Many people use personal loans to help pay for unexpected costs, like medical expenses. These unsecured loans generally require decent credit to get approved.
So, if you have poor credit, your options are often limited. That’s where PersonalLoans.com claims to come in to help.
This site aims to help people with bad credit by connecting them with potential lending partners. The question is, is it really worth using? In this PersonalLoans.com review, we’ll cover all the important items you need to know about this site, like the application process, pros and cons, and much more. In the end, you’ll find out whether or not this site is the right choice for your loan needs.
Ready? Let’s dive into this PersonalLoans.com review!
What is PersonalLoans.com
PersonalLoans.com is essentially a broker that matches borrowers with personal loan lenders. The company has been around since 2001, making it among the oldest online marketplaces for personal loans.
You can apply for a loan online with its simple online application. In a few minutes, you’ll be connected with lending partners that have an offer that fits your criteria (and you are likely to qualify for).
Since PersonaLoans.com is not a direct lender, it has built a lending network to make the loans. As the middleman, PersonaLoans.com presents borrowers with the loan amounts, terms, and rates that different lenders will offer.
What are Personal Loans?
A personal loan is a type of credit product that helps you pay for an expensive purchase or is used to consolidate high-interest debts. The loan is paid back in monthly payments, also called installments.
The loan terms are typically two to seven years long. The majority of personal loans are unsecured, which means they’re not backed by an asset (like a car or home loan).
As a result, many lenders have more stringent rules on credit scores when determining whether you qualify for a loan.
These loans can be used for just about any reason. The most common uses include the following:
- Paying medical bills
- Home improvement projects
- Debt consolidation
- Paying for unexpected expenses
- Vacation
- Education
- Wedding
- Down payment for a home
- Moving/relocation
The interest rates on personal loans might be lower than what’s on a credit card, which could make it a good choice.
Types of Personal Installment Loans
PersonalLoans.com offers three types of loans to borrowers. Here is a breakdown of these installment loan types:
Peer to Peer Loans
Financing for this type of loan is done by directly getting investors in touch with borrowers. Thus, these loans aren’t from a financial institution such as a bank.
Your money is coming from another company or person.
Personal Installment Loans
This is the type of loan that people commonly associate with a personal loan. These loans are generally straightforward and fast. These loans usually require a monthly payment to pay it back a little at a time.
Bank Personal Loans
Bank loans are through various banks that might even be located near you. For these financial products, you already know which bank you wish to get a loan from. So you can apply on PersonalLoans.com’s website for that bank’s loan.
Of course, it’s typically easier to just go to the bank’s website and finish your loan request directly. In most cases, you’ll have to finish your application with the bank anyway.
PersonalLoans.com Requirements and Features
With its lender network, PersonalLoans.com can find a lender for even poor credit applicants. But if you want to see what you qualify for as online personal loans, there are a few general requirements you must meet:
- Must be at least 18 years of age or older
- Must be a US citizen or permanent resident
- Have an active bank account
- Make the appropriate income to cover the repayment plan
As long as you meet these guidelines, you can use PersonalLoans.com’s service to find a personal installment loan. There is no minimum credit score requirement. You must have a valid checking account since that’s how funds will typically be transferred to.
It is recommended that your credit score be at least 600, as many online lenders generally work with applicants above this threshold.
The goal of PersonalLoans.com is to connect borrowers with its lender network so they can borrow money. The terms and pricing will depend on the specific lender. There are some general things that you can expect, explained below.
Loan Amount
The loan amount is how much you wish to borrow. The minimum amount you can request is $1,000. The maximum loan amount is $35,000.
Repayment Terms
There is a wide range of loan terms available from multiple lenders on PersonalLoans.com’s platform. Some lender loan terms are even less than a year.
The shortest loan term is 90 days, and the longest is six years. It’s essential to ensure you are making on-time payments when taking out a loan.
Some of the lenders will require payments as frequently as every two weeks.
Annual Percentage Yield
The annual percentage yield (APR) is the interest that’s charged to the borrower annually. It includes items like origination fees and other costs.
The loan offer that provides the lowest interest rate is ideal for the borrower. The APR on PersonalLoans.com’s platform will range from 5.99% to 35.99%.
PersonalLoans.com Application Process
If you’re ready to use PersonalLoans.com’s platform to find reputable lenders, the loan request process starts on the website’s homepage.
Simply click the “Get Started” link after choosing the reason you wish to take out the loan. You’ll be directed to an online form and asked for information like your name, date of birth, and low amount.
You’ll also be asked about bank account information and the type of credit you have. After submitting the online form, it’s a matter of minutes for you to start receiving proposals from lenders willing to lend money.
