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Short-term loan provider ratings methodology

How we determine the score for our short-term loan reviews.

Our ratings

— Excellent

— Good

— Average

— Poor

9 factors we consider for our star ratings

How we rate minimum loan amount

Payday loans

— $50 to $100

— $101 to $300

— $301 or more

Installment and title loans

— Less than $1,000

— $1,000 to $1,500

— $1,501 to $2,000

— $2,001 or more

How we rate cost

— Optional fee or APR under 36%

— 36% to 200%

— 201% to 300%

— 300% to 499+%

How we rate transparency

— Clearly states fees, links to privacy policy, provides info on state laws and the like

— Clearly provides terms of service, only provides example fee structure

— Doesn’t state costs online

How we rate funding options

— Offers ACH transfer, in-store pickup and other options

— Only offers ACH transfer

— Only offers in-store pickup

How we rate turnaround time

— Same-day turnaround available

— 1 to 2 business days

— Longer than 2 business days

How we rate customer service

— Phone number, email and live chat

— Phone number and email

— Phone number or email

— No contact information

How we rate customer reviews

— Excellent customer reviews

— Good customer reviews

— Average customer reviews

— Poor customer reviews

How we rate other services

— Offers at least one perk

How we determine drawbacks

— Has one of these drawbacks

What we don’t consider

  • State availability. Not all lenders operate in all 50 states. In fact, some states ban payday and other short-term loans. Ensure your lender is licensed to operate in your state and is following state laws.
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Written by

Writer

Kellye Guinan is a freelance editor and writer, specializing in consumer lending. Her writing and analysis has been featured on Bankrate, MSN and MediaFeed. She holds degrees in anthropology and German language and literature from Middle Tennessee State University. See full bio

Kellye's expertise
Kellye has written 64 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal, business, student and car loans
  • Credit scores
  • Car financing
  • Debt consolidation

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