What fees are payable on a personal loan?
A personal loan typically comes with at least one type of fee. Common fees for personal loans include establishment (or upfront) fees, service fees, late payment fees, early loan repayment fees. Be sure to review the loan provider you're interested in to understand the fees you may be required to pay.
If you’re in the market for a personal loan, you probably already know you’ll have to pay interest to your lender. But what about those hidden costs that can catch you off-guard? Shopping around for a personal loan with fewer fees can save you thousands in the long run.
Here are some of the extra charges that could apply to your personal loan:
- Establishment/upfront fee: You could be charged a fee when you apply for a personal loan to cover the cost of assessing your application and preparing loan documents.
- Service fee: Monthly account keeping fees add up over time. It’s worth calculating the total cost for the life of the loan so you’re not caught by surprise.
- Late payment fee: Your lender may charge a fee if you default on your loan or miss a payment.
- Early repayment fee: Do you hope to pay your loan off sooner? Seek out a lender who doesn’t charge an early repayment fee so you’re not penalised for your stellar efforts.
- Other fees: Check out the terms and conditions of your loan for a full list of fees and charges.
At Plenti, we believe in tailoring unsecured personal loans to suit your unique financial situation and lifestyle. This means rewarding your strong credit history with attractive rates that are personalised to you and offering the flexibility to pay it back faster. In fact, we’ll never charge you fees or penalties for paying your loan back early.
It’s your life. You’re in control.
Hot tip!
Comparison rates do the hard maths for you by rolling together the interest rate, upfront fee and service fee into one percentage figure. This means the comparison rate will be higher than the interest rate charged on the loan. In Australia, lenders are required to show a comparison rate when they advertise an interest rate.
For personal loans, there is a standardised measure for how comparison rates are calculated:
- For personal loans 3 years and under comparison rates are calculated on a $10,000 loan amount over 36 months.
- For personal loans 4 years and over comparison rates are calculated on a $30,000 loan amount over 60 months.