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Short-term loans are ideal for emergency situations where you need money fast and plan to repay it in a matter of months. However, if you have already had short-term debts or are only planning to borrow cash, you might be shocked at how high the interest may be in comparison to personal loans, for example. 

But that’s not correct to compare this way as the numbers are represented by the annual percentage rate. And since a short-term loan is usually taken for a few months, you will never need to pay as much as it is indicating. Here is an overview of the average interest you can expect, along with an explanation of how these rates are set.

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Short-Term Loan Interest Rates

Loans with a short term are organized into categories mostly based on the length of the proposition and the interest rates. The latter is generally the average of daily rates, measured as a percentage. This choice affects:

  • How much you will need for a monthly installment.
  • How much you can take on and the loan price range you may consider.
  • How much fees you will pay over the entire life of the allowance.

All things considered, you can choose from payday loans, credit card cash advances, installment loans, lines of credit, auto titles, and other financing sources with short commitment. Rates vary among lenders, especially for ones with shorter maturities. You may use this tool to explore rates for different loan terms and decide whether you are getting a smart deal.

What is the Average Rate?

The rates for short-term allowances typically range from around 6% to 50% or higher, depending on where the allowance comes from. For example, the average interest on a payday loan is 390% and can be higher than 500%. This is one of the costliest ways to borrow money. By contrast, the average rates for some alternative sources are as follows below: 

  • Credit cards: 15-30%
  • Personal allowances: 10-35%
  • Installment loans: 8-30%
  • Debt consolidation options: 8-10%
  • Online lending: 10-35%

However, your interest may be outside this range, depending on the type of loan you take out, your ability to repay, as well as whether you choose to secure the loan.

What Affects Short-Term Loan Rates?

Actually, there are some things you may do to control the rates on your short-term loans. You and everyone else taking out different types of loans, having different banking information, and applying for different amounts will not have the same interest rate. Let’s look at the most crucial factors that can contribute to your APR.

What Type of Loans You Want to Borrow

While many short-term borrowing options offer comparable rates, some can provide a better deal than others. In that sense, payday loans, as we have mentioned earlier, could come with interest of 500% or higher, while credit card cash advances or BNPL services usually charge lower interest fees. Collecting different quotes can help you find the type offering the best deal for you.

What Type of Borrower You Are

While most lenders don’t usually review a customer’s creditworthiness to qualify for a small-dollar loan, they still require you to meet certain criteria to be eligible for approval. For example, providers tie loan rate offers to your income source and employment, so having a lower debt-to-income ratio will net you lower rates. On the other hand, if your DTI doesn’t meet the criteria, you can take out a secured pawn shop or auto title loan to increase your odds.

Where You Take Out a Loan

Similar to how financial institutions are regulated by the U.S. Fed Reserve bureaus, short-term loan rates are also affected by what is happening in the larger economy. Every state has its own approach to limiting interest rates. So, depending on the state of your residence, you can expect different government laws.

How to Fight High Interest Rates

As you can see from above, short-term loan rates vary so much because they are dependent on several factors that can change from provider to provider, type to type, and customer to customer. That said, there are two common ways to consider if you want to take out an allowance with the best terms possible.

Solution #1. Look for Alternatives

The first way to fight high rates is to borrow wisely in the first place. It will be helpful to consider alternative choices before you take out any short-term allowance. For instance, there are many credit cards with an introductory offer that have up to 0% APR for anywhere in a range between 12 and 24 months. Also, you may find low-interest credit cards that offer lower APR percentages and make carrying a monthly balance less expensive.

Solution #2. Concentrate on Repaying Fast 

Rather than looking for the lowest interest rate, you may concentrate on having the shortest repaying period instead. If you try to pay off the loan as fast as possible, you will not have much time to rack up finance charges, meaning you can keep your regular repayments to a minimum.

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