Unsecured personal loans allows anyone with decent credit to borrow money for most personal needs. The funds borrowed can be used to start your own business, buy personal items, or consolidate your debt. Before obtaining an unsecured loan, be sure you understand how they work and how it can affect your credit.
Personal Loans Providers
When lenders provide you with an unsecured loan, it means that there is no property or collateral for them to collect if you fail to repay the loan, opposed to a guaranteed loan where they can take the collateral to pay off the amount you still owe. Getting an unsecured personal loan makes it less risky for you as the consequences of failing to repay the loan are not as immediate, but it still affects your credit score like a guaranteed loan. Lenders who give out these unsecured loans take more risk as they don’t have any property or collateral to take as compensation if you ever fail in repaying them. However, they can take legal actions against you to attempt to collect what’s left of what you owe them which can lead the taking funds from your wages. Lenders who give out unsecured loans will also charge higher interest rates compared to their guaranteed ones.
Types of Unsecured Personal Loans
To better understand unsecured personal loans, you should know that there are several different types available, each one providing certain limits. Try to find one that best meets your needs and one that will keep your monthly payments at a low cost.
The most popular unsecured loan is a credit card. Credit card lenders let you borrow money with a limited balance. You can use those funds whenever you need it for whatever you want. The funds can be used up to the balance limit, but keep in mind that credit cards also have a daily balance limit. For example, your credit card max fund balance can be $1,800 but the daily limit that can be used is around $600. As with any loans, you have to apply for a credit card and the balance and interest rate is based on your credit score. But even with good credit, these cards commonly come with high interest rates.
Another unsecured loan that you can obtain is the signature loan. These loans are just what the name suggests; it is given with your signature to a contract that states your promise to repay the loan. Signature loans are available at credit unions and banks; the funds from the loan can be used for whatever you want. The loan itself is an installment, which means that you pay a fixed monthly payment until the entire loan is paid off. This is a good choice if you have good credit as the interest rate on this type of loan is generally low and will help you build an even better credit.
If you are a student or will be, the student loan is the best choice for you. It is solely a loan for school funding and usually comes with great features. These can include flexible repayment options, interest subsidies, grace periods, and more. With some student loans, it won’t matter if you have good or bad credit as most lenders understand that this type of loan mainly requires you to be a student.
For someone who doesn’t have any collateral to put up, an unsecured loan can become another option for borrowing money. Just be aware that these will generally have high interest rates and can help or hurt your credit score depending on payment matters.