Each loan offer includes a loan agreement for the loan amount, interest rate, and loan term. If you accept the offer, the funds will be transferred to your bank account.
The speed at which the funds are sent will depend on the direct lender. Expect it to range from one business day to up to 5 business days.
After getting approved for a personal loan, you can feel at ease knowing that you have funds coming to use for your purpose. What you do now after getting approved and receiving funds is important.
This is especially true if you have bad credit and a less than stellar credit history. Here are the steps you should take to help improve your credit score below.
Improving Your Credit Score
Make Timely Monthly Payments
One of the biggest factors that affect your credit history and credit score is your payment history. Late payments from years ago will still affect your credit score.
The best way to avoid late payments is to have a system to remind you before the bill is due. The online web portal for most lenders allows you to set up bill pay reminders.
A step above this tactic is automating your monthly payment. You can set up automatic payments that will directly take out your monthly payment amounts without you having to lift a finger.
Pay back your Loan Fast
Building a solid history of on-time payments will improve your credit score. But one other thing you can do is try to pay it off faster.
Especially for higher loan amounts, it may take longer to pay off when you only pay the minimum payment. By paying more than the minimum payment, you’ll save money on interest payments.
It’s also important because lowering your credit utilization also improves your credit score. Credit utilization is the amount of credit you’re using versus how much credit you have.
It includes credit types such as credit cards and installment loans.
For example, you have one credit card with a $500 balance on a $1,000 credit limit and personal loan amounts that total $4,000 on a $5,000 line. You’re overall credit utilization is 75%.
Ideally, your credit utilization should be below 30% to help build good credit.
PersonalLoans.com Customer Reviews
When researching options for a credit type, such as a personal loan, it’s best to do some research. One factor that you look at is Personalloans.com reviews.
Hearing what customers are saying about them will help you decide if you want to work with them.
One great resource to find PersonalLoans.com reviews is the Better Business Bureau. PersonalLoans.com is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. It has a rating of B+ and an average customer review score of 4.17/5.
PersonalLoans.com Pros and Cons
Pro: Matched with Personalized offers
Your financial profile and needs are considered so that you’re matched with the best fit loan offers. It is challenging to navigate different loans that don’t fit your needs or have requirements you don’t qualify for.
PersonalLoans.com saves you the trouble and time of looking at lenders and options that don’t make sense for you. That helps makes its platform among the best online personal loans brokers.
Pro: Has Partnerships with Multiple Lenders
Its online lender’s alliance includes unique opportunities such as a peer-to-peer loan. PersonalLoans.com has had almost 20 years to build its network with trustworthy, reputable lenders.
You get more options with the variety of lenders that work with PersonalLoans.com. Even if you have bad credit, there is a good chance that there are choices for you.
Pro: Fast Decision
As long as you maintain accurate information filling out the online form, you should get offers within minutes. Once you’ve looked over loan details and selected a loan offer, you may receive funds as fast as one business day.
Pro: Receive Higher Loan Amounts
PersonalLoans.com works with lenders that offer loans ranging from $1,000 to $35,000. That’s a high loan amount for a personal loan.
Pro: Flexible Terms
You might be able to find terms as long as 72 months on PersonalLoans.com’s platform. The maximum term found on most personal loans is 60 months.
Additionally, you can find terms as short as a couple of months, whereas a personal loan typically has a minimum term of 12 months.
Pro: Qualified Borrowers can access low APRs
A benefit for those who have solid credit history on their credit reports is that they can qualify for low APRs. The minimum APR that PersonalLoans.com advertises is 5.99%.
Pro: Soft Credit Pull
When you apply for a loan on PersonalLoans.com’s platform, it only does a soft credit pull. This doesn’t affect your credit. Individuals with a bad credit score, in particular, don’t have to worry about their credit being affected by applying for a loan.
One thing to keep in mind is that once you’ve selected a loan from a lender, you’re susceptible to a hard credit pull.
Con: Not a Lender
PersonalLoans.com is not a lender itself. It’s simply the middleman who links borrowers and lenders together. Once you’ve selected an offer, the lender is the one that you’ll be dealing with moving forward.
Con: Fees will Vary
You don’t know what the fees a lender will charge until you’ve been matched up with them. It’s an unknown factor that you’ll have to take a chance on when applying for a loan.
Con: Potentially high APR
The APR can be as high as 35.99% for some borrowers with poor credit. That’s higher than many credit cards.
Bottom Line PersonalLoans.com Review
PersonalLoans.com is one of the longest-running loan platforms around. It created a streamlined application process, built a network of reputable lenders, and offers a great web experience. Borrowers with poor credit who typically don’t qualify for traditional loans of this type may find viable funding options. Its marketplace offers loans that fund is typically a few days, so you get access to your money fast.
