Surprising benefits of personal loans (and a few downsides to understand)

Checking out your options before rushing in is exactly the right way to approach any new financial commitment. Used the right way, a personal loan is a tool that can help you get ahead. 

No financial solution is right for every situation. A personal loan is just one of many choices you have. Here are the details you need to know.

Personal loan pros and cons: an overview

A personal loan is a way to borrow money to pay off existing high-interest debt, cover unexpected expenses, or pay for things like moving or home improvements over time. With a personal loan, you get the money up front, at a fixed interest rate that won’t change for the life of the loan. The monthly payments will all be the same, calculated to pay off the loan in full by the end of a predetermined amount of time (the repayment period or “loan term”).

The pros: benefits of a personal loan 

If the loan is for consolidating credit card debt, your credit score may rise

One important part of your credit score is the percentage of your total credit you’re currently using (this is called your credit utilization ratio). Maxing out credit cards usually hurts your credit score. If you use a personal loan to pay off those cards, your utilization rate will drop and your credit score may rise. Personal loan balances don’t affect credit utilization.

Some personal loans fund the next business day

Personal loans can be approved and funded quickly. If you have an emergency expense like a car repair or storm-damage, getting money fast can be a huge relief. If your application is completed early enough in the day, it may go through underwriting and approval on the same day, and you could receive the funds as soon as the next day. Most personal loans through Achieve are funded within 72 hours.*

Remember, the faster you give the lender any documentation requested, the sooner they can process your application and, if you’re approved, fund your loan. While there's no guarantee about how long funding will take, gathering the documents you need before the lender asks for them could speed up the process. 

With a fixed interest rate, your monthly payment amount won’t change

When you take out a personal loan, the lender will tell you the interest rate, repayment term, and monthly payment. On a fixed-rate loan, the monthly payment stays the same over the life of the loan, which could make budgeting simpler. 

Pro tip: If you pay more than your monthly payment, you could pay off the loan in less time and pay less in total interest.

On-time personal loan payments could help you build great credit 

A personal loan could help you increase your credit score over the long term. Lenders report each of your payments to the credit bureaus, and each payment impacts your credit score. On-time payments have a positive impact. Late payments have a negative impact.

Payment history affects your credit scores more than any other factor. 

Each on-time payment gives future lenders a sense of how well you manage debt.  

You can use a personal loan to cover a variety of expenses

The flexibility of personal loans is a big advantage. A single loan can pay for a variety of expenses over time with a fixed interest rate and repayment schedule.

Personal loans can save you money on interest compared to credit cards

If you already have credit card or other high-interest debt, moving that debt to a personal loan could help you get a lower interest rate or lower monthly payments, or both.

Unexpected benefits of a personal loan

If you're taking out a loan, it's probably because you have a specific purpose in mind. Maybe you want to consolidate existing loans or remodel your basement. Whatever your reason, you may be surprised by some of the potential fringe benefits of a personal loan. For example:

• If the funds are used to repair or remodel your property, the improvement might increase the value of your home.

• Borrowing to deal with debt may seem counterintuitive, but a personal loan might help you clear your debts faster than your current plan. 

• You might be pleasantly surprised to learn how your credit score could improve simply by making on-time payments. A higher score could open up the door to the loans you need in the future.

The cons: disadvantages of a personal loan 

Personal loans aren’t the answer to every financial question.

The minimum amount might be more than you need

Personal loans usually have minimum loan amounts that might be more than what you need. If you need to pay for a smaller purchase over time, you might consider borrowing from friends or family, paying with a credit card, or using in-store financing.

The maximum amount might not be enough for a major expense

Likewise, for a very large purchase, you might need more than what you can get with a personal loan. They tend to top off around $50,000 (bigger personal loans exist if you have excellent credit). If you need to borrow more, you may need to explore other options like a home equity loan or home equity line of credit.

A personal loan is not as flexible as a line of credit  

Since a personal loan is a one-time distribution (that means you get all the money up front as one lump sum), it’s less flexible than a line of credit. A line of credit usually allows you to borrow, pay down the balance, and borrow more as you need it over time. If you take out a personal loan and then need more, you’ll need to take out another loan.

Personal loans aren’t available to all applicants 

If your credit score is below 620, you may not qualify for a personal loan with good financial terms. Personal loans for bad credit are available, but they tend to be very expensive.

We all know that life happens, and your credit score may not be an accurate reflection of your style of money management. However, it's what lenders have to go by as they make lending decisions. Low credit scores don’t have to last forever. There are steps you can take to improve your credit score. Millions of people have done it, and so can you.  

Having a personal loan could affect your eligibility for other loans, like a mortgage

Personal loans appear on your credit report and can affect your eligibility for other credit like car loans and mortgages. Lenders look at your total debt-to-income ratio, which shows how much of your pre-tax income goes to debt and housing payments. Borrowing with a personal loan may make it harder to borrow more until the loan is paid off.

Unexpected disadvantages of personal loans

Here are a few examples of the surprises borrowers could face: 

• Penalty for early payoff: Achieve doesn’t charge a prepayment penalty, but, some lenders do. In other words, if you want to pay off the loan before the end of the agreed-upon term, you'd have to pony up more money. 

• Bait-and-switch rate: Any time you notice an advertised APR, know that those low rates are typically reserved for highly qualified borrowers. Most borrowers will pay a higher rate.

• Other fees: Some lenders charge a fee for making the loan. If they do, expect it to be deducted from your loan before the money is disbursed to you.

Comparing personal loans with other financing options 

While a personal loan may be the right choice, it's not the only financial option available. For example:

• 0% promotional rate credit card. If you have good to excellent credit, a credit card with a 0% promotional rate could be an option. Note that if you can’t afford to pay off your balance before the 0% offer expires, you’ll be charged the card’s regular interest rate. Credit cards are notorious for their high interest rates. A personal loan may be the way to go if you need more time. 

• Borrow from family or friends: If you need $200 to replace a tire, you might have a family member or friend willing to front you the money. However, a personal loan may be the most reasonable choice if your basement is leaking and you need $4,000 in repairs.

• Credit card: Given that the average interest rate on credit cards in the U.S. is more than 22%, a personal loan could be a better option if you qualify.

• Payday or title loan: A two-week payday loan with a $15 per $100 fee equals an annual percentage rate of nearly 400%. A personal loan is definitely preferable in this situation. 

Achieve is not a Credit Repair Organization and does not provide, or offer, services or advice to repair, modify, or improve your credit.