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Blue Trust Loans

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5.0

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: April 25th, 2023

Blue Trust Loans is an installment loan company that offers a payday loan alternative of up to $3,000 cash, repaid over a six-month period. It is owned and operated by the Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, a federally-recognized sovereign government American Indian tribe.

Although the tribe claims sovereign immunity to state laws, customers claiming predatory lending can still contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (see below).

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Attention: In 2014, a US District Judge ruled that the FTC has the authority to regulate certain arms of Indian Tribes, including payday loan companies operating under Tribal Law.

If you feel that you have fallen victim to a predatory lender, even one claiming Indian tribal affiliation, we advise you to file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Continue reading for pros and cons and Blue Trust Loans reviews from real customers.

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The Good

Repayment Terms

Blue Trust Loans offers funding of up to $3,000. Because Blue Trust Loans offers personal installment loans, the repayment terms are six months long with anywhere from 6 to 24 payments, depending on how frequently a borrower is paid (monthly, bi-monthly, weekly).

The borrower can pay off the balance in full at any time without incurring any early payoff fees. The stated interest rates range from 471.78 percent to 841.45 percent APR, which is much higher than other installment loan lenders.

Like online payday loans, applying for online installment loans is quite easy. The application process consists of three sections and asks applicants for the following information:

  • Personal information — name, social security number, email address, birth date, phone number(s), address, requested loan amount
  • Source of income information — employer name and number, how often and how paychecks are received, net amount per paycheck, dates for the next two paydays
  • Bank account information — account type, routing number, account number

No Credit Score Required

While a credit check is not required to be approved for a loan, Blue Trust Loans does ask if an applicant has or is planning to file for bankruptcy and will not issue loans to debtors in current or soon-to-be-filed bankruptcy cases.

However, because there is no credit check, a Blue Trust Loan can be a good option for those with damaged or bad credit, or even no credit history at all.

Club Blue Rewards

Blue Trust Loans has an installment loans loyalty program, Club Blue, that rewards you for making on-time payments and paying your loan in full. There are four rewards tiers, offering borrowers bigger loans, longer terms, and better rates:

  • Blue tier — loans up to $1,850 with up to 270 days to repay
  • Silver tier — loans up to $2,500 with up to 270 days to repay
  • Gold tier — loans up to $2,750 with up to 300 days to repay
  • Platinum tier — loans up to $3,000 with up to 300 days to repay

You can become a member of Club Blue when you apply for a loan, and you can easily progress through the rewards tiers by paying your loan in full with no late payments and returning to Blue Trust Loans if you need to borrow money in the future.

It is important to note that not all customers will qualify for the maximum loan amount, and some borrowers may not qualify at all.

Customer Service 

During normal business day hours, a representative will contact an applicant within an hour after the application is completed (sometimes even within a few minutes) to verify the information, and loan approval can be received at that time. The cash loan can be deposited into a checking account as soon as the next business day.

Blue Trust Loans provides a general phone number, mailing address, physical address, email address, and an online email form for contacting customer service. The company also has an advanced customer service phone number and email address, and a loan processing phone number, fax number, and email address.

Emails are answered quickly and the company's general phone number sends callers directly to a customer service representative. However, it should be noted that getting specific information on the company's short-term loans without having already submitted a loan application can be difficult.

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The Bad

Lack of Transparency

Although Blue Trust Loans does provide some information about their interest rates and fees, the financial responsibilities of the borrower is not clearly stated on the company's website.

High Rates

Blue Trust Loans' rates are much higher than you might see elsewhere: 471.7864 percent to 841.4532 percent APR.

Because Blue Trust Loans specializes in short-term installment loans, meaning that you will pay off your loan much sooner (generally in no more than 300 days) than would be expected with a traditional personal loan lender where loan terms can range up to five years or more, Blue Trust Loans' rates are much than other lenders.

Fees

The loan application is free to fill out, but it is uncertain whether or not there are additional origination fees, late fees, or other finance charges.

How interest rates are applied to a loan is unclear, but because payments are stretched out over six months, borrowers will almost certainly end up paying a large amount of money in interest on the short-term loan.

Blue Trust loans states that all of the specific terms of a loan, including any additional fees, will be set forth in the loan agreement, and borrowers are highly encouraged to review the loan agreement thoroughly before signing it.

Company Shares Customer Information

Blue Trust Loans very clearly states in its Privacy Policy that it can and will share customers' information with other companies starting 30 days from the date the information is received. However, reasoning for doing so is unclear.

The lender also states that it will continue to share customers' information even after they are no longer customers of Blue Trust Loans. There is a phone number borrowers can call to limit what information is shared and how, but they can limit only certain types of sharing.

