Repayment terms are from two to seven years. Most reputable lenders report loan payments to the three major credit bureaus , so on-time payments build your credit, while missed payments can hurt it.
Lenders typically have minimum credit score and maximum debt-to-income ratio requirements for personal loans. The best emergency lenders can approve your application and fund a loan within a day or two.
Some offer secured, co-signed or joint loans, which may be easier to qualify for. Even in an emergency, taking time to compare personal loans and potentially cheaper options can save you money and help you avoid harmful lenders that can damage your credit and finances.
A personal emergency loan is a type of installment loan , meaning you receive the money in a lump sum and repay it in monthly installments. Review your monthly budget to determine what size loan payment you could afford. The loan with the lowest APR is the least expensive overall. You can use APR to compare emergency loans with other financing options.
A loan with a long repayment term and low monthly payment may seem appealing, but it costs more in total interest. Look for an offer that balances affordable monthly payments with reasonable interest costs. The most common fee to look for with a personal loan is an origination fee.
If you need cash fast, consider a lender that offers fast funding. Some lenders can fund a loan the next day, while others could take up to a week after approval. Online lenders may disclose the timeline in an FAQ or blog section of their websites. Time to approve.
Time to fund. Origination fee. Other loan types. As fast as 5 seconds. Within a few minutes. Same or next day. OneMain Financial. Usually instant. Joint, secured. Rocket Loans. Within a day.
Universal Credit. Up to a few days. Best Egg. We compared more than a dozen lenders to choose the best personal loans for emergencies. Among the factors we considered are:. Minimum credit score requirement. Approval and funding time.
The ability to add a co-applicant or collateral. Star rating. Annual percentage rate range. Loan amount. Check your credit. You can view your report for free on NerdWallet or at AnnualCreditReport.
Determine what you can afford. Review your monthly budget to determine how much you can afford to pay toward the loan each month. Pre-qualify and compare offers. Gather documents and apply. Once you have a loan offer with affordable monthly payments, find the documents you need to apply for a personal loan.
This can include W-2s, pay stubs, a government-issued ID and proof of address. You could get an instant approval decision, but it often takes a day or two. Here are a few tips to get an emergency loan with bad credit:.
Add a co-signer or co-borrower: A co-signer or co-borrower can help your chances of qualifying or getting a good rate. A co-borrower has equal access to the funds, while a co-signer does not. Add collateral: Some lenders offer secured personal loans and consider the item used as collateral usually a bank account or vehicle when assessing an application.
Adding collateral can improve your chances of qualifying, but the lender can take the collateral if you miss too many payments. Add up income streams: Your monthly income is another important factor on an application. Most lenders want to see that you have enough to cover regular expenses, make the new loan payment and have a little leftover.
Many lenders consider things like Social Security, alimony or child support as part of your income. Online lenders usually let you check your rate before applying and offer a fast application process.
But predatory lenders will try to exploit your emergency. Many banks prefer borrowers with good or excellent credit scores or higher , but there are some exceptions.
Some large banks, like Wells Fargo , U. Bank and Bank of America offer small loans that can cover emergencies. You must be an existing customer to get this type of loan, but the fees are much lower than what payday lenders charge.
Credit union members may have the most affordable emergency loan option. Some credit unions offer payday alternative loans , which are small-dollar loans with low rates that are repaid over six months to a year.
Examples of emergencies you can pay for with a personal loan include:. Medical or dental bills. Home repairs. Car repairs. Bills after a loss of income. The interest rate on your personal loan will be based on your credit score and other factors. Repayment terms — how long you have to pay back the loan — vary by lender, but many lenders offer terms ranging from two to six years.
If you take out a personal loan, funds are generally sent to you very quickly — as soon as the same day, or a couple business days. Some personal loans are secured, and they require you to put up collateral. Collateral is something of value, such as cash savings, an automobile, or even a house, which is used to guarantee the loan.
If you are unable to make payments in the future, ownership of the collateral may pass from you to the lender. Getting a personal loan is a quick and easy process compared to other types of loans like mortgages.
The lender will run a hard credit check and you may be required to submit some documentation such as a paystub. If your loan is approved, the lender will typically wire the funds directly to your bank account.
