LendUp - Reviewed & Compared

Summary

In these personal loan reviews, I’ve been reviewing traditional loan companies and loan aggregators. But LendUp is a little different – they specialize in lower loan amounts for shorter terms, and can work with those with poor credit. In essence, they are an online version of a Payday Loan. Are they right for you? Let’s find out:

Company Overview

LendUp is a short-term loan specialist that began operations in 2011. They serve a specific niche – bad to poor credit customers who need short term loans, credit cards, and similar. Based in California, they have a prolific online presence, with a website devoted to their specific products and information related to such. Again, they are not a traditional personal loan lender, but more on an online Payday Loan specialist.

MORE: Is Getting a Personal Loan Right for You?

What LendUp Does Best

They serve their target clientele, which is consumers who need short term money, and may not have the best credit scores. They promise to get loans approved fast, and they deliver, having an almost immediate approval process once they get all of your information. I found the application process simple and intuitive. They also have different tiers – once you complete a loan or two, you can move up tiers and borrow a larger amount. All loan repayments are reported to the credit bureaus, so for those with poorer credit scores, LendUp can be a good way to start rebuilding credit.

MORE: Is Getting a Personal Loan Right for You?

Any Negatives?

They have a bad BBB score. I will address this more in the next section. But other than that, I did not find anything to be wary about – the website is clean, has solid info, and customer service can be reached.

What Others Are Saying

The BBB score is not optimal. However, in reading the “poor” reviews, it struck me that the majority of them had a “story”. I got the sense that if you borrow money from LendUp and simply pay it back on time, you won’t have trouble. They have better reviews on HiYa and CreditKarma.

Our Final Verdict: 8.4/10

LendUp is what it is – an online Payday Loan provider. I like the fact that they loan such small amounts to those with less than perfect credit, and I like the fact that they can help people rebuild their credit. While not a traditional “personal loan” provider, if you are looking for short term funds on less than perfect credit, LendUp should be on your list.

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