People who need financial assistance immediately have become more likely to turn to payday loans.
A short-term loan, also known as a cash advance or paycheck advance, allows borrowers to access cash quickly for unexpected expenses or to bridge the gap between paychecks.
Getting a payday loan gives you the flexibility to pay rent and bills, or just spend some extra cash.
Read on to find out more about:
- The reasons behind the bad reputation of payday loans
- The benefits of payday loans
- Low-cost vs. high-cost lenders
- Bad credit loans
- How much you can borrow from a payday loan
Payday loans get a bad rap for a reason, right?
It’s no secret that payday loans are often associated with bad reputations.
It is a well-known fact that payday lenders exploit people in financial hardship.
People who have been loaned money by predatory lenders have historically been charged interest and fees of up to 400% of the original loan amount.
There was a report in 2018 that a man in Auckland paid $40,000 over four years to settle just $900 in debt. Because of the lender’s extremely high interest rates and penalties, the man was trapped in a vicious cycle of debt.
New Zealand’s recent law change attempts to curb this behaviour by capping interest and fees at 100%.
His repayments would have been no greater than $1,800 under this law.
While this is a good thing, there are still high-cost lenders out there.
Lenders that charge more than 50% interest per year are considered high-cost lenders.
It is for this reason that many payday lenders charge interest rates of 49.5%, so they can avoid being labelled as “high-cost” lenders.
What are the benefits of using a payday loan company?
There are some benefits to payday loans, despite their sometimes bad reputation.
Compared to other types of loans, payday loans have a short term.
The duration of a payday loan is typically a few weeks – just enough time for you to get through until your next paycheck arrives.
The minimum term of a personal loan offered by a bank or finance company is usually six months.
You might not want to take out a longer-term loan for more than what you need if you just need a small loan to cover some urgent expenses.
Payday loans are also generally easier to get: since they tend to be small loans, you may be able to get one even if you have a bad credit history.
Although payday loans are easier to obtain than bank or finance company loans, their higher interest rates mean payday loans should only be used as a last resort.
Using them for a long period of time is not recommended. You should only use them for covering unexpected expenses.
Is it possible to get a payday loan with bad credit?
People with poor credit history often search for “bad credit loan” to borrow money.
The good news is that even if you have a bad credit loan history, you may still be able to get a loan.
Affordability is the most important factor: if you earn enough to pay off the loan, you are more likely to be approved.
Even if you have a bad credit history, you can still qualify.
In order to determine if you can afford the repayments, lenders will look at your income, credit rating, and debt-to-income ratio.
The information you provide in your application must be accurate and honest.
You should shop around and compare different lenders to find the best rate.
Is it possible to get a loan without a credit check?
You may be looking for loans with “no credit check” or “bad credit” if you have bad credit.
You may be tempted to hide your credit history from a potential lender, but this is not necessary.
To learn about your financial history, any responsible lender will run a credit check.
You might still be able to borrow money if you can afford the loan repayments.
