We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias.
But we may receive compensation when you click links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.
Take advantage of a transparent application process and no hidden fees.
finder.com’s rating: 4.0 / 5.0
★★★★★
Prosper is the pioneer of peer-to-peer online lending in the US. It has helped facilitate over $10 billion in personal loans to date. For borrowers, getting a personal loan through Prosper works similarly to other online loan providers. Individual investors review loan listings on Prosper and fund applicants who meet their criteria, and it won’t hurt your credit to apply.
Aliyyah Camp is a publisher helping folks compare personal, student, car and business loans. Prior to joining Finder, she ran her own personal finance blog and wrote for numerous finance sites. Aliyyah earned a BA in communication from the University of Pennsylvania. She likes to go to the movies and go for runs outdoors.
How does Prosper work?
Prosper isn’t quite like a direct lender or a loan-connection service. It doesn’t fund your loan, and it won’t send you along to another lender’s website. Instead, you submit an application for individual investors in Prosper’s marketplace to review. If you meet one of these lender’s eligibility criteria, you may be approved and have your loan funded in a matter of days.
You can borrow between $2,000 to $40,000, and you can choose a loan term of either 3 or 5 years. Your origination fee — the amount deducted from your loan before you receive your funds — is based on Prosper’s evaluation of your financial background. This is included in your APR, which is the total interest and fees you’ll pay for your loan.
All Prosper loans are underwritten by WebBank, a Utah-chartered Industrial Bank.
Prosper Healthcare Lending
Prosper offers financing to help cover medical expenses. To be eligible for a medical loan, you must have a healthcare provider that is enrolled with Prosper and offers financing options. If your provider doesn’t, contact Prosper to find an eligible medical practice in your area.
Prosper offers two programs for different financing needs and creditworthiness:
Standard
Exceptional
Loan amount
$2,000 to $35,000
$20,000 to $100,000
APR
6.95% to 35.99%
5.99% to 15.59%
Recommended credit score
640
740
Speed
A few days
A few days
The application is fairly straightforward for both. First, check your rates by filling out a preliminary form that allows Prosper to do a soft credit pull that won’t affect your score. If you decide to finalize your application, your standard application will be reviewed by underwriting software. The exceptional application will be reviewed by a live loan officer.
What are the benefits of a personal loan through Prosper?
Soft credit check. When you apply for a personal loan through Prosper, it will only do a soft pull of your credit. This means your score won’t be affected until after you accept the loan.
No prepayment penalties. You can choose to make additional payments or pay off your loan early without paying any fees.
Online account management. You can track the progress of your loan by logging into the Prosper online account management system.
Drawbacks to consider
Origination fee. Prosper’s APR includes an origination fee of between 2.41% and 5% of your loan amount, which it deducts from your loan amount before you receive your funds.
APR based on credit score. Your APR will depend on your credit score. Those with excellent scores will benefit from an APR of 6.95%, while those with less-than-perfect credit may have to pay up to 35.99%.
Slower turnaround. Because Prosper is a peer-to-peer lender, it may take up to five business days to process and fund your loan. Direct online lenders typically only take one to two business days.
Compare more personal loan options
Updated November 17th, 2019
{"niche":"USFPL"}
What do borrowers say about Prosper?
Prosper has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2012. As of October 2019, it has an A+ rating. However, over 50 customers have given it an average two out of five stars — and over 100 customers have filed complaints.
It does similarly on Trustpilot, only scoring a 1.7 out of 5 based on just over 50 reviews. Many customers were upset about the poor quality of customer service or were frustrated about the application or repayment process. Some were also annoyed that they were rejected after receiving a preapproval letter in the mail.
But not all had bad experiences. Many were happy with how quick and painless the application process was. And a couple mentioned that Prosper was key to becoming debt free.
Is Prosper legit?
Yes. Prosper’s loans are legit and are underwritten by WebBank, member FDIC. It stores all its borrowers’ sensitive personal and financial information in highly secure state-of-the-art data centers that make use of the latest in web filtering, anti-spam, antivirus, VPN and firewall technologies. The website makes use of automatic session timeouts to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to your account, and you can use TRUSTe’s Dispute Resolution System to submit feedback or questions regarding Prosper’s privacy policy.
What eligibility criteria will I need to meet?
To apply, you have to meet the following eligibility criteria:
Credit score of at least 640 (Prosper uses TransUnion to obtain credit scores)
Active bank account
Regular source of income
Debt‐to‐income ratio below 50%
No bankruptcies filed within the last 12 months
Fewer than 7 credit bureau inquiries within the last 6 months
Minimum of 3 open accounts reported on your credit report
Residents of Iowa, North Dakota or West Virginia are not eligible to apply.
How to apply
You can apply for a personal loan through Prosper by clicking the Go to Site button on this page to be directed to Prosper’s website. The application is completely transparent, and you can check your rate with a simple one-page form.
