Can you get a Payday Loan with bad credit?
Bad credit payday loans are designed for prospective borrowers with credit issues. Even when other lenders say no, bad credit payday lenders will more than likely say yes.
It doesn’t matter how low your credit score is. Unlike traditional banks and financial institutions, bad credit payday lenders see you as more than just a credit score. That’s why they consider other factors, like your income, when evaluating your application for a loan.
They understand that people go through rough financial patches that sometimes cause major damages to their credit profile and score. Whether it’s due to a prolonged illness, job loss or some other financial situation that made it difficult to keep up with your debt obligations, you deserve a second chance.
And with a bad credit payday loan, you will be able to borrow the cash you need to get back on your feet until the funds from your next paycheck arrive in your account.
How Bad Credit Payday Loans Work
Most bad credit payday loans can be found online. You can conduct a Google search to gather a list of options, or you can use a loan search and comparison tool to do the work for you. By doing the latter, your information will be shopped around to a vast network of lenders. You’ll be presented with a list of loan products you qualify for, and it’s up to you to decide which one best suits your needs. This is convenient and allows you to streamline the research process.
Either way, you’ll need to apply online and provide any supporting income and identifying documentation the lender requests. Upon approval, the proceeds will be disbursed into your account. And if the lender has a brick and mortar location, you may be able to stop by and pick up your cash.
How to Qualify for a Bad Credit Payday Loan
Wondering if you qualify for a bad credit payday loan? Credit woes shouldn’t be an issue as long as you have a steady source of income rolling in each month. Some additional criteria:
- The lender will confirm that you are at least 18 years of age and have a valid Social Security Number.
- You will also be asked to provide proof of your income. You don’t necessarily have to be employed to qualify, but your source of income must be consistent and verifiable.
- You’ll need an active bank account that’s in your name. The lender will request the routing and account number so they’ll know where to disburse funds. And when the payment due date rolls around, they’ll deduct the outstanding amount from the same account to settle the balance in full, including any interest and applicable fees.
Benefits
Unsecured
Since bad credit payday loans are unsecured, you won’t have to put your car, home, or any other asset on the table to serve as collateral. This means you won’t find yourself walking or being forced to catch public transportation if you fail to make timely payments. In addition, the lender won’t be able to seize your home for nonpayment.
Fast approvals
You won’t have to sit around for days or even hours waiting on your application to be reviewed by a loan officer. Bad credit payday lenders understand that you’re in a bind and need to find financial relief sooner than later. That’s why their application process is designed to be rapid and get you an answer in as little as a few minutes.
Flexible use of loan funds
Most lenders allow you to use the borrowed amount however you see fit. So, whether you’re short on rent payments, need to pay your power bill, or are looking for funds to cover a girls trip, you can use the proceeds from a bad credit payday loan to help you out.
Rapid funding
Once you’ve been approved and submitted proof of income, funds will appear in your account in as little as one business day. And if the lender has a physical location, you may be able to retrieve loan proceeds on the spot.
Credit checks not required
Less than perfect credit history is acceptable to bad credit payday lenders, hence the name. In fact, some lenders won’t even bother to check your credit as they are more focused on your income, which indicates whether or not you’ll be able to afford to repay the loan.
And if they do check your credit, it will more than likely be done through a third-party credit reporting agency. In this case, there still won’t be any impact to your FICO score. But traditional lenders require a hard credit pull, which generates a voluntary inquiry and could decrease your score by anywhere between two and five points.
Drawbacks
High interest rates
Because a bad credit payday lender is not concerned with your creditworthiness, this means they are taking on additional risk when extending a loan to you. After all, if your past credit woes weren’t an issue, you probably wouldn’t be applying for a bad credit payday loan. So, while they get you the fast cash you need without making you jump through hurdles to get approved, you should expect to pay a higher interest rate. This helps the lender offset the risk of loss should you default on the loan. And keep in mind that since bad credit payday loans are unsecured, there’s no collateral that the lender can use to protect their interests.
Fees, fees, and more fees!
Late on your loan payment? Expect a fee to be tacked on to the outstanding principal and interest. Need an extension? There goes another fee. And the list goes on. So, it’s in your best interest to stay on top of your finances to ensure you can pay the loan back as soon as possible. That way, you’ll avoid the penalties and additional interest associated with late payments and loan extension or refinancing requests.
How to Apply for a Bad Credit Payday Loan
Before you choose a lender and submit an application, it’s a good idea to explore your options. You can either ask around, conduct an online search, or use a loan search and comparison tool to find lenders that offer bad credit payday loans.
While asking friends and family which lenders they’ve had pleasant experiences with in the past is a good way to find options without doing too much legwork, you may be better off doing a bit of your own research. That way, you can know for sure that you’ve analyzed a variety of lenders and selected the one that seems like the best fit.
But if you really want to get the best possible list of options without spending too much time asking around or scouring the web, you should consider using a loan search and comparison tool. All you have to do is enter your personal, financial and income information into an online form, and if prequalified, you’ll receive loan offers from lenders that can serve you.
You’ll be given a window of time to evaluate the options presented and select one that you’d like to accept. The next step is to upload the supporting documentation required by the lender to finalize the loan. In most instances, you’ll be guided to the lender’s website to do so, but some loan search and comparison tools allow you to do so directly from their site.
There’s no obligation to move forward with any of the lenders, which means you can use the service free of charge. Even better, there’s no impact to your credit score.
What to Do If Your Loan Application is Denied
Unfortunately, it is possible to be rejected for a bad credit payday loan if certain issues are present in your credit report or banking history. These include:
- Recent bankruptcies, repossessions, foreclosures, or judgments
- Poor banking record, which includes a history of bounced checks, NSF charges, overdraft fees, other chronic issues that indicate that you’re unable to properly manage your accounts
- Banking history that is too recent
- Employment history that doesn’t meet the minimum required timeframe implemented by the lender
(Quick note: some lenders may reject your application, but refer you to another lender in their network that can assist).
Is It Risky to Extend a Bad Credit Payday Loan?
Maybe life happened and you weren’t able to repay the bad credit payday loan on the due date? The lender may offer you an extension, but you should understand the risks of moving forward with this option.
Simply put, refinancing a bad credit payday loan means you’ll essentially be taking out a new loan. In turn, you’ll incur additional interest and fees. And if you continue to extend the loan every two weeks, it’s quite possible that you’ll pay more in interest than the amount you actually borrowed when you initially took out the loan.
What If You’re Unable to Extend the Loan?
Have you already refinanced the loan on several occasions and are still unable to make payments? At this point, the lender will more than likely demand payment right away or commence collection efforts.
And once the lender decides that their chances of collecting the debt is highly unlikely, they’ll write it off their books as a bad debt and sell it to a third-party collection agency. This is bad news for your credit score as it will likely drop even more due to the presence of a new collection account. Furthermore, you could end up being sued in a court of law and receive a judgment for the outstanding balance plus any applicable interest and fees.
So, it’s best to only borrow what you can afford and make adjustments to your budget so you can pay the loan off in a timely manner. Otherwise, it could have serious implications for your finances and credit.
The Bottom Line
Bad credit payday loans are a quick and easy way to get fast cash if you have less than perfect credit and are experiencing a financial emergency.
But before you apply for and accept a loan, it’s important to read the fine print to understand what taking out a loan entails and the type of fees to expect. Otherwise, you could get much more than you bargained for.
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