UK Finance Blogger

Choosing a payday lender can be pretty difficult. There are many lenders available but most of them are not that well known. This means that you may feel concerned about who to pick as you may have no idea which might be the best. This is quite understandable but there are things that you can do that will help you to make a choice.

Look at company websites
If you take a look at the website of the lender it will give you a feel for the company. You might be able to find out more about them and this could help you to decide whether you feel they are a company that you would like to borrow from or not. You might eb able to find out more about the company, who runs it, where they are based, how they were formed, how long they have been in business and things like this. The way the website is put together might give you an insight into the culture of the company as well. If there is not much information then this may just put you off or you may want to do further researching online. You might be able to find more about them elsewhere.

Read reviews
You will find that there are reviews of lenders online. You do need to be careful though as these could be biased. Try to look on websites where you feel people are being genuine. Sites which should not be biased and ones that seem to have lots of different people’s opinions. Look across a selection of sites as well so that you can get a more balanced opinion. It is good to think about what the reviews say and whether the issues raised are things that are important to you and things that you feel may affect you. Sometimes you will be able to ignore them because you do not feel that they are relevant.

Ask others
It can be even better to ask people that you know. They will have no reason to be biased and they will therefore give you their true opinions. Do make sure that they have actually used the lender though as they may just have got their opinions from the media or hearsay. Find out why they have that opinion and whether they would recommend a lender or tell you to avoid them. It can be tricky discussing lenders in company, but if you do not feel that you would rather not say too much, you can just ask people about their experience with banks without revealing why you are trying to find out more. It can be best to be honest though if you can as you will get more specific information that will be more useful to you.

Compare products
It is important to have an understanding of the products that the lenders are offering and how they differ. The main difference may be the cost but there are other things to note as well such as how much they will let you borrow and how flexible they seem to be. The cost is probably one of the most important factors, so make sure that you work out how much you will have to repay using the calculator on the website. If you do this for every lender then you will be able to compare them so that you can work out which is likely to be the best for you.

This can seem like a lot of research to do but it is worth it. If you just pick the first lender you come across then you could end up regretting your decision. They may cost you more money, be less flexible and be difficult to contact and get information from. You could end up really regretting your decision. It can be hard to fit in time to do this sort of research when you are in a panic about getting money quickly, but it is worth it when you feel happy with the choice that you have made. Even if you do research and do not feel that happy, you will know that you tried to get the best lender and it could be that you experience with others could have been even worse had you picked them.

Often when we need money quickly we are in a rush and may not even be thinking straight. In this situation it could be worth getting someone to help you. Someone who is feeling calm about the situation might be better able to look through the options for you and help you to make the right decision. They might notice things that you do not because you are in more of a rush and panic. Also, when we are emotional it is harder for us to think clearly.

If you need to borrow some money, then you may feel that you are rather restricted in choice. There are many options but there may be reasons why those options are limited. Even if you have a bad credit record or need money really quickly, it may not mean that a payday loan is your only choice, but even if it is, it may not be as bad as you think.

What alternatives are there?

It is always best to start, when considering a loan, by thinking about what the money is for and whether borrowing is really necessary. Consider whether the item that you are buying is an emergency purchase or something that you can wait for. If you can wait, then it is far better to do everything you can to pay for it yourself. You may be able to cut back your spending, earn more, sell things or use savings rather than having to borrow. These will be far cheaper, easier and they should be less stressful as well.

If you have no choice but to get a loan, then look at all of your borrowing options. Even if you have a poor credit record, there might be other options outside of a payday loan. There are other poor credit loans and there may be other options too depending on how bad your credit report is. Do make sure the credit report is all correct as any mistakes may be causing it to look worse than it should. Applying for loan and being turned down does make your credit report look worse so try to avoid this. It is better to contact a lender and ask them what chance you have of being accepted for a loan, before formally applying. You may find, even if you do get accepted, that you will be charged more than the advertised rate due to your credit report showing you as being a higher risk. Check before you apply so that you can look at the costs and decide whether you think that it is worth it.

How to make a payday loan work for me

If you decide to take out a payday loan then you may worry about it. There has been a lot of bad press about them, but if you use it carefully then it could be very much to your advantage. Firstly, make sure that you borrow the minimum amount of money. All loans will charge depending on how much you borrow and how long for. So, if you can borrow as little as possible, then it will be cheaper. Also only take the loan out when you have to. Even waiting a few days will make it cheaper and as they can be arranged very quickly, then you can leave it until the last possible minute to organise. But do check with the lender of your choice how long it will take and have everything in place ready.

Once you have the loan, you will have a date as to when you need to pay it off. The lender will set up a direct debit for the payment to leave your bank account when you get paid. Make sure you know how much this will be and when you will have to pay it so that you can prepare. In the mean time make sure that you do everything that you can to minimise your spending and maximise your earnings so that when it comes to payment day, you will be able to afford that repayment. You will also need to be careful beyond this day as you will need to continue to manage until you next get paid, with less money. It can be wise to set a budget and plan all of your spending really carefully. Make sure that you include everything that it is essential that you pay for and cut back on everything else. It can be tricky and feel like you are being punished but it will only need to happen until you are more easily able to afford things again.

Payday loans get expensive when payments are missed and that is why it is important to make sure that you repay on time. Even when you do, the fees are higher than other types of loans because of the extra risk the lenders are taking in. So, if you can borrow the smallest amount possible for the shortest time possible then you keep costs down. Making sure you can repay in full is very important and if you can repay any early you will save money too.

So, a payday loan may not be your only choice. It is worth thinking about any other options available to you as these could be cheaper or easier for you. If you do have to take a payday loan, make sure that you are careful and then you will not have to pay more than necessary.