The Pros and Cons of Personal Loans (2024 Guide) (2024)

FAQs

What is a disadvantage of a personal loan? ›

Personal loans often come with a slew of different charges. Some loans charge a prepayment penalty that impacts borrowers who plan to pay back their loans early. Others may charge an origination fee that's typically between 1% and 6% of the loan amount. There may also be fees for missed or late payments.

Typically, you need a good credit score (670 or better) to qualify for a $70,000 personal loan. $70,000 is a lot of money, and since the loan is unsecured, your lender needs assurance through a positive credit history.

Taking out a personal loan can make more sense than tapping credit cards or home equity in some cases – but it's not always a good idea to borrow one. There are situations where this could be a good idea, but always remember that taking out a personal loan increases your overall debt.

You should avoid using a personal loan to pay for college tuition, investments, basic living expenses, vacation, discretionary purchases and gambling, as well as a down payment and the costs associated with starting a business.

Does a personal loan hurt your credit score? Your credit score can dip a few points when you formally apply for a personal loan, but missed payments can cause a more significant drop. Getting a personal loan will also increase the amount of debt you owe, which is one of the factors that make up your credit score.

Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.

Fees and penalties can be high

Personal loans may come with fees and penalties that can drive up the cost of borrowing. Some loans come with origination fees of 1 percent to 6 percent of the loan amount.

Is it better to go through a bank or lender for personal loan? ›

Higher interest rates and fees: Banks tend to charge higher interest rates and more fees compared to their credit union and online lender counterparts. 12 If you don't qualify for a discount rate, you might end up paying more through a bank than you would with another lender.

Because an unsecured personal loan has no collateral backing it, you may encounter higher interest rates, fees and other things they could limit how far is the loan could go. In addition, the lack of collateral could make it hard for those with lower credit scores to get approval.

You can have as many loans as lenders will approve for you, but there are practical limitations. The more personal loans you have, the harder it will be to qualify for another loan. Every time you take out a loan, you'll increase your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.

The primary disadvantages of bank loans include strict credit requirements, lengthy application processes, possibility of high-interest rates, asset collateral requirements, and penalties for early repayment of the loan.

High-interest loans -- which could include payday loans or unsecured personal loans -- can be considered bad debt, as the high interest payments can be difficult for the borrower to pay back, often putting them in a worse financial situation.

A personal loan can impact your mortgage application and approval. Like any debt that appears on your credit reports, how you manage a personal loan will impact how lenders view the debt and your creditworthiness.