This paper investigates the role of credit card financing in UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and how this varies by location and business orientation. Using a large-scale data set of UK SMEs, the results of a regression-based analysis suggest that firms located in peripheral geographical areas have greater usage of credit cards relative to counterparts located in ‘core’ locations. Innovative, growth- and export-oriented SMEs are also more inclined to use credit card financing. Moreover, SMEs that use credit cards as a form of improvised financial ‘bootstrapping’ are more likely to seek additional funding sources in future.