Best Loans for No Credit 2024 | Credit Karma (2024)

FAQs

Can I get a loan if I have no credit? ›

Some lenders offer personal loans with no credit check. Since they can't rely on a person's credit history, they may look at other indicators of a person's ability to pay back the loan, such as their rental history or total income.

Applying for a personal loan. You can search for loan offers with your Intuit Credit Karma account and sort by annual percentage rate, loan amount or monthly payment. Credit Karma shows you offers from lenders we partner with, but we are not a lender.

No-credit-check loans skip the credit check and use other criteria to approve borrowers. For example, a lender might look at your income or bank account balance instead. Or it may ask for collateral and grant you a loan based on its value. Once approved, you'd pay the loan back just as you would any other type of loan.

The best way to borrow $5,000 with no credit check is to apply for a personal loan from a lender that will not do a hard inquiry into your credit history, like Upstart or OneMain Financial. To determine if you can repay the loan, the lender will look into other things like your income and employment status.

A hardship loan provides funds that can help you get by during a difficult financial time. This loan can help bridge an income gap or cover an emergency. Borrowers are typically approved within a day or two and receive funds in less than a week.

Some of the easiest loans to get approved for if you have bad credit include payday loans, no-credit-check loans, and pawnshop loans. Personal loans with essentially no approval requirements typically charge the highest interest rates and loan fees.

You can get a $500 loan via a personal loan, payday loan, payday alternative loan, cash advance app, or credit card cash advance. However, some options are better than others. Some small loans come with high costs that can cause financial hardship.

Payday loans are a type of unsecured loan where lenders don't typically check credit. These loans tend to be small, usually a $500 loan amount or less (although some lenders might offer more), but come with strict repayment terms.

Cash advance apps like MoneyLion and Dave also offer up to $500 in cash, but you may not qualify for the maximum if it's your first time borrowing.

It's possible to have a loan denied even if you have good credit. As mentioned, your DTI, income and basic qualifications could be insufficient, or your loan application might have a mistake on it. Contact the lender as soon as possible to better understand why your loan was declined.

Are hardship loans legit? ›

Hardship personal loans are a type of personal loan designed to help borrowers overcome financial difficulties. You may face financial difficulty for a number of reasons, such as a medical emergency, car repairs, or a job loss. Hardship personal loan programs are offered by many small banks and local credit unions.

Credit score, income and debt-to-income ratio are the main factors lenders consider when reviewing applications. Paying down debts, increasing your income, applying with a co-signer or co-borrower and looking for lenders that specialize in loans within your credit band could increase your approval odds.

Just keep in mind that if you are approved for the loan with a lower (or no) credit score, you may be subject to a higher interest rate. You can apply for loan amounts as low as $1,000 and as much as $50,000.

Credit unions may also be able to provide personal loans if you have no co-signer or credit history. Some credit unions also offer payday alternative loans (PAL), which have flexible credit requirements. You can borrow up to $2,000 with repayment terms as long as one year, depending on the type of PAL.

If you don't have any credit history, lenders don't know what kind of borrower you are and whether you tend to repay your debts. However, if you have bad credit, lenders can see any poor decisions or mistakes you've made with your credit for as long as they're on your credit reports.

The Takeaway

It usually takes a minimum of six months to generate your first credit score. Establishing good or excellent credit takes longer. If you follow the tips above for building good credit and avoid the potential pitfalls, your score should continue to improve.

Fast access to cash No bank account loans, such as payday and title loans, typically provide a lump sum of cash right away. No credit check Some no bank account loans won't take your credit history or score into account, allowing borrowers with bad credit or who haven't yet established any credit to access funds.