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Personal loans & debt consolidation

One payment.
A clear end date.

Compare personal loans from $100 to $50,000 for consolidating cards, covering a bill, or getting ahead. Plain-English guides, real math, and a two-minute request that does not touch your credit score.

How it works ↗
Your next chapter starts here

Start a loan request

Step 1 of 2

Takes about two minutes. Checking options does not affect your credit score.

How much do you need?
  • Safe & secure
  • Confidential
  • No application fee

You choose. Lenders decide. No obligation to accept.

$100 to $50k
loan amounts across the network
2 min
to submit a request
Soft pull
checking options does not affect your score
Not a lender. We pass your request to lenders and they decide. No application fee. Lenders may charge their own, shown before you sign. Not every state. Availability, amounts and terms vary by state and lender.

How it works

Four steps, no surprises.

You are never committed until you accept a lender's written offer. Walk away at any step.

Start a request
  1. 01

    Tell us what you need

    Pick a loan amount, add your ZIP code and email. That is step one. Step two asks for the details lenders need to make an offer.

  2. 02

    Lenders review your request

    Your request goes to a network of lenders. Checking whether you qualify uses a soft inquiry, which does not affect your credit score.

  3. 03

    Compare, then decide

    If a lender makes an offer you see the APR, term and monthly payment before you sign. Nothing is binding until you accept.

  4. 04

    Funds arrive

    Accepted loans are typically deposited as soon as the next business day, depending on the lender and your bank.

Same debt, four ways

What $10,000 of card debt really costs.

Assumes a 24% card APR, which is close to the national average in early 2026. Your numbers will differ; run yours in the payoff calculator.

Option Total cost Monthly payment Time to zero Credit impact Suits
Consolidation loan What we help with $1,957 interest at 12% APR over 36 months $332 / month 3 years, fixed Small dip at opening, then improves as balances fall Steady income, credit around 640 or higher
Balance transfer card $300 transfer fee (3%), 0% for 18 months $572 / month to clear it in time 18 months, then the regular APR applies Needs good credit to be approved Can pay it off before the promo ends
Debt settlement Roughly $7,000 paid (50% settlement plus a 20% fee), forgiven amount may be taxable Varies, usually 24 to 48 months 2 to 4 years, not fixed Significant damage; accounts go delinquent first Already behind and cannot pay in full
Minimum payments About $18,900 interest Starts near $300, shrinks over time About 25 years Utilisation stays high for years Nobody, if another option is open to you

Illustrative figures. Loan APRs depend on your credit, income and lender; a 12% rate is not assured. Settlement outcomes vary and forgiven debt may be taxed as income.

Consolidation vs settlement Balance transfer vs loan

Run your numbers

See the interest you would keep.

Move the sliders. The chart shows your balance under your current cards against a single consolidation loan at a lower rate.

Today Years $ $0 Current cards Consolidation loan

Payoff calculator

Estimates only
$
%
$
%
Cards: time to zero
44 months
Loan: time to zero
34 months
Cards: total interest
$5,300
Loan: total interest
$1,800
Interest you would keep
$3,500

Assumes the same monthly payment in both cases. A loan APR depends on your credit and lender.

Check your loan options

Questions

Straight answers.

Anything we missed: help@smartdebtrelief.org

Is Smart Debt Relief a lender?
No. We publish guides and pass loan requests to a network of lenders through a partner. Lenders make every credit decision, set the APR and terms, and fund the loan. We may be paid a referral fee by the network; that fee is never charged to you and does not change the offer a lender makes.
Does checking my options affect my credit score?
Submitting a request uses a soft inquiry, which is not visible to other lenders and does not change your score. If you accept an offer, the lender will usually run a hard inquiry before funding, which can lower your score by a few points for a short time.
How much can I request?
Requests run from $100 to $50,000. What a lender actually offers depends on your income, credit history, existing debt and the rules in your state. Smaller amounts are approved more often; larger consolidation loans usually need a credit score in the mid-600s or higher.
What does a debt consolidation loan actually do?
It replaces several balances with one fixed-rate loan and one monthly payment. You still repay the full amount you borrowed plus interest, but if the loan APR is lower than your card APRs you pay less interest overall and finish on a set date instead of an open-ended one.
How is that different from debt settlement?
Settlement companies negotiate to pay creditors less than you owe. It can cut the balance but it damages your credit, usually requires missing payments first, involves fees, and the forgiven amount may be taxable. Consolidation keeps your accounts in good standing. Our comparison page walks through the math for both.
How fast can funds arrive?
If a lender accepts your request and you sign the agreement, funds are often deposited as soon as the next business day. Timing depends on the lender, your bank, and the time of day you sign.
What if my credit score is under 600?
Some lenders in the network work with lower scores, typically for smaller amounts and at higher APRs. Read the offer carefully. If the rate is higher than what you already pay, a consolidation loan will not save you money and you may be better off with a nonprofit credit counselling plan.
Are there fees to use this site?
No application fee, ever. Individual lenders may charge an origination fee or late fees; those must be shown to you in the loan agreement before you sign.

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Ready when you are.

Two minutes to submit a request. No application fee. You decide only after you have read the offer.

Check your loan options
Loan requests $100 to $50,000
Soft inquiry, no application fee
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