Can you get preapproved for a loan with USAA?

Unfortunately, USAA does not offer the option to prequalify for a loan. With this in mind, it might not be the best lender for those with poor credit who would benefit from a firm grasp on expected rates.

Does USAA do a hard credit pull for personal loans?

Yes, like most lenders USAA will perform a hard credit inquiry following loan application. This can negatively affect your score by a few points.

How long does the USAA application process take?

The application should only take a few minutes to complete and funding can become available as soon as the following day.

reviews

USAA Bank personal loans: 2024 review

Written by

Denny Ceizyk

Edited by

Rhys Subitch

Updated on June 13, 2023

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for .

At a glance

Find my best rates

Check rate with Bankrate

4.3

Bankrate Score

Availability

4.8

Affordability

4.7

Customer Experience

4.4

Transparency

3.5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

Full methodology

Bankrate's take: USAA personal loans give members that need funds fast a wide range of loan amounts and repayment terms to choose from. It may be a good choice for military families and their relatives who enjoy the benefits of other USAA products like insurance, mortgages or investment products.

Lender Details

Loan amount

$1,000-$100,000

APR from

10.34%-18.51%

Term lengths

12-84 months

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 is one of very few personal loan lenders that offers a personal loan refinance program. 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 experience

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 1.7 million reviews and a score of 4.8 out of 5 stars on the App Store as of June 14, 2024. Members can track all of their USAA products on the app, including personal loan payments and balances, insurance and investment balances.

What people are saying about USAA

Although reviews on Trustpilot cover a wide variety of products, the overall consensus is negative — with 87 percent of the reviews coming at one star. Customer service complaints dominate the reviews, with many consumers sharing experiences of being unable to resolve their issues despite repeated efforts. One customer said, in part:

"I’m not sure what’s going [on] with USAA but they are failing fast. It’s almost impossible to talk with a human these days."

- Trustpilot User

Positive reviews appear to be from long time USAA members, with many citing excellent customer service related to insurance claims and banking products.

Outlinked content may contain views and opinions that do not reflect the views and opinions of Bankrate. Please see the issuer’s website for updated terms and conditions.

How this lender compares

4.3

Bankrate Score

APR from

10.34%-18.51%

Loan Amount

$1,000-$100,000

Term Length

12-84 months

Min Credit Score

Not disclosed

Read our review

on Bankrate

4.7

Bankrate Score

APR from

8.49% to 35.99%*with autopay

Loan Amount

$1,000-$50,000

Term Length

24 to 84 months

Min Credit Score

600

Read our review

on Bankrate

4.7

Bankrate Score

APR from

7.99%-17.99%

Loan Amount

$600 to $50,000

Term Length

Up to 60 months

Min Credit Score

700

Read our review

on Bankrate

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 8.49 percent compared to USAA’s 10.34 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 10.34 percent, clocking in at 7.99 percent for well-qualified borrowers.

Do you qualify for a USAA personal loan?

The application process for a loan includes documenting your income, employment and having your credit pulled. USAA doesn't provide exact credit requirements, but you can expect to need:

Current membership with USAA.
Credit report check.
Higher loan amount and stronger credit profile for longer terms.

How to apply for a personal loan with USAA

Become a member: You will first need to establish membership with USAA if you haven't already. If you are a member, you will need to sign in to your account. There is no prequalification process.
Add information and finalize the application: Fill out your application completely and upload any information related to your approval. The faster you provide documents, the sooner you’ll get your loan funds.
Review the loan details: Check the figures to make sure they are correct, keep track of your first payment due date, and if possible, set up automatic payments to avoid any accidental late payments.

Fees and penalties

One of the perks of getting a loan through USAA as a member is that the bank charges few fees. There are no application or origination fees, and the lender doesn’t impose a penalty for paying your loan off early. USAA does, however, charge a late fee of 5 percent of the amount due.

USAA FAQs

Unfortunately, USAA does not offer the option to prequalify for a loan. With this in mind, it might not be the best lender for those with poor credit who would benefit from a firm grasp on expected rates.
Yes, like most lenders USAA will perform a hard credit inquiry following loan application. This can negatively affect your score by a few points.
The application should only take a few minutes to complete and funding can become available as soon as the following day.

How Bankrate rates USAA

	Score	Explanation
Overall	4.3
Availability	4.8	More repayment terms than most lenders offer, and a wider range of available loan amounts.
Affordability	4.7	Minimum rates are higher than those offered by other lenders.
Customer experience	4.1	No phone support on weekends.
Transparency	3.5	Rates are disclosed but the lender doesn’t offer prequalification and there is very little information about how to qualify.

Methodology

Bankrate's trusted personal loans industry expertise

Read our full methodology

years in business

lenders reviewed

loan features weighed

665

data points collected

Bankrate considers 20 factors when reviewing lenders. Credit requirements, APR ranges, fees, loan amounts and flexibility are all taken into account so that ratings are representative of how competitive lenders are for a wide range of credit profiles and budgets. The Bankrate Score for personal loans consists of four categories:

Availability: What the minimum loan amounts are, its eligibility requirements and loan turnaround are considered in this category.
Affordability: The interest rates, penalties and fees are measured in this section of the score. Lower rates and fees and fewer potential penalties result in a higher score.
Customer experience: This category covers customer service hours, if online applications are available, online account access and mobile apps.
Transparency: This category is measured by how accessible credit requirements, rates and fees are on the lender's page. We also considered whether prequalification was available, as all these factors are key for consumers to make an informed decision.

Editorial disclosure: All reviews are prepared by Bankrate.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the lender’s website for the most current information.

On This Page

Compare Rates

USAA Bank personal loans: 2024 review

The Bankrate promise

At a glance

Lender Details

Loan amount

APR from

Term lengths

USAA is best for flexible repayment terms and loan amounts

USAA personal loan purposes

Where USAA stands out

Where USAA falls short

USAA customer experience

Customer support

Digital experience

What people are saying about USAA

How this lender compares

USAA vs. Upgrade

USAA vs. PenFed

Do you qualify for a USAA personal loan?

How to apply for a personal loan with USAA

Fees and penalties

USAA FAQs

Can you get preapproved for a loan with USAA?

Does USAA do a hard credit pull for personal loans?

How long does the USAA application process take?

How Bankrate rates USAA

Methodology

Bankrate's trusted personal loans industry expertise

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