Completing the application requires you to provide the following information:
Your name, home address and email address
Your date of birth and Social Security number
A valid form of ID like a driver’s license or a passport
Your employment status, employer’s name and employer’s contact details
Once you have a loan with Prosper, note your due date and repayment terms. While you won’t have to pay a fee if you decide to make extra payments, Prosper doesn’t offer flexible payment options: You can’t adjust your payment schedule if something comes up. And if you’re late on a payment, Prosper charges a late fee of $15 or 5% of the amount due. There is also an insufficient funds fee of $15 if there isn’t enough money in your bank account to make your schedule repayment.
What can a personal loan through Prosper be used for?
Prosper personal loans are unsecured, so provided you’re using it for a legal purpose, you can apply your funds to just about any expense, including:
Debt consolidation. Take out a loan to pay off your personal loan and credit card debt, potentially with more favorable rates and terms to help you save on interest or make repayments more affordable.
Home improvement. You can use funds from a prosper personal loan for a variety of home improvement projects including repairs, remodeling, adding new furniture or buying new appliances.
Special occasion. Instead of financing those big life moments with a credit card, you may be able to score lower rates with a personal loan from Prosper, making it easier to afford special occasions such as milestone birthdays, weddings and vacations.
Investing in loans through Prosper
If you’re interested in investing, funding loans through peer-to-peer lending may be a viable option. With Prosper you can invest as little as $25 in a loan, allowing you to diversify your investments further.
When you invest with Prosper, you get to choose the loans you want to invest in. There is a clear rating system provided, which ranges from AA (low risk) to HR (higher risk). The lower risk loans will have lower returns, and vice versa.
With estimated returns of 8.04% on average, Prosper has a platform with successful investors and an easy-to-use system that puts you in control. If you’re ready to invest with Prosper, simply click “Go to Site”, head over to the “Invest” tab, and sign up. Any monthly returns you earn will be deposited directly into your account.
Bottom line
Although you’ll need to meet more stringent eligibility criteria in order to qualify, you can look forward to lower rates and decently high loan amounts from Prosper’s investors. If you don’t meet the base criteria or want to compare more lenders, you can check out other personal loan options or compare lenders like Prosper before applying.
Frequently asked questions
Prosper makes its money in part through the origination fees associated with each loan.
Prosper accepts pension funds, hedge funds, nonprofit corporations, for-profit corporations, trusts — in addition to other institutions — as lenders.
Yes, Prosper partners with FOLIOfn Investments, Inc. to allow investors to buy and sell Notes.
Prosper provides monthly and yearly electronic statements so investors always have access to their complete payment history.
Peer-to-peer lending connects borrowers to private investors (or “peers”) through an Internet-based marketplace. These investors put their money into one or more loans, thus funding what needs to be borrowed. A third-party company, such as Prosper, facilitates the lending.
Important information For example, a three-year $10,000 loan with a Prosper Rating of AA would have an interest rate of 5.31% and a 2.41% origination fee for an annual percentage rate (APR) of 6.95% APR. You would receive $9,759 and make 36 scheduled monthly payments of $301.10. A five-year $10,000 loan with a Prosper Rating of A would have an interest rate of 8.39% and a 5.00% origination fee with a 10.59% APR. You would receive $9,500 and make 60 scheduled monthly payments of $204.64. Origination fees vary between 2.41%-5%. APRs through Prosper range from 6.95% (AA) to 35.99% (HR) for first-time borrowers, with the lowest rates for the most creditworthy borrowers. Eligibility for loans up to $40,000 depends on the information provided by the applicant in the application form. Eligibility is not guaranteed, and requires that a sufficient number of investors commit funds to your account and that you meet credit and other conditions. Refer to Borrower Registration Agreement for details and all terms and conditions. All loans made by WebBank, member FDIC.
Personal loan ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We analyze top personal loan providers and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: rates and fees, customer reviews, loan amounts, loan processing and borrower experience.
Thanks for getting in touch! It’s great to hear that you’ve been approved. Given this, they will deposit the money into an approved bank account and you are able to gain access to the money. As per our page, none of the requirements of Prosper’s requirements needs a Walmart Voucher. I would suggest calling Prosper to confirm this. Hope this clarifies!
Generally, applying for a loan requires you to create an account with them and that includes your username and password.
Also, in completing the application requires you to provide the following information:
Your name, home address and email address
Your date of birth and tax file number
A valid form of ID like a driver’s license or a passport
Your employment status, employer’s name and employer’s contact details
Details about your income
It is also imperative that you check your credit score as an application to any lenders will appear in your credit file.
There is no information whether they accept cosigners to get better chances and be approved for a loan. You can ask them directly by going HERE. If you looking for lenders who accepts cosigners for personal loans, please go HERE.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