All in all, the process can be completed in anywhere from the same day to a few business days, depending on the lender. A fixed rate loan has in interest rate that will not change over time, meaning your monthly payment will be the same throughout your repayment term.
A variable rate loan, on the other hand, has an interest rate that will fluctuate with market rates. If market rates go down, your rate and payment will go down, but if market rates go up, so will your rate and payment. Variable rates tend to be a little bit lower than fixed rates, at least to start.
They can also be attractive when market rates are at historic highs and you expect rates to decline. For starters, you should always check multiple lenders to make sure you get the best deal on a loan.
Purefy makes this easy with our rate comparison tool. Yes, you can use a personal loan for debt consolidation — in fact, consolidating credit card debt is one of the most common reasons people take out personal loans. If you have higher-interest credit card debt, paying off that debt with a low interest rate personal loan can save you a significant amount of interest and help you get out of debt much faster.
Credit cards also usually have variable interest rates, which means that your interest payments could go up if market rates go up. Personal loans typically offer fixed rates.
In general, yes — with most lenders, you can use a personal loan for almost any purpose. Some lenders may have restrictions. When you apply for a personal loan, you are usually asked what the purpose of the loan is — e.
Yes, you may be able to get a personal loan if you have bad credit, but your options will be limited and it could be more difficult to qualify. Bad credit is generally defined as a credit score in the low s or worse.
Check our rate comparison tool to see if you prequalify with our lender network — you might be surprised. The requirements to qualify for a personal loan vary from lender to lender, but most lenders will look for things like:.
However, even if a lender advertises a high maximum loan amount, to qualify for the largest loan sizes you may need to meet specific credit requirements and debt-to-income requirements. Some lenders may charge fees such as origination fees or late fees — consider these in addition to factors like interest rate when deciding to take out a loan.
Checking rates on Purefy has no impact on your credit. A soft pull has no impact on your credit and will not affect your credit score. If you decide to submit a full application with a lender, you will need to consent to a hard credit pull, which may result in a temporary reduction of your credit score.
In general, the higher your credit score, the better chance you have at getting a lower rate. Factors such as income, debt-to-income ratio, and other criteria can also affect your rate.
When you compare rates on Purefy, you will see the monthly payment estimate for each of your loan options. If you would like to estimate payments on your own, you can also use our Personal Loan Calculator. The easiest way to find a low-interest personal loan and see if you qualify is to use a comparison tool such as the one offered by Purefy.
Searching for offers from multiple lenders is the number one way to help yourself get the best deal. Funding time varies by lender. Some lenders can fund loans on the same day, while others may take a few business days.
Generally, online lenders take days, banks days, and credit unions days. Money is usually sent electronically to your bank account, ensuring quick delivery. Search Search. Contact Us. Get Personal Loan Rates.
Featured In. finding low rates for borrowers. have checked rates. in funded loans. Why Personal Loans? Get Started. Expenses Come at You Hard — Find the Best Personal Loans for Every Situation. But because these loans are intended for immediate needs, they may have higher interest rates than other types of loans.
Bankrate outlines the best personal loans for emergencies based on interest rates, terms and features each lender offers. We also explain how to find and apply for an emergency loan, the types of emergency loans that are available and the pros and cons of taking one out.
Founded in , Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.
The listings that appear on this page are from companies from which this website receives compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. This table does not include all companies or all available products.
Bankrate does not endorse or recommend any companies. While it may be tempting to go with the first lender you qualify with, try to prequalify with at least three before deciding on one.
When looking for an emergency loan, there are a number of factors to consider. These are a few of the most important to keep in mind. Here's a deep-dive into each lender, why is the best in each category and specifically who would benefit most from borrowing from the lender.
Borrowers with little or no credit, or borrowers with good credit or better who might qualify for the low starting rate. Borrowers with good credit will find low APRs with Upstart, starting at just 6.
Borrowers who only need to borrow a small amount. Its low loan amounts could be good for smaller emergency expenses, such as minor car repairs. Those with less-than-perfect credit.
Your loan may be available within one business day — and you won't need perfect credit to qualify. Plus, Avant has a much lower maximum APR than other fast loan options. Borrowers with good credit or better who might qualify for a lower rate. Best Egg offers quick prequalification, application and approval process, making it ideal for those who need money fast.
