Apply for a business loan by phone or online: which suits you?

Is there a right way to get in touch?

No. There’s the way that suits your day. Both routes reach the same people: the lending specialists who answer 03 4059 1829 also work through the online enquiries. What’s available to you, and how it’s assessed, doesn’t change based on whether you rang or typed.

The difference is mostly about timing and how much there is to explain.

When calling makes more sense

Ring the line if:

• It’s between 9am and 5pm Melbourne time on a weekday and you can talk for ten minutes.
• Your situation has a wrinkle. ATO debt, property owned with a family member, a recent decline, a business that’s changed structure. These are quicker to explain out loud than to squeeze into a form field.
• You want to know if it’s worth applying at all. A quick question like “Can you lend against a property that’s already got two mortgages?” can be answered in a minute.
• There’s a deadline. Talking it through straight away lets the specialist tell you whether the date is realistic before you spend any more time.
• You simply prefer talking to people. Plenty of business owners do.

Our page on what to say when you call gives you an opening line so the first minute is easy.

When the online enquiry makes more sense

Use the 60-second enquiry if:

• It’s after hours or a weekend. Your enquiry is waiting when the line opens.
• You’re busy right now on the tools, with customers, or in meetings, and want a call at a time you choose.
• You’d like to set out the basics first, so the call starts with the specialist already knowing the amount, purpose and state.
• You’re in a time zone where our hours are awkward. From Perth, our window runs from very early morning to early afternoon your time. A call-back at an agreed time can be easier.

After you send it, a specialist rings you, usually the same or next business day. More on that in how call-backs work.

Side by side

	Calling 03 4059 1829	60-second online enquiry
When	Weekdays, 9am–5pm Melbourne time	Any time
First conversation	Straight away	When we call you back
Best for	Explaining something unusual; quick questions; deadlines	Busy days; after hours; choosing a call time
Credit check to enquire	None	None
Who handles it	A lending specialist	The same lending specialists
What happens next	Specialist explains options and the next step	Specialist calls, then explains options and the next step

What’s the same either way

Whichever route you choose:

• No credit check at enquiry stage. A check only happens later, with your consent, if you choose to go ahead. Credit enquiries can be recorded on your file, so it matters that simply asking doesn’t create one.
• Your details stay with one team. No lead farming, no sharing with a pile of lenders.
• A real person does the matching. Not an algorithm deciding in seconds from a handful of tick-boxes.
• Documents come later. Only the ones relevant to the option you pick.

Can I do both?

Yes. Plenty of people send the form first, then ring straight away because they’d rather not wait. That’s fine: mention you’ve just submitted an enquiry and the specialist will find it. Just avoid sending the form twice with different figures, which makes it harder to know which details are current. If something has changed, tell the specialist on the call instead.

A tip for the form

If you use the online enquiry, accuracy matters more than speed. A few details make a big difference to how useful the call-back is:

• The state you’re in, so we call at a sensible local time.
• The real amount and purpose, even if it’s a range.
• Whether you own property, including a home, even if you’d prefer not to use it.
• A preferred call time if you have one.

A form filled in with guesses usually means the first call is spent correcting them.

What if you’re somewhere between the two?

Plenty of people aren’t sure whether they’re “ready” to call. Maybe you’re weighing up a purchase, or you’d like to know whether it’s even worth talking to a lender before tax time. That’s fine. You don’t need to be ready to apply to ring us, and you don’t need to have decided anything to send an enquiry.

A few in-between situations we hear often:

• “I just want a ballpark.” Ring and ask. A specialist can usually tell you what’s realistic without any paperwork.
• “My accountant should probably be involved.” Your accountant can ring us too, or join a call. See calling for a client.
• “English on the phone isn’t easy for me.” Start with the form, or use an interpreter or a family member on the line. Our page on interpreter and relay calls explains the options.
• “I’m in WA and your hours are tricky.” The call times for Western Australia page sets out the window in Perth time.

Take whichever route suits

If you’re free now, ring 03 4059 1829 and talk it through. If not, start the 60-second enquiry and we’ll call you back. Either way, asking what’s possible won’t touch your credit file, your details aren’t spread across a pile of lenders, and a real specialist looks at your situation properly. Accurate answers get you matched correctly first time.