Discover Personal Loans

• Same-Day Application Approval
• Competitive Interest Rates
• No Closing, Origination, or Prepayment Penalty Fees
• Flexible Loan Repayment Terms
• Ability to Pay Creditors Directly
• Discover Personal Loan Calculator
• 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
• Payment Due Date Changes
• Student loan Consolidation

Same-Day Application Approval

Discover's personal loan application is simple from start to finish. In fact, you can receive approval the same day and have the money in your bank account in as little as one business day.

Discover explains on its website that loan approval is determined by your income (minimum household income must be $25,000), debt-to-income ratio, credit history, and qualified application information. This can be in your favor, as credit history is not the only variable brought into consideration for approval.

Applying is intuitive and hassle-free, and you can start your application online or over the phone.

Competitive Interest Rates

Your annual percentage rate (APR) will depend largely on your credit report and overall credit history. As with most financial institutions, the higher your credit score and the better your credit report, the lower your rate. Discover personal loan rates are among the lowest in the lending industry, starting at 6.99 percent APR and ranging up to 24.99 percent APR, a much lower maximum interest rate than many other personal loan lenders.

Discover personal loans also have a fixed interest rate, so your APR and monthly payment will never change. This provides stability for borrowers and peace of mind that rates and fees will not unexpectedly increase.

No Closing, Origination, or Prepayment Penalty Fees

Unlike mortgage loans, there is no closing fee associated with Discover's personal loans. The company also does not charge an origination fee.

A borrower can also repay the loan prior to the scheduled final payment date without incurring any prepayment penalties.

Flexible Loan Repayment Terms

You can have a Discover personal loan for as long as seven years. Not only does this give a borrower more time to pay off their loan, but a longer loan length will also result in lower monthly payments. This provides versatility for consumers who want more flexibility in their repayment options.

Many personal loan providers only offer loan terms of up to five years. Discover's complete loan term options are 36 (three years), 48 (four years), 60 (five years), 72 (six years), or 84 months (seven years).

Ability to Pay Creditors Directly

If you are looking to take out a personal loan to pay off credit card debt, Discover personal loans allows you to pay your credit card collectors directly. This makes debt consolidation simple and provides borrowers with the peace of mind that they can consolidate their credit card debt within the same day as their loan approval.

Discover Personal Loan Calculator

Discover has a personal loan calculator on its website that allows you to input your loan needs and preferences and receive an estimated monthly payment and APR.

For example, if you wanted to take out a $15,000 personal loan for a length of 48 months and you have a good credit score between 740 and 799, your monthly loan payment would be between $380 and $410, and your APR would be between 9.99 percent and 13.99 percent.

This personal loan calculator is convenient for potential borrowers who don't want to have to call a loan specialist to receive estimated rates and terms.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Discover offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you decide to return the loan funds within the first month of receiving them. You will be charged zero interest as long as your request and funds have been sent and received within the first 30 days.

However, if you opted to pay creditors directly rather than receive the funds yourself, you cannot take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee as you can not request money back from credit card collectors.

Payment Due Date Changes

Discover allows you to change your loan payment due date to better fit your monthly budget and financial situation.

However, it's important to note that Discover states you may only request a payment due date change two times during the length of your loan, and there has to be at least 12 months between each of these requests.

To help borrowers keep up with payments, Discover has an automatic payment service. This can reduce the need for needing to change payment due dates, although that is still a helpful option if necessary.

Student Loan Consolidation

With a discover personal loan a borrower can consolidate both private and federal student loans. Debt consolidation provides a borrower with the opportunity to lower their interest rate and monthly payments on their current student loan.

Unlike many other personal loan lenders, Discover personal loans does not require a cosigner to qualify for student loan consolidation.

• Below Average Maximum Loan Amount
• Unsecured Loans Only
• Loan Stipulations
• Minimum Credit Score
• $39 Late Fee
• Discover Personal Loans Reviews

Below Average Maximum Loan Amount

Discover's personal loan amounts max out at $35,000, which is slightly lower than the maximum loan amount offered by some other top providers. Some loan providers offer personal loans for as much as $100,000.

If you are looking for a higher personal loan amount, you might want to consider another lender.

Unsecured Loans Only

Discover only offers unsecured personal loans, meaning you cannot offer up any sort of collateral to ensure you will not default on the loan. Some lenders offer secured loans for borrowers who have little or no credit, so this may prove to be a difficulty for any borrower looking for a secured loan.

Loan Stipulations

Discover personal loans cannot be put towards post-secondary education or be used to pay off a secured loan. Many lenders do not have such guidelines and allow borrowers to choose what they do with their loan funds. Discover personal loans may not be for you if either of these situations is why you are looking for a personal loan lender.

Minimum Credit Score

Discover personal loans sets its minimum credit score around 660. This minimum credit score is typically higher compared to other personal loan companies, making it difficult for individuals with a lower credit score to qualify.

In addition to a high minimum credit score requirement, low or bad credit borrowers may have a difficult time qualifying for a Discover personal loan based on the company's offered APR range. Discover's interest rates are lower than many competing lenders, which means that low-credit borrowers will likely not qualify.

$39 Late Fee

Discover charges a $39 late fee if you make any late payments throughout the length of your loan. However, this is quite common in the lending industry.

Discover Personal Loans Reviews

Although Discover personal loans do not have a large number of reviews quite yet, many reviews thus far are less than positive.

Some reviews note a quick application process, however, a large amount highlight unsatisfactory rates even with excellent credit, troubling customer service, and miscommunication in which Discover requests payments even after they have already been paid.

Discover personal loans reviews, as of spring 2020 are largely negative:

• About 74% one-star reviews
• An overall score of 1.8/5.0 stars
• An average sentiment Criteria of 2.5/5.0 stars