USAA personal loans: 2025 review

USAA is best for flexible repayment terms and loan amounts

Qualifying USAA members can choose personal loan amounts ranging from $1,000 all the way to $100,000 to fund everything from moving expenses to renovations on a new home. Most lenders either have a minimum of $2,000 or cap your lending amount at $50,000. 

USAA’s loan term flexibility comes in handy if you’re trying to budget to pay off an expense quickly or over a longer period. Its 12 to 84 month terms are among the shortest — and longest — of the lenders Bankrate reviewed. 

USAA personal loan purposes

Funds from a USAA personal loan can be used for just about anything including debt consolidation, home renovations, emergency expenses or an upcoming bill you don’t have the cash to cover. USAA doesn’t allow funds to be used to pay for college or higher education expenses.

Where USAA stands out

• Multiple loan term choices: You can crunch the monthly payments on terms ranging from 12 to 84 months, giving you the flexibility to tailor a loan that won’t strain your budget. 
• Low minimum and high maximum loan amount: Most personal loan lenders either offer a very low minimum loan amount or a high maximum loan amount. USAA offers both, giving its members the ability to finance small and large projects with a personal loan. 
• Offers a personal loan refinance program: USAA lets you refinance your existing USAA personal loan with them. Most lenders will not refinance their own personal loans. This is a great option if your credit scores have improved and you qualify for a better personal loan rate. 

Where USAA falls short

• High starting APRs: You’ll pay double-digit rates regardless of how high your credit score is, making USAA less competitive with many other lenders that offer minimum APRs below 9 percent.
• Slower funding timelines: it usually takes up to two business days to receive funds from a USAA personal loan, which is twice as long as other personal loan lenders. 
• Membership may limit access: You must have served in the military or be related to someone in the military to qualify for a USAA personal loan. 
• Doesn’t offer prequalification: Your credit will take a hit if you apply for a USAA personal loan since it doesn’t offer a prequalification option. 

USAA customer resources

Customer support

Phone support is available Monday through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT, and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. 

Digital experience

USAA offers a highly rated app with over 1.8 million reviews and a score of 4.8 out of 5 stars on the App Store as of January 2025. Members can track all of their USAA products on the app, including personal loan payments and balances, insurance and investment balances.

How this lender compares

USAA vs. Upgrade

USAA gives you substantially more borrowing power than Upgrade, which only offers loans up to $50,000. You can also schedule to pay your USAA loan off in as little as one year, compared to the minimum 24 month term offered by Upgrade.

That said, Upgrade has a lower minimum APR than USAA, coming in at 7.99 percent compared to USAA’s 10.04 percent minimum. Upgrade also doesn’t have any membership requirements, making it a good choice if you or your family members aren’t eligible to join USAA. 

USAA vs. PenFed

You’ll find a much wider variety of longer repayment terms at USAA — PenFed caps its repayment terms at just 60 months. PenFed also offers a maximum loan amount that’s half of the maximum you can potentially borrow with USAA.

Although PenFed serves military families with its products, it doesn’t limit membership to military families and their relatives. Its minimum APR is also much lower than USAA’s 10.04 percent, clocking in at 8.99 percent for well-qualified borrowers.

How Bankrate rates USAA