The best Debt Consolidation loans might be a good strategy to simplify payments and possibly lower your interest rates if you’re ready to take control of your finances or have several credit obligations and trouble keeping up with instalments. It can also result in cheaper loan payments each month.
Advertisement
What is Debt Consolidation Loan?
Debt consolidation loans are loans used to settle consumer debt and other obligations. They frequently assist in making payments on auto loans, personal loans, and credit card debt. Multiple debts are combined into a single bigger debt, usually with better terms for repayment, like a reduced interest rate, a smaller monthly payment, or both.
When borrowers consolidate their debts, they obtain a new loan, typically with better conditions (a lower interest rate, lower monthly payment, or both), and utilize the loan proceeds to settle their existing outstanding bills.
Advertisement
How Debt Consolidated Loans Works
Deploying new money to settle previous debts is known as debt consolidation. If you have several distinct types of debt, you can apply for a loan to combine them into one obligation and repay it all at once. The new debt is then subject to payments until it is fully repaid.
Apply for a personal loan from a lender or your bank to begin consolidating debt. Once your lender has granted you a debt consolidation loan, it may offer to automatically pay off your other bills, or you can accept the cash and settle them on your own.
You will make a single payment on your new loan each month after your current debts have been paid off with the money from your new debt consolidation loan. Although debt consolidation frequently lowers your monthly payment, it does so by lengthening the loan terms of the consolidated loans. Debt consolidation simplifies payments and improves financial management by having just one monthly payment due date.
Advertisement
READ ALSO:
RV Loans: 10 Best Recreational Vehicle (RV) Loans of 2023
Advertisement
Best Debt Consolidation Loans
- Marcus
Marcus, a division of Goldman Sachs, provides personal loans ranging from $3,500 to $40,000. Marcus helps debt consolidation customers by providing direct payment to third-party creditors in addition to flexible loans with terms ranging from three to six years.
- Achieve
Achieve is a platform for indirect lending that provides personal loans guaranteed by MetaBank or Cross River Bank. Achieve is one of our top picks for the best debt consolidation loans because of its flexible loan lengths (two to five years) and loan amounts ($7,500 to $40,000). These features simplify consolidating a significant debt amount while cutting monthly payments and spreading out payments over a lengthy period.
- Discover
Discover provides personal loans in all 50 states, along with banking, credit cards, and retirement options for customers. The platform stands out as one of the best debt consolidation loans since it offers periods up to seven years longer than many other personal loans, with loan amounts ranging from $2,500 to $35,000.
Advertisement
- Upgrade
All states, except for West Virginia, Vermont, and Iowa, offer accessible online and mobile credit and banking services through Upgrade. Although loan funding may take up to four working days, Upgrade offers loans to borrowers with bad credit histories. And probably most importantly, if you use a loan to consolidate your debts, Upgrade will make direct payments to your other creditors.
- Universal Credit
Universal Credit is one of the top online lending platforms that provides the best consolidation loans. The repayment lengths range from three to five years or 36 to 60 months.
- Happy Money
An online lending marketplace called Happy Money (formerly Payoff) connects potential borrowers with fixed-rate credit card debt consolidation loans in all states except Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Nevada. Happy Money will directly pay off the outstanding credit balances of members. Happy Money specializes in aiding borrowers to get rid of their high-interest debt. Even consumers who need to consolidate huge credit card bills have a versatile alternative with loans ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 accessible.
- Best Egg
Borrowers in every state—except for Iowa, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.—can access the lending platform Best Egg. Best Egg can be an excellent option to consolidate your existing debts and spread the payments out over time because loan proceeds can be used for debt consolidation, and the payment terms are offered from three to five years.
Advertisement
- LendingClub
The largest online lending marketplace for personal loans and the best consolidation loans is LendingClub, a peer-to-peer lender. LendingClub will pay your creditors immediately, so you don’t have to worry about the practicalities of debt consolidation, even though it doesn’t have the quickest financing time.
- LightStream
After SunTrust Bank and BB&T merged, Truist formed LightStream, a consumer lending division. The platform provides unsecured personal loans and one of the best consolidation loans, ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. The purpose of the loan determines the loan amount. There are terms for repayment ranging from two to seven years.
- Sofi
SoFi is an online lending company that provides unsecured fixed-rate personal loans and one of the best consolidation loans. There are loans available ranging from $5,000 to $100,000.
Advertisement
The lender does not provide direct payment to a borrower’s other creditors, so keep that in mind if you’re considering taking out a debt consolidation loan through SoFi. As a result, the loan proceeds will be paid into your bank account, and you will be responsible for repaying each of your other creditors separately.
How to Consolidate Debt
Here are a few common ways for debt consolidation.
- Personal Loan
An unsecured loan from a bank or credit union, known as a personal loan, offers a lump sum payment that can be used for any purpose. Personal loans are a great option for consolidating credit card debt because they typically have interest rates lower than credit cards. If you take out a personal loan to pay off credit cards, be careful not to use them further because doing so will worsen your debt problem after consolidation.
- Credit Card
If your new card has a lower interest rate and you cease using your old cards, you may be able to lower your credit card debt. Suppose you use a credit card properly for balance transfers. In that case, it may be possible to dramatically lower the overall interest you pay on your credit card debt during the introductory APR-free period. If you can’t pay off the bill in full before that time, ensure you won’t pay more in interest by being informed of the credit card’s interest rate after the introductory period.
Advertisement
- Home Equity Loan
A home equity loan might be a helpful tool for debt consolidation if you own a property and have equity in it. These secured loans often offer interest rates slightly higher than the average mortgage rates, which are typically far lower than credit card interest rates, and use your equity as collateral.
- Student Loan Program
For those who have student loans, the federal government provides many consolidation options, including direct consolidation loans through the Federal Direct Loan Program.
Is Debt Consolidation a Good Idea?
Depending on your credit score and whether you’re making other efforts to improve your financial habits, you can decide whether debt consolidation is a good idea. You might gain from debt consolidation if:
- Your credit score has increased since you took out your original loans.
- You’re committed to repaying the full amount of your debt consolidation loan.
- You have enough cash flow to cover all of your debt payments.
- You’re okay with repaying your loans over a longer period.
- You have a financial plan to prevent piling up debt once more.
- By merging all of your debt into one payment at a lower, fixed rate, you may be able to save money and pay off debt more quickly if you have numerous credit cards or loans with higher interest rates.
Conclusion
Utilizing the best debt consolidation loans might help you pay off your debt more quickly and pay less interest overall. Numerous options exist for debt consolidation, including personal loans, new credit cards, and home equity loans. To get advice on the choices that could be most suitable for your unique situation, think about speaking with a qualified financial counsellor.
Advertisement