While the transparent disclosure is admirable, customers should be aware that they will most likely receive marketing calls and emails from other online lenders after applying with Blue Trust Loans.

There are several other loan lenders with similar names or website addresses, such as Blue Trust Loans at bluetrustloans.com and Blue Trust Loans Reviews at bluetrustloansreviews.com. Customers should be sure to reach the correct company for the best service.

Negative Customer Reviews

Although Blue Trust Loans reviews are currently limited, the majority of customers give the company 1-star. Common complaints from customers include paying much more than the amount they borrowed, as well as difficulties communicating with customer service.

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The Bottom Line

For those looking for a small personal loan with a short loan term, Blue Trust Loans is a good option. However, you should keep in mind that loans have a high interest rate, much higher than other personal loan lenders. 

Although Blue Trust Loans provides customers with several reliable ways to reach its customer service department, it does not appear to be completely upfront about what customers pay for interest rates and fees until a borrower has completed an application.

Additionally, the Blue Trust Loans' privacy policy clearly states that it will share customers' information with other companies, even after a customer's account has been closed.

It is also important to note that the company suffers from numerous complaints and allegations of predatory lending practices.

We do not recommend applying for short-term loans with this direct lender at this time.

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Star Rating

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3.0

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174 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

43%

4 grade

6%

3 grade

2%

2 grade

3%

1 grade

47%

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anthony smith Peru, IN

For a quick and easy loan, it is not bad but interest rates are very high. Also the website does not allow payments even though the customer service number provided says you can pay. The customer service number provided on the website also doesn't work and is totally automated. There are no live reps and you will go around in circles while it eventually just hangs up on you with no options to pay or speak with any one. I had to go online to search for a real number to call. (However, when I got a live person, she was helpful and quick.) The number I found was in a previous bad review that was replied to, but it was the only thing I could find to pay my loan off. It almost seems like they make it as hard as possible so that you get tired of trying and just have to pay the high payments and interest rates. My advise, is only use in an emergency and pay off as soon as you can. There needs to be much improvement done before I would give a better rating and 2 stars is very generous due to not being able to pay on the website or the phone number that was given on their website.

3 years ago

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Reply from Blue Trust Loans

Hello Anthony,

We appreciate your feedback. We provide alternative payment options that may help to reduce the overall cost of the loan, and the loan agreements we provide detail the overall cost of the loan, finance charge, loan term, scheduled due dates and payment amounts. A copy of your loan agreement is available to you at any time by logging into your Blue Trust Loans account, and we are here to discuss the terms of your loan with you in more detail . Please note that you are able to make alternative payment arrangements in any of the following ways:
• By contacting us by phone at 877.770.2682 at least three (3) business days before your payment due date, or
• Logging into your online account and speaking with a representative via web chat located on the bottom right side of your screen, or
• Texting “subscribe” to 70680, followed by your inquiry or request, or
• Emailing us at info@bluetrustloans.com
Please email us directly at ombudsman@bluetrustloans.com or call us at 855-201-4675. We’re available from 7AM – 7PM CT, Monday – Friday.

Jan. 7th, 2022

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Matthew Palm Coast, FL

First there customer service is excellant , now the truth this company does NOT provide information to the THREE major credit bureau's , second YOU MUST understand you will be borrowing at a high rate . For example if you have $900 dollars left to pay on a loan You MUST remember you will still have to $1300+ to pay the loan off. REMEMBER TO PAY ON TIME or it goes much higher . This is a legit company SO THINK over your finances before you borrow , then REALLY ASK YOUSELF is this worth it. If you can't afford it DON'T BORROW.

6 years ago

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Sylvis Ybarra Watsonville, CA

I have been trying to get a hold of someone from the trust loan their Internet access is down know when we transmit their call my calls concerned that I’m not able to access any of my information through email or online also I’ve been trying to pay off my debt for the last three months and they keep telling me that I am on a monthly program

3 years ago

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Patricia Reed Lewisville, TX

Everyone very nice but interest rates are outrageous.

3 years ago

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Reply from Blue Trust Loans

Hi Patricia,

We appreciate your feedback. We take great pride in providing the best possible service experience for our customers.
Keep in mind, we provide alternative payment options that may help to reduce the overall cost of the loan, and the loan agreements we provide detail the overall cost of the loan, finance charge, loan term, scheduled due dates and payment amounts. A copy of your loan agreement is available to you at any time by logging into your Blue Trust Loans account, and we are here to discuss the terms of your loan with you in more detail. Please email us directly at ombudsman@bluetrustloans.com or call us at 855-201-4675. We’re available from 7AM – 7PM CT, Monday – Friday.

Feb. 16th, 2022

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Cynthia San Francisco, CA

They were fast and lent me money in a time of need. But I ended up paying $3600 for a $800 loan.

6 years ago