Personal Loans, Credit Cards and Payday Loans – Some Features

Credit has long been an integral part of our lives. Purchase of goods by installments, vacation loans and other privileges can be obtained here and now. Lending organizations delight customers with a variety of loan programs. And they promise only the best deals. The most popular credit instruments are credit cards, banks loans, as well as payday loans. Let’s figure out which is better and more profitable to choose.

Payday loans

This type of lending has become widespread in recent years. Payday loans are provided by microfinance institutions. There is no single rule for the operation of such organizations. The process involves no paperwork and eligibility criteria are easy to meet – you usually need a governmenr0issued ID and a Social Security Number. The benefits of payday loans are as follows:

• Fast lender’s decision (5-15 minutes);
• No income proof certificates are required;
• Credit history is not taken into account (that is, if you have a bad credit history, then this will not play a role in issuing a payday loan);
• You receive money as soon as the same day or the next day.

At first glance, this loan option looks very attractive, but there are nuances. Since the process involves no collateral, payday loans usually come with higher interest rates.

Disadvantages of a payday loan:

• Short-term loans (up to 30 days);
• Small loan amounts ($100-$1,000, sometimes up to $2,500);
• High interest (from 1% per day). APR typically ranges from 391% to more than 521%

Credit cards

Applying for a credit card is pretty easy. If you receive wages on a bank card, then a credit card will be issued to you without providing any information. The amount of the credit limit will be calculated based on the average monthly transfers to the bank card. The main advantages of this type of loan are as follows:

• Continuous availability of credit funds;
• A quick source of funds in an “absolute” emergency;
• Grace period for non-cash transactions (20-50 days for a refund without paying interest);
• Free annual service (some banks provide this service only for the first year of use);
• Opportunity to build credit;
• Protection against credit card fraud;
• Interest is charged only on the part of the credit limit that you have spent;
• Paying off debt is easy. It is enough to replenish the card account through a self-service device or online banking;
• Cash back – part of the spent funds returns to the card.

There are many benefits, and they are quite significant. But there are some nuances that you should keep in mind when choosing a credit card.

• Interest rates are much higher than those of personal loans (22%-30% per annum);
• The grace period is valid only for non-cash transactions. When withdrawing funds from an ATM, interest accrues, + 3% for cashing out;
• Easily accessible money encourages unnecessary spending.

Personal loans

Personal loans are provided by banks. This is the most common form of credit. The process involves paperwork as you need to confirm your income. In some cases, the bank may require to provide a guarantor. The loan processing time can take 2-7 days. In recent years, credit organizations require the client to have insurance, the cost of which is included in the total loan cost. For example, if you need $10,000, you agree to insurance of $3,00. The bank will transfer $7,000 to your bank account, and you will have to repay $10,000. Insurance is an optional condition for getting a loan. But, unfortunately, refusing insurance significantly increases the risk of getting rejected. Another difference between a personal loan and a credit card is that you will have to pay interest on the entire loan amount, even if you did not have time to spend everything in the first month.

Despite the difficulties in obtaining funds, a personal loan has a number of important advantages:

• Interest rate is much lower. On average, it ranges from 12.9% to 17% per annum;
• Target orientation. When you take out a personal loan, you already know what you want to spend it on;
• Commission-free cash withdrawal.

When deciding whether to take out a personal loan, think about what you need the money for. Assess the chances of getting a loan from a bank, where the interest rate is several times lower than in that of payday loans. Weight all the pros and cons. A balanced approach will allow you to avoid unnecessary expenses and difficulties when applying for a loan.

Category: General

Tags: credit card, loans, payday loans, personal loans