By: Ashley Fricker
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Let's take a look at the key facts and features of SmartAdvances.com:
| Loan Amount | Interest Rate | Loan Term | Loan Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 to $20,000 | Varies | Varies | See representative example |
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As you can see, there's a lot to like about SmartAdvances.com, especially if you have a bad credit history. But as with any offer or service, be sure to read all the details on the official SmartAdvances.com website before committing.
You’ll want to read this SmartAdvances.com review if you want fast, reliable funding despite having less than perfect credit. It is a lender-matching service with a network of personal loan providers, including tribal lenders.
Smart Advances is a free service, and checking whether you prequalify for a loan causes no harm to your credit score. You have nothing to lose by seeing the loan offers that will prequalify you. The loans are unsecured, meaning you don’t need to post collateral to get one.
Online personal loans are helpful alternatives when you face a sudden cash need, such as unexpected medical or car repair bills. In fact, a person can use these personal loan products for any purpose.
Smart Advances joins a group of lending networks we regularly review at BadCredit.org that shares a similar goal — to provide fast loans (often available within 24 hours) to subprime consumers. We found it to be a legitimate service that delivers what it promises: A fast prequalification process that can match you to multiple direct lenders that can provide you with a cash advance.
The SmartAdvances.com website doesn’t indicate whether it can arrange a payday or business loan. Of course, an owner of a business can get a personal loan and treat it as a business loan, using the proceeds to help operate and grow their company.
SmartAdvances.com is neither a lender nor a loan broker. Instead, it accepts personal loan requests from consumers looking to borrow from $100 to $20,000 and submits the information to a network of direct online lenders.
The service may transfer you to a lender’s website, and you may receive additional offers by email from vetted lenders. There is no fee for this service, and you are under no obligation to accept any loan offer.
The loan terms, including the loan amount, APR, fees, repayment period, and monthly payment amount, depend on the lender’s review of your credit history. These are personal loan products that you repay in monthly installments, although one of your options is to prepay the loan ahead of schedule.
Because the payment amount is fixed, this type of loan helps you budget your finances easier than you would with some other alternatives, such as payday loans, title loans, and similar high-cost options.
It takes only a few minutes to request a loan from SmartAdvances.com. You’ll need to answer a series of questions about your personal information, including your name, address, phone number, and email address, among other items. And you will need to provide your Social Security number, bank account number, driver’s license, work status, annual earnings, and whether you own or rent your home.
Smart Advances does not perform a hard credit check, protecting your credit score from damage.
After selecting a loan amount, you’ll be asked what you need the money for, and then you’ll be required to enter your email address.
If you successfully prequalify for a personal loan, SmartAdvances.com will connect you to a personal loan provider’s website, where you can complete the application process.
The lender will probably pull your credit. If you suffer from poor financial wellness, the lender may decide not to make you an offer. You may need to provide additional information and documentation, or the lender may simply present you with a loan agreement specifying all the terms and features.
Please read the agreement carefully, as interest rates and other terms vary considerably. E-sign the loan agreement only if you find the offer satisfactory. Your funds should arrive in your bank within 24 hours, more or less.
SmartAdvances.com lists its prequalification requirements:
You must also satisfy any additional requirements your direct lender may have, such as credit score, debt-to-income ratio, state of residence, and credit history. If you don’t have a job, you can still qualify for a loan if you receive regular disability, Social Security, retirement, or pension benefits of at least $1,000 per month.
There is no assurance that prequalification by Smart Advances will lead to a loan. That insurance can come only from the direct lender. Residents of certain states may not have access to Smart Advances’ services.
From all appearances, SmartAdvances.com is a safe, legitimate lender-matching service. It demonstrates a commitment to your safety and security in several ways:
Information about the website’s owning entity, Net Media1, LLC, is sparse, other than it has been a provider of management consulting services in the United States since 2011. The entity specializes in targeted online and mobile lead generation through various methods.
Dun & Bradstreet indicates limited information, some of whom may be software engineers, brand marketers, marketing, and with finance backgrounds. A privately held corporation, the company has limited public information. The company now employs over 24 people.
We have no information about its board members, or indeed, whether it even has any board members. We also have no address for any investor relations department and no financial information, such as tax revenue.
Some potential users of SmartAdvances.com may object to the company’s privacy policy, which it describes clearly. It collects your private identifiable information and rents, shares, or sells it to third parties.
When you submit information to the website, you agree to receive marketing emails, phone calls, and texts from the company and third parties. The company stores cookies on your computer unless you withhold permission.
“We use the information we collect to enhance your experience at our Website and to help us to offer content we determine may be of interest to you. We use your contact information to offer you promotional material from our partners. We may also use your personal, demographic, and profile data to improve our Website, conduct statistical analysis, and for marketing, promotional, editorial, or feedback purposes. Information collected by us may be added to our databases and used for future e-mails or postal mailings of products and services.”
You can opt out of Smart Advances emails and SMS messages by clicking on the appropriate links in the company’s privacy policy. Our advice is to make an informed decision by reading all the fine print in detail before signing a loan agreement.
The website’s privacy policy is conventional and widely adopted throughout the lead generation industry in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company restricts unauthorized access to your data and is “dedicated to ensuring the security and privacy of all user information.”
Our research for this SmartAdvances.com review leads us to believe the company does what it says, namely matching borrowers to lenders. It is a valuable resource for quickly lining up a personal loan with no cost or obligation.
If you are a person with bad credit but need money fast, you should find the options that SmartAdvances.com provides helpful. As always, our advice is for you to carefully read a loan agreement in detail so that you can make an informed decision.
Not sure if SmartAdvances.com is for you? Be sure to check out our review of similar offers below. These offers were selected and rated by our team of finance experts as the best available for those with bad credit. If you decide SmartAdvances.com isn't for you, one of the following could be a great alternative.
| Loan Amount | Interest Rate | Loan Term | Loan Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $5,000 | Varies | Varies | See representative example |
| Loan Amount | Interest Rate | Loan Term | Loan Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 to $35,000 | 9.95% - 35.99% | 12 to 60 Months | See representative example |
| Loan Amount | Interest Rate | Loan Term | Loan Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 to $50,000 | 6.40% - 35.99% | 3 or 5 Years | See representative example |
Information Warranty & Disclosure: Great efforts are made to maintain reliable data on all offers presented. However, users should check each provider’s official website for updated terms, details and conditions for each offer before applying or signing up. Our site maintains strict terms of service and may accept compensation for paid ads or sponsored placements in accordance with these terms. Users must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible for financial offers as per the terms presented on provider websites.
* FICO scores/credit scores are used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
