OppLoans Review 2024

If you are looking for a personal loan but don’t have the most impressive credit score, OppLoans may be an option. This financial platform doesn’t charge any prepayment, origination, or hidden fees, and it reports your payments to all three major credit bureaus. Its solutions are designed to empower everyday consumers with loans for unexpected expenses and help them build their credit scores. 

Our OppLoans review covers the different types of loans available with this online lender and weighs some of the pros and cons.

What Can You Sign Up For?

At the moment of writing this OppLoans review, the online lender was offering three types of personal loans: bad credit loans, no-credit-check loans, and installment loans. Your credit score won’t get in the way of you getting approved for these loans but beware of the high-interest rates associated with each loan offered.

OppLoans Overview

OppLoans is an online lender focused on making loans accessible to millions of Americans with a bad or poor credit score. Its solutions are designed for middle-income individuals to help them build a brighter financial future. 

What Are the Requirements for OppLoans?

Since its services are geared toward those with less than stellar credit scores, it is relatively easy to meet OppLoans requirements. Unlike other lenders, OppLoans relies on data collected by Clarity Services, a company specializing in assembling information on consumers with low credit scores.

Some of the customer data that Clarity Services provides to the OppLoans team includes a history of auto title loans, previous loans from online small-dollar lenders, and payday loans. It may also consist of information that shows the lender how many times a client applied for other online loans, which is an important piece of data when evaluating someone’s creditworthiness. But ultimately, the approval depends largely on the borrower’s minimum monthly income.

During our OppLoans review, we’ve identified the key eligibility requirements for one of the lender’s loans. The requirements are outlined below:

• Applicants need to be residents in one of the states that OppLoans operates in.
• Be at least 18 years of age (except in Alabama or Nebraska, where the minimum age requirement is 19)
• Have a bank account for at least 40 days
• Have a minimum of $1,500 of monthly gross income
• Receive your paychecks through direct deposits

Since the lender doesn’t consider your FICO score to protect themselves if you default, these requirements are rather understandable. The actual loans are issued through the platform’s  partners, such as FinWise Bank or its parent company Opportunity Financial LLC. Since OppLoans operates in a number of states, the bank offering the unsecured personal loan depends on where you apply from.  

Why Should You Choose OppLoans?

OppLoans tailors to consumers with no credit score or one that is less than stellar. Let’s check its features aimed at helping you build your credit. 

No Fees

All of the loan types included in OppLoans’ offer come without the fees that other lenders rely on for profit, such as origination fees or prepayment fees. The absence of prepayment fees enables customers to pay the amount in full before the OppLoans loan is due without having to worry about penalties. 

There are also no hidden fees that would take up a large chunk of your loan amount. OppLoans offers fully amortizing loans, and you don’t have to worry about ballooning payments.

Short-Term Loans

Furthermore, OppLoans doesn’t offer long-term loans, which can help you build your credit score while saving money on interest payments that you would otherwise pay on long-term loans.

All of the loans have a term of 18 months, which means you’re not locked into paying substantial interest rates for several years. Plus, you can skip the OppLoans monthly payments by settling the debt early at no additional cost.

Considering that it doesn’t offer large amounts either, these are ideal solutions for covering immediate expenses without having to resort to a high-interest payday loan.

Customer-Centric Process

OppLoans is often praised for its accessibility and customer-centric approach, which is why it's important to discuss this aspect of the company as well. 

With OppLoans, you can apply and get approved for a loan online. Its website is highly transparent about the process, fees, and other aspects of taking out an online loan. Furthermore, its experienced team, called Loan Advocates, is there to provide you with the support you need, and you can reach them via phone, email, or by sending them direct mail to one of their two brick-and mortar branches.

Most of the OppLoans reviews online echo our positive experience with the support agents, who are extremely helpful in assisting consumers through the application process.

Another significant advantage of going with OppLoans is that its website offers extraordinary financial health information. It provides valuable guides for taking out a loan and a set of free interactive courses to help you “master your money.”

Quick Approval Times

The ideal time to submit an OppLoans application is before 8:00 p.m. CT between Monday and Friday. If approved, you can have funds in your account the next day to handle any pending expenses without stressing about it.

Reports Payments to Bureaus

As expected from a lender that promises to help you build your credit score, OppLoans reports all payments you make to the three major credit bureaus. After securing a loan from this lender, you can expect your payments to be reported to Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. 

If you need a smaller personal or installment loan quickly, but your credit score is making you ineligible with most lenders, OppLoans can offer the perfect alternative. These credit building loans are the perfect tools for improving your financial health. With its no-fees policy even for prepayment, useful and educational content, and helpful Loan Advocates, it’s the perfect fit for a range of consumers.

Where Do OppLoans Loans Fall Short?

Even though advertised as a better solution than payday loans or high-interest bad credit loans, products from OppLoans come with high APR rates. While better than the payday loan rates, which are, on average, as high as 1,250%, the OppLoans interest rate is nothing to brag about.

Since the rates are 160%, it is recommended that you weigh your options carefully before committing to those high rates.

Additionally, the availability of these loans may depend on your location. Also, make sure to contact OppLoans and inquire about the APR rates, as they will differ from state to state and from different lenders that provide it. At the moment of writing this OppLoans review, the company’s services are available in 37 states and D.C.

If you decide that OppLoans is the way to go, make sure to sort out your budget and find the money to pay off the loan as soon as possible. While this is an excellent option when you are faced with a financial predicament, it could turn out to be a costly loan that doesn’t end up helping you improve your credit score.

Some lenders have a notably lower APR than OppLoans. For example, one of the alternatives to OppLoans comes in the form of emergency loans for bad credit lenders, with lenders generally offering an APR under 35.99%. However, these have longer payment terms. Most of these are approved almost instantly, but they come with fees that borrowers should inform themselves about before they apply. 

If you are not facing an emergency and do not need funds quickly but rather to fund a new project, the best option is to take out a bad credit personal loan. These have higher borrowing limits and higher than average APR rates.

OppLoans Summary

In summing up this OppLoan review, we have to underscore the fact that this is an excellent choice for borrowers who need money quickly but don’t have a strong credit score to qualify for other options. It is also a good solution for building your credit score and improving your overall financial health, as OppLoans promises to help borrowers find the ideal loan for their individual needs.

However, it is important to keep the APR rates in mind and calculate the overall cost of your loan. Most of the time, it pays to work on improving your credit score before you decide to get a loan.