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Maybe, though it depends on your lender, the type of loan you have and your negotiating chops. You might have the most success if you have an unsecured personal loan, which come with rates and terms that rely more heavily on your credit score. Your lender might be less willing to budge if you have a loan that involves collateral — like a car loan — since the collateral would have already helped you get a lower rate.
Think you have a chance of getting a better deal? Follow these steps to get started:
Before you set out to renegotiate your loan, check to see if your lender charges a penalty for paying off your loan early. If it does, you might not want to renegotiate a shorter term, since you’ll likely have to pay a fee. Focus instead on negotiating down the interest rate.
Many online services, budgeting apps and even some credit card companies offer free estimates of your credit score. Check with a couple places to get a more accurate number.
Also, request a copy of your credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus — you’re entitled to a free copy per year from each. Look over it carefully to ensure it’s error-free. If you spot a mistake, reach out to the creditor to get it fixed before you move forward.
Shop around and see what kind of a deal you can get from other lenders with your new-and-improved credit score. You can often do this by filling out a quick prequalification form on the lender’s website. Just make sure it doesn’t involve a hard credit check — this temporarily hurts your credit score and won’t help your case.
If you really can get a better deal with one or more lenders, you have a strong case for negotiating down your rates and terms.
Now that you have an idea of what you can qualify for, bring your best offer to your lender. If you borrowed from a bank or credit union, consider setting up a meeting in person. That way you can bring documents with you to support your case, and they might be more sympathetic.
Otherwise, call the lender’s customer service line and ask to speak to someone who has the power to change the terms of your loan.
If you have a better offer, they’ll know they’re at risk of losing your business to a competitor. They might be willing to beat their competitor’s offer — or at least match it. But if you had bad credit before — or other factors in the mix haven’t improved — you might be out of luck.
Don’t have the time to negotiate? Lender digging in its heels? You might want to consider these two options instead:
You might be able to negotiate down your rates and terms if your credit score has improved significantly since you first borrowed. But there are other ways to get a better deal that might take less effort, like refinancing. You can learn more about your options by checking out our guide to personal loans.
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