The Upsides and Downsides of Getting a No Credit Check Personal Loan

Personal loans allow borrowers to access relatively large sums of money upfront to pay for major expenses or consolidate debt. Unlike conventional bank loans, personal loans typically don’t require collateral, meaning you don’t have to put up an asset like your home or car as security on the loan. But lenders still want reassurance that borrowers can and will repay the loan. That’s why a credit check is standard practice for personal loans from banks and credit unions. 

A no credit check personal loan skips the credit check requirement and approves borrowers without pulling their credit reports or factoring credit scores into the approval decision. Since a credit check can drag down your score, especially if initiated by multiple lenders, a no credit check personal loan can be advantageous if you have less-than-ideal credit and don’t want additional inquiries right now. Plus, the absence of a credit check expands personal loan access to borrowers with no established credit history.

However, skipping the credit check opens the door to higher interest rates and fees compared to a standard personal loan. Lenders view no credit check borrowers as riskier propositions without those credit factors informing the approval. As a rule of thumb, the lower your credit score—or nonexistent your credit history—the higher your interest rate and overall borrowing costs on a personal loan.

Types of No Credit Check Personal Loans

Some examples of no credit check personal loans include:

Payday Loans

Payday loans are one of the most recognized types of no credit check loans. These ultra short-term loans promise fast cash, often by the following business day, in exchange for full repayment plus fees in two to four weeks on your next pay date. Payday loans routinely charge 300-400% APR and higher and should be used sparingly as a true emergency loan of last resort. 

Pawn Shop Loans  

At a pawn shop, you offer up something of value—jewelry, electronics, collectibles—as collateral to secure a no credit check loan on the spot. If you repay the loan principal plus fees within 30-60 days, depending on state regulations, you get your collateral back. If you default, the pawn shop can sell your item to recoup their money.

Title Loans

Similar to pawn loans, auto title loans allow you to put up your paid-off car as collateral for quick loan approval without undergoing a credit check. They too feature exorbitant APRs and must be repaid in 30 days, otherwise you risk losing your vehicle.

Installment Loans  

A couple types of lenders offer no credit check installment loans, meaning the loan amount and repayment schedule gets structured over a series of regular, equal monthly payments. These tend to be more affordable than payday, pawn and title loans, with longer 3-5 year terms, yet still charge higher rates than a conventional personal loan.

Should You Ever Get One?

Just because you can get approved for a no credit check personal loan in the absence of stellar credit doesn’t necessarily mean you should utilize one. The higher interest rates can rapidly snowball an otherwise small, short-term loan into an unaffordable amount, especially if you can only afford interest payments. Defaulting exposes you to aggressive debt collection efforts.

A no credit check personal loan only makes financial sense if you lack other, cheaper borrowing options and require money for an urgent expense. A sudden medical bill or car repair might qualify, whereas everyday purchases on a loan likely don’t merit the risk. Also ask if you could cover the expense by cutting back expenses elsewhere or tapping your emergency fund instead of taking out a loan in the first place.  

Finding a Lender

Unfortunately, predatory lending runs rampant in the no credit check loan sphere. You’ll have to do extra vetting and comparison shopping to pinpoint a loan with the lowest rates possible for your situation. Start by checking if your bank or credit union offers no credit check loans and at what percentage rates. Credit karma and lending agencies like Slick Cash Loan let you explore personal loan options from multiple lenders through a soft credit check that only you can view and which doesn’t impact your score. This helps give you preliminary rate quotes.   

Just know that in exchange for easy access to cash with no credit history needed, you’ll pay significantly higher interest charges over the life of a no credit check personal loan. Make sure borrowing now makes financial sense and that you can realistically uphold the repayment terms before signing on the dotted line. Use no credit check personal loans judiciously for unavoidable, budget-busting emergencies rather than ordinary splurges you can’t currently afford.

Reference:

https://slickcashloan.com/personal-loans/no-credit-check-loans.php