Extra Direct

A banking intermediary for businesses the high street turns away

Extra Direct is a business bank account intermediary run by ExtraDirectUK Limited, company number 12365921, trading as extradirect.com. The pages give a Chelmsford, England office address and a UK telephone line, and they describe the firm as a specialist that helps with accounts for high risk activity, for applicants with adverse credit and for non-UK residents. It does not offer an account of its own. Its job is to find a provider that will take the application, prepare the paperwork and hand over a working account, after which it steps out of the picture: the site says it then has no access to the account and no further involvement, and the operator deals directly with the new banking partner.

For someone building or running an adult site, the reason to read the pages is simple. A payments business needs somewhere for money to land, and the home page lists Adult Entertainment among the activities it works with, next to gaming and gambling, money service businesses, FX companies, crypto currency and CBD oil. The firm says it has over 30 years of experience in business banking, which is its own claim and the pages do not break it down any further.

What the service covers

The service is built around sourcing and applying. According to the home page, the team first looks for a suitable facility, then applies on the client's behalf, then works with both the client and the provider so the submission is complete. The pages describe the accounts as UK business accounts, and the adult entertainment article says an operator could expect a "fully FCA authorised & regulated business account" with a UK sort code and account number, along with the usual online banking and access at all hours.

Accounts are opened remotely. The adult entertainment article explains that these accounts are processed using copies of ID documents, so no face to face meeting is needed, and the FAQ says the quickest options are online business accounts opened within 2-3 days of applying. The home page advertises a quick decision and turnaround processed in as little as 48 hours. For non-UK residents, the FAQ says the firm can help open a non resident business account in the UK provided the applicant can be fully identified and has a registered business, with no UK visit required. It also says it does not open a high street account for a non resident, because the online route is the quick one. The high risk page adds a requirement for those overseas applicants: it describes UK business accounts without travel provided the applicant has a UK Limited Company.

Credit history matters less than the activity. The FAQ says several banking partners decide on the business activity and turnover, with no credit check, so a past bankruptcy often does not come up. The site also says that only the director or applicant has access to the account once it is open.

The adult entertainment position, as written

The pages are direct about how hard this sector is. The high risk page says no UK banks will consider anything to do with Adult Entertainment, so options are very limited unless an operator looks at very remote and risky jurisdictions, but that Extra Direct works with some UK providers who will consider an application. It then adds that the firm will have options while there will almost certainly be some restrictions. The FAQ repeats the point: adult businesses cause more issues than most, only a few of its providers will even consider an application, and some restrictions are almost certain.

The dedicated article on adult entertainment is a little more encouraging. It says the firm has some options that will accept almost any business involved with adult entertainment, though the choice is not wide because few providers are able to take the category. It lists what those providers insist on. The applicant must run a genuine business and be able to show it. Payments made by credit or debit card help with the options, and the article warns that depositing cash into an account could be problematic. The practical message for an operator is to expect a narrow shortlist, with conditions attached, and to arrive with proof that the business is real.

Terms, fees and the guarantee

Extra Direct leads with a decision in principle. The pages say the firm approaches its banking partners first to learn whether they would accept the application in principle, and only if they will does the client need to engage the firm fully or pay fees. Once there is a pre-approval, the firm confirms the options and any costs, so the client decides whether to proceed with the numbers in hand. The FAQ states that it never charges to obtain a decision in principle.

The fee level is not published. The cost question in the FAQ says every business and bank is individual, so the cost and process vary from one application to another, and the firm confirms everything before any money is spent. An operator should therefore expect a quote after the decision in principle rather than a price list. The terms add that fees and limits on specific accounts provided by a third party are set by the providing company and not by Extra Direct, so account level charges come from the bank or provider itself.

The terms and conditions also include a guarantee clause when one is specified. The firm may offer a guarantee that the service will be available to any individual or business that can be fully identified and trades in a law abiding manner. If, after all identification and supporting documents are supplied, the account or service is declined, the guaranteed fee is fully refunded. The same applies if it is declined because of the nature of the business, which matters for an adult operator. There are exceptions. If the decline comes from falsified information, missing documents, trading illegally or any other reason outside those cases, the guaranteed application fee is not repaid, and canceling a service after it has been submitted and paid for also forfeits the application fee. The contact pages add that all requested KYC and KYB documents must be supplied for an account opening to be guaranteed, and that a fee paid will not be guaranteed or refunded if the ID documents provided are wrong or insufficient. Under the terms, payments to the firm are made in advance of the service, in GBP, and either party may end the agreement on not less than 24 hours written notice once the minimum term set in the agreement has run. As of October 2026 the site also claims an over 98% success rate for applicants who have a legitimate business and can be fully identified, a figure the firm states about its own results.

Getting started

Applying starts with an online form on the site, and the firm then gets back with what is available. The three steps are a decision in principle, preparation and submission of the application, and completion and handover. On documents, the FAQ says an applicant generally needs two forms of proof of address, such as a home utility bill or a personal bank statement dated within the past 3 months, plus photographic ID such as a valid passport or full driving license. Another page states that guaranteed acceptance depends on all shareholders and directors being fully identified, with copies of valid ID documents, proof of home address and proof of business activity.

Support runs by telephone and email, with a contact form on the site. The contact page lists business hours of 09:00 to 17:30 GMT, Monday to Friday, and the site footer shows the office closed on Saturday and Sunday. No live chat or out-of-hours line is published.

The company behind it

The legal entity is ExtraDirectUK Limited, which the pages list under company number 12365921 and which trades as extradirect.com. The terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and disputes move from negotiation to alternative dispute resolution and then arbitration seated in England and Wales. The contact pages show a Chelmsford office, and a customer testimonial on the home page praises the support received through the process. The terms commit the firm to carry suitable insurance, including public liability insurance, and to provide its services with reasonable skill and care by the standards of the UK business account and merchant services sector. Client names, memberships and certifications are not published.

Who it suits

Extra Direct fits a site operator, a paysite owner or a network whose business has been declined elsewhere and who needs a UK business account but does not know which provider will accept an adult application. It also suits owners who live outside the UK and want to bank remotely through a UK Limited Company, and owners with an adverse credit history.

The caveats are the ones the site itself gives. The choice of providers for adult entertainment is narrow, restrictions are almost certain, the fee is quoted case by case, and the firm is an intermediary rather than a bank, so account fees and limits sit with the provider. It does not describe merchant processing or card acceptance for a site, only the business bank account itself. Its strength is the order of the process: a free decision in principle before any fee, a written refund clause for declines on the nature of the business, and remote handling from application to handover.