Is it a good idea to get a loan to pay off another loan?
If you have multiple separate debts with a high interest rate, it is a smart move to take out a consolidation loan, one with a lower interest than current debts, to finish those off.
Having all your debt in one place can make it easier to see how much you owe, how quickly you're paying it off, and how much interest you're being charged. Potentially lower rates. You may be able to reduce the amount of interest you're paying by consolidating your debt under one lower interest loan.
Many banks and financial institutions offer personal loans for balance transfer at competitive interest rates. Now, if you have multiple loans, credit card debts, and other repayments, you can also opt to borrow a new personal loan and consolidate your various debts.
While you can often use one loan to pay off another, be sure to read the fine print of your contract first and be wise about your spending habits.
Having an existing loan can impact your eligibility for a second loan. Lenders will assess if you can afford to repay both loans without financial strain.
"In many cases, paying off a personal loan early will save the borrower money in interest," says Thomas Nitzsche, senior director of media and brand at Money Management International, a nonprofit credit counseling agency. With loan payments out of the way, you free up money to pad your monthly budget.
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.
A debt consolidation loan is worth considering if: You qualify for a lower interest rate. If you have good or excellent credit and plan to consolidate credit card debt, you'll likely get a lower interest rate on a debt consolidation loan than you currently have on all your credit cards.
If you do it right, debt consolidation might slightly decrease your score temporarily. The drop will come from a hard inquiry that appears on your credit reports every time you apply for credit. But, according to Experian, the decrease is normally less than 5 points and your score should rebound within a few months.
Borrowers can have more than one personal loan, but how many loans and how much you can borrow depends on a lender's requirements and whether they'll approve a second or third loan. Managing multiple personal loans can also strain your budget, so it's worth considering alternatives before turning to another loan.
Is it better to get a personal loan to pay off student loans?
Paying off student loans with a personal loan
But using a personal loan to repay your student loans usually isn't a good idea. If you want to tackle your debt, student loan refinancing could be a better option. With refinancing, you'll likely get a lower interest rate than you would with a personal loan.
When refinancing a personal loan, you'll apply for a new loan — either with the same lender or a different one — and then use the funds you receive to pay off your old loan. Once the process is complete, you'll make payments on your new loan with a new interest rate and terms.
There's no limit to the number of personal loans you're allowed to have. However, the amount of debt you can take on is limited to how much a lender is willing to let you borrow.
While multiple loans can be useful for covering large expenses, it can also have negative impacts on your credit score and finances. Consider alternatives to multiple loans, such as credit cards or building up savings, before taking on additional debt.
Personal loan amounts generally range from as low as $1,000 to as high as $100,000. The exact range varies from lender to lender. For example, among the best personal loan lenders, there are lenders that offer loans from $1,000 to $50,000, $2,000 to $30,000, and $5,000 to $100,000.
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Some lenders may charge a prepayment penalty of up to 2% of the loan's outstanding balance if you decide to pay off your loan ahead of schedule. Additionally, paying off your loan early will strip you of some of the credit benefits that come with making on-time monthly payments.
While paying off your debts often helps improve your credit scores, this isn't always the case. It's possible that you could see your credit scores drop after fulfilling your payment obligations on a loan or credit card debt. However, that doesn't mean you should ignore what you owe.
APR range | Minimum credit score requirement | |
---|---|---|
Best Egg | 8.99%-35.99% | 600 |
LightStream | 7.49% to 25.49%* with Autopay | 695 |
Upgrade | 8.49%-35.99% | 600 |
SoFi | 8.99%-29.49% | 680 |
Many give preference to borrowers with good or excellent credit scores (690 and above), but some lenders accept borrowers with bad credit (a score below 630). The typical minimum credit score to qualify for a personal loan is 560 to 660, according to lenders surveyed by NerdWallet.
How many points does a personal loan drop your credit score?
Lenders will run a hard credit pull whenever you apply for a loan. This will temporarily drop your score by as much as 10 points. However, your score should go up again in the following months after you start making payments.
Yes, but this will depend on your unique situation. If your account is still open and in good standing, you should still be able to use your credit card after consolidation. But it's important to maintain good spending habits and to continue making your payments on time.
Consolidation has potential downsides, too: Because consolidation can lengthen your repayment period, you'll likely pay more in interest over the long run.
However, it's likely lenders will require a minimum score between 580 and 680.
Get yourself a debt consolidation loan
Consolidation loans are unique loan offerings that are aimed at helping you clear your outstanding dues. The idea of such a loan is to replace multiple high-interest EMIs with a single instalment at a reasonable interest rate.
References
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