Soledad Maria S.
Verified NerdWallet CustomerWould you recommend this product? Yes
It was pretty fast and very professional people that I worked with.
Achieve 2026 Personal Loan Review
Achieve personal loans can be a good debt consolidation option for borrowers with fair credit or better who qualify for one of the lender’s rate discounts.
Written by
, Edited by
Written by
and
Last updated September 9, 2025
Last updated September 9, 2025
4.0
Est. APR
6.25 - 35.99%
Min. credit score
640
Time to fund
1 day
Loan amount
$5K - $50K
Loan term
2 to 5 years
Origination fee
1.99% to 9.99%
Overview
Achieve offers personal loans that work well for consolidating large amounts of credit card or other unsecured debt. The lender offers personal loans for borrowers with fair, good and excellent credit scores. Its average borrowers have good credit and strong household incomes.
» MORE: Compare top personal loans
What the nerds think
“Achieve helps borrowers save time and money when consolidating debt by offering direct pay to creditors and providing a significant rate discount for those who take that option. Achieve also provides other rate discounts you’re not likely to see elsewhere. You could get a lower APR on your loan for having an adequate retirement fund or for adding a co-borrower. If you’re looking to borrow under $5,000, however, you’ll need to look elsewhere.”
Nicole DowLead Writer & Content Strategist
Detailed breakdown
Affordability(25%)3.5/5
We review lenders' annual percentage rate offerings and the competitiveness of each lenders' APR range. We also assess whether a lender charges an origination fee and any opportunity for borrowers to receive a rate discount.Customer Experience(20%)4/5
We consider the experience of the consumer trying to manage a personal loan, which means accessibility of customer service representatives, whether borrowers can choose and change their payment due date, and the ability to track their loan on a mobile app.Underwriting and Eligibility(20%)4.5/5
We consider the rigorousness of each lender's underwriting practices and how widely available their loans are. This category includes whether a lender does a hard credit check before providing a loan, the range of credit profiles they accept and how many states their loans are offered in.Loan Flexibility(20%)4/5
We assess how flexible lenders can be with borrowers, including whether they offer multiple loan types, personal loan amounts and repayment term options and whether they offer direct payment to creditors on debt consolidation loans.Application Process(15%)4.5/5
We consider the lender's full application process, including a borrower's ability to preview their loan offer via pre-qualification, whether basic loan information such as APR range and repayment terms are available and easy to find online and how quickly a loan can be funded after approval.Overall Rating4/5
Read more about our ratings methodology for personal loans.
Where Achieve personal loans stand out
- Multiple rate discounts: Achieve offers three rate discounts. Borrowers who opt for a joint loan may qualify for a co-borrower discount that reduces their APR by 2 percentage points on average. Borrowers who have debt consolidation loan proceeds sent directly to their creditors can get a discount that’s typically about 3 percentage points. Borrowers who show proof of sufficient retirement savings in a 401(k), individual retirement account (IRA), Roth IRA or thrift savings plan (TSP) may get a retirement asset discount of about 1 percentage point.
- Direct payment to creditors: Borrowers can use Achieve personal loans for debt consolidation and have loan proceeds sent directly to their creditors, streamlining the process. Funds are typically sent one to three days after loan approval, though the lender says it could take five to 15 business days for the money to be credited to your accounts.
- Joint loan option: Loan applicants may improve their chances of loan approval or getting a lower interest rate by adding a co-borrower to the application who’s in better financial shape.
- Same- or next-day funding: Achieve says it typically makes approval decisions on completed loan applications in 30 minutes or less. Once a borrower is approved, the lender can send funds that same day, though it could take between one to three days for the money to be available in the borrower’s bank account.
- Customer support available seven days a week: While some lenders lack customer service hours on the weekends or on Sundays, Achieve has daily customer service support. Customers navigating the application process can work with a dedicated loan consultant. If borrowers find themselves unable to make a payment on time, they can reach out to customer service to change their payment due date or discuss hardship accommodations.
Where Achieve personal loans fall short
- Origination fee: Achieve charges an origination fee ranging from 1.99% to 9.99% of the loan amount. The fee is deducted from the loan before funds are disbursed, reducing the amount of money you’ll receive.
- High minimum loan amount: Achieve has a minimum loan amount of $5,000, which doesn’t make it a viable choice for smaller expenses.
- Reports payments to only two of the three major credit bureaus: Achieve reports loan payments to Experian and Equifax but not TransUnion. This means if a future creditor, landlord or employer only uses TransUnion to check your credit, they won’t see any positive payment history you might have by repaying your Achieve personal loan on time.
- No mobile app: Unlike many other online lenders, Achieve does not offer a mobile app for borrowers to manage their loans.
How to qualify
Achieve offers loans to borrowers with fair credit or better. It uses the FICO 10T credit scoring model, which helps Achieve expand loan access to more borrowers, according to the lender.
To apply for an Achieve personal loan, you must be a resident of one of the 40 states where Achieve’s loans are available. Achieve’s loans are not available to residents of CO, CT, HI, KS, ME, ND, VT, WV, WI and WY.
Achieve’s borrowing requirements
- Minimum credit score: 640.
- Maximum debt-to-income ratio: 70%, including mortgage payments.
- Minimum credit history: 3 years and 2 accounts.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Must provide a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
- Must have a valid email address and a valid U.S. bank account.
- Must provide proof of residency and proof of employment or income.
» MORE: How to get a personal loan
Ready to check rates? See what rate you can get by pre-qualifying.
✅ No impact to your credit score
Profile of an average Achieve borrower
Credit score
700
Annual income
$130,000
Loan amount
$23,000
Average APR
17.5%
Loan term
5 years
Loan purpose
Debt consolidation
Compare Achieve to the best lenders
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
EST. APR 6.25-35.99% | EST. APR 6.49-24.89% | EST. APR 7.74-35.49% | EST. APR 5.96-35.99% |
LOAN AMOUNT $5K-$50K | LOAN AMOUNT $5K-$100K | LOAN AMOUNT $5K-$100K | LOAN AMOUNT $1K-$60K |
MIN. CREDIT SCORE 640 | MIN. CREDIT SCORE 660 | MIN. CREDIT SCORE None | MIN. CREDIT SCORE 600 |
Achieve personal loans borrower reviews
4.0out of 5
(6 reviews)
50%
Would recommend
this product
Rating Breakdown
5
(3)4
(1)3
(1)2
(1)1
(0)Sort by:
Bernard T.
Verified NerdWallet CustomerWould you recommend this product? Yes
It was quick, but I actually have an issue.
Gabriel S.
Verified NerdWallet CustomerWould you recommend this product? No
I was fine with the loan and the product, but ever since I applied for that information I keep having multiple people reach out to try to give me info even though I try not to get their info anymore and get removed from the calls and get off the mailing list and everything yet it still happens.
Domingo R.
Verified NerdWallet CustomerWould you recommend this product? Yes
It went very smoothly and we were very, very happy. We can't wait to refinance.
Kevin S.
Verified NerdWallet CustomerWould you recommend this product? No
Loan was good. Everything was good. Everything was okay. Yeah, no complaints.
Elizabeth P.
Verified NerdWallet CustomerWould you recommend this product? No
It was okay. I had to do a lot of additional verification to get the Achieve Loan, which was a little annoying.
User reviews are displayed for informational purposes only and are not monitored for accuracy. These reviews do not reflect the opinions of NerdWallet or the financial institutions referenced and are not endorsed by them. Neither NerdWallet nor the financial institutions are responsible for the content of any review, nor are the financial institutions obligated to respond to or address any user posts.
Learn more about personal loans