The company offers personal loans to people with credit scores of and above, so it's able to keep APRs low. Borrowers with fair credit or better who need to finance a midsize expense.
Those with fair credit or a co-borrower. Prosper offers loans with a low starting interest rate and fast funding. It also doesn't require perfect credit to qualify. And if you can pay off your loan earlier than expected, you won't be charged a prepayment penalty. Those with good credit.
Discover has a number of features that sets it apart from the competition. The most compelling is the day money-back guarantee.
If you're able to find a better rate with another lender, you can return the loan without paying anything in penalties or interest. Each lender was ranked using a meticulous point system, focusing on four main categories :. Emergency personal loans can be a great alternative for those who are tight on cash and need to cover an urgent expense.
This is especially true if your only other options are credit cards or payday loans, as both of these products tend to have higher interest rates than personal loans.
However, emergency loans should only be used for needs, not wants, and only if you can afford to repay them — you could put yourself in a risky financial position if you default on your loan. An emergency loan is a type of personal loan.
It functions identically to any other personal loan except that it's branded for emergencies. Typically the personal loans branded as emergency loans have fast turnarounds — sometimes as soon as one business day. Don't simply rely on loans branded as emergency loans.
If you need to take out a personal loan for an emergency , your best bet is to find a lender that advertises fast approval and fast funding for a loan amount that suits your needs. Because emergency loans don't typically have rules about what you need to use them for, you could get a loan for situations like the following:.
While you can use an emergency loan for nearly anything, make sure that you only borrow as much as you need and what you can repay. Once you've gotten quotes from a few lenders, you'll send in your application to the one with the best interest rate and terms.
You'll likely need to provide identity and income verification during this stage of the application process. Once you're approved, funds can be sent directly to your bank account.
There are many ways to get funds in an emergency. Some of the most common types of emergency loans include the following.
Personal loans are a good option for emergencies because they can be disbursed quickly, sometimes within the same day of approval. They can also be less expensive to use than credit cards — while many credit cards have interest rates upwards of 20 percent, the average personal loan interest rate hovers above Home equity loans and home equity lines of credit HELOCs are less common for emergency uses since they're typically slower to disburse funds.
However, they will usually offer the lowest rates since they're secured by your home. Your credit card company may extend you a short-term loan in the form of a cash advance. This type of loan is one of the fastest ways to access money, but the interest rates and fees can be higher than they are for standard purchases with your card.
Payday loans are short-term loans that don't require a credit check and will typically need to be repaid with your next paycheck. Payday loans are extremely risky and not recommended if you can avoid them. They charge triple-digit interest rates and high fees, and failing to make payments could send you deeper into debt.
Just like payday loans, title loans are a type of short-term loan that is typically repaid within 15 to 30 days after getting the funds. These loans typically carry high interest rates and fees, and use your car as collateral. That means that the lender could seize your vehicle if you default on your loan.
You can get an emergency loan from any lender that provides personal loans. This includes banks, credit unions and online lenders. However, some of these are better options than others. If your credit score is holding you back from qualifying for an emergency loan, there are still some alternatives.
Unemployment, an urgent medical procedure, emergency repairs and sudden death or disability can easily put your finances under pressure. While you can't completely prepare for unexpected hardship, you can at least build yourself a buffer.
An emergency fund can help you better recover from unplanned expenses in the future. Putting aside even a little bit of money at a time into a dedicated savings account can help you prepare for any future setbacks.
When it comes to borrowing, a quick decision is often not the best decision. You may forego shopping around for the best rates if you need cash due to an emergency. Some inherent dangers of emergency loans include:.
If you need an emergency loan, be cautious of lenders that might be out to scam you or take advantage of your difficult time. Pay attention to:. You should avoid any emergency loan that affects your ability to earn money or could result in losing an asset like a car or a home.
Before you consider a payday loan, title loan or home equity loan or HELOC, consider the substantial financial risks. Taking out a loan always causes your credit score to temporarily drop by a few points, but as long as you make your monthly payments on time, your credit score will not be permanently damaged.
Making on time payments can actually improve your credit score over time.
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