’ Area. You do not need to wait until a payment is overdue. The hardship policy on this site explains the process, including informal options and the formal program.
The National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 is free if you also want advice that is independent of us.
Email complaints@cashngo.com.au or call 13 13 11. We must respond within 45 days. If you are not satisfied, ask for an Internal Dispute Resolution review. After that you can go to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority — membership number 44281, phone 1300 56 55 62. AFCA is free and independent of CashnGo.
If you go to AFCA before we have finished our internal review, they will usually send you back to us first.
The documents that sit behind this page
Credit Guide
Unsuitability, your right to the assessment, and how complaints work.
Target Market Determination
Who these products are designed for, and who they are not.
Hardship Policy
How to ask for help, what we may need from you, and how long it takes.
Feedback & Complaints
Customer Care, internal review, then AFCA if we still cannot agree.