How CROWD stands out with better working capital funding at 0% interest rates

“Sometimes the supplier offers a 5% discount for immediate payment. There you go, a no-brainer, CardUp to the rescue.”
— Rose Tan, Founder of Crowd Pte Ltd

About

Founded in 2011, Crowd Pte Ltd is a vibrant boutique PR agency that delivers PR & communications, social media, and event solutions. They partner with individuals and businesses to grow, promote and protect their brand.

Crowd works with diverse clients across different industries. Their clients include Nike, Nespresso, OCBC Bank, Red Bull, KLM, Olympian Joseph Schooling, Badminton World Champion Low Kean Yew, and many more.

Challenge

Before CardUp, Crowd paid their rent and supplier invoices manually via bank transfer, cash or cheque, using their cash on hand. Significant administrative work was required to ensure the payments got paid and reconciled accurately.

In addition, the agency frequently faced late payments. “We see slower payments from smaller clients as they may not have as much cash on hand.”

Late payments for the agency meant there are risks of cash flow fluctuations and negative knock-on effects on their ability to make their payments on time.

Solution

While looking at various short-term cash flow solutions, Crowd found that CardUp’s working capital solution provided the most value and had the bonus of unlocking credit card rewards.

The agency now uses their existing credit cards to make payments for their supplier invoices even when their recipients do not accept cash. By doing so, the company is able delay their payments till their credit card bill is due up to 2 months later, and free up more cash in the meantime.

“Overall, it’s a very good experience. You spend a lot less time making payments.”

— Rose Tan, Founder of Crowd Pte Ltd

In addition, they no longer waste time manually issuing payments and reconciling onto their database. They now make each supplier payment digitally within 2 minutes through CardUp’s platform and have a consolidated view of all payments on a simple dashboard.

“By offering credit card payments, we can get money faster because people love using their credit cards to pay.”

To help their smaller clients make payment on time, the agency also uses CardUp to accept credit card payments from their clients at very low cost. Their clients get to enjoy the same benefit of delaying their payment term and earning card rewards, while the agency receives payment on time via bank transfer.

Outcome

CardUp has enabled the agency and its clients to unlock credit card rewards on their payments and leverage on their existing credit line to free up cash at 0% interest.

By making payments on time to their suppliers, the firm also qualifies for early payment discounts, providing them with additional savings.

“Sometimes our supplier offers a 5% discount for immediate payment. There you go, a no-brainer, CardUp to the rescue.”

The agency says CardUp has eased their payment processes and strengthened their cashflow. In addition, it has improved their relationships with their suppliers now as they are always able to pay their invoices on time.

Get started for free

Join Crowd and the thousands of businesses who have already started saving precious time and money through CardUp.