LendingTree Personal Loans Review

LendingTree is an online marketplace for loans you can use to compare rates from different lenders and, ultimately, find the best deal. It can match you with a variety of loan offerings for your home, car and more, but for the purposes of this article, we’re focusing on personal loans, which are typically used to pay off debt, medical bills and other lingering expenses.

Read on to learn how LendingTree works, and whether it's right for your situation.

Table of contents

• LendingTree personal loans pros and cons
• LendingTree personal loans plan offerings
• LendingTree personal loans pricing
• LendingTree personal loans financial stability
• LendingTree personal loans accessibility
• LendingTree personal loans customer satisfaction
• LendingTree personal loans FAQ
• How we evaluated LendingTree personal loans
• Summary of Money’s LendingTree personal loans review

LendingTree personal loans pros and cons

LendingTree pros explained

Compare multiple lenders’ rates and terms on a single platform

LendingTree helps you find the best loan options and interest rates by showing you offerings from more than one provider in the same place. This can help you shop around for offers more efficiently.

Substantial financial education tools for borrowers

The LendingTree Academy offers free courses on topics like improving your credit score and how to get a personal loan with bad credit. The platform also has a loan calculator that can give you a detailed look at what your monthly payment would be, based on the lender you’re researching.

Doesn’t impact your credit score until you submit an official application

LendingTree’s loan-matching process doesn’t impact your credit score or show up on your credit report. The company doesn’t run hard credit checks for lenders, so you can compare options worry-free.

Works with lenders that accept low credit scores

If you have poor credit, LendingTree may still be able to match you with lenders. The company has relationships with Upstart, which may accept credit scores as low as 300, and Avant, which may accept credit scores as low as 580.

LendingTree cons explained

Each loan option has different terms, fees and penalties

LendingTree is not a direct lender. Each loan it matches you with will have its own application process, fees and terms. The site can give you an overview of the fine print, in other words, you may need to do a little research of your own before deciding on a provider.

Only pre-qualifies you for loans, meaning the lender could still deny you

LendingTree matches you with loans that may be a good fit based on the info you provide. But you’ll need to finish the application process directly through the lender, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get approved.

May share your personal information with affiliates and partners

LendingTree may share your information with its network of partners and affiliates, which could trigger an onslaught of marketing emails and phone calls from other companies.

LendingTree personal loans plan offerings

LendingTree doesn’t offer personal loans as a direct lender. But it can match you with personal loans of varying amounts and terms. Your options will depend on your credit history and income, among other factors. Here’s an overview of the different options you can find on the platform.

Loan amounts

LendingTree can match you with personal loans from $600 - $50,000. However, each lender has its own minimum and maximum loan amounts, so you won’t be able to choose from the full $600 - $50,000 range with every provider.

Loan terms

Loan terms can also vary from provider to provider. They can last for 12 - 84 months. You can also find APR ranges from lows of around 6.99% - 35.99%. The minimum credit score you need for each loan will depend on the provider offering it.

Fees

LendingTree doesn’t charge any fees for its service. Its lending partners set their own fees and can charge varying amounts for origination, prepayment penalties and other service costs. You may be able to reduce some of these fees by applying with a cosigner.

Income requirements

LendingTree's partners also set their own income requirements for loan eligibility. However, the platform asks for your income during the loan-matching process, and tries to connect you with providers that will accept the amount you earn.

LendingTree personal loans pricing

LendingTree doesn’t set its own pricing for personal loans. Instead, it connects you with providers that may offer you different interest rates, depending on your personal financial risk factor (credit score, annual income, etc).

The company can match you with personal loans with interest rates as low as 6.99%. But, as with every type of loan, the best rates availablewill fluctuate over time.

LendingTree personal loans financial stability

Moody’s, a trusted financial rating and research firm, recently downgraded LendingTree’s corporate family ratings score (CFR) to Caa1, which is considered a “speculative grade.”

Moody’s scale ranges from a high of Aaa to a low of C, meaning there are only three scores separating LendingTree from a C rating.

That being said, LendingTree doesn’t offer loans directly, so the company’s Moody’s rating is far less important than the one given to the lender you’ll have an ongoing financial relationship with once your application is approved. Again: do your own research before committing to a lender.

LendingTree personal loans accessibility

Availability

LendingTree may be able to help you get a personal loan no matter which state you live in. However, the company makes no guarantees on availability.

Contact information

LendingTree accepts customer service phone calls from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. The company's phone number is 1-800-505-7916. It also has an online contact form you can fill out to request a response.

If you want to write to LendingTree, you can address the letter to:

LendingTree, LLC

1415 Vantage Park Drive

Suite 700

Charlotte, NC 28203

User experience

You can use LendingTree for free without having to create an account. The company also has a free app, so you can research the best personal loans for your financial situation from your phone.

LendingTree personal loans customer satisfaction

Customer reviews for LendingTree show the site has a simple application process. Still, some reviewers, particularly those with poor credit, complain about the lack of available options.

How we evaluated LendingTree personal loans

Our analysis of LendingTree was informed by a variety of factors, including the company’s customer reviews, product offerings and availability. We also looked at the company’s financial strength ratings, data collection policies and user experience.

These factors may not encompass everything that matters to you when searching for a loan, so do your own research before selecting a provider.

Summary of LendingTree’s personal loans review

LendingTree’s personal loans can help you fund major purchases or consolidate your debt at a better interest rate. The company’s loan-matching service provides a broad look at potential loan options, and will give you a good sense of which of those options is right for you without running a hard credit inquiry.

LendingTree isn’t a direct lender, though, so you’ll need to apply with a separate company once you’re matched with a loan, which will impact your credit score. You could also be denied or receive a different offer than what you were pre-qualified for on LendingTree. The bottom line? LendingTree can be a useful tool for researching what’s out there in the way of personal loans, but it can’t put money in your bank account directly.