WithU Loans: Fast, Expensive, Bad Reviews

Is WithU Loans legit?

WithU Loans is a real tribal lender owned by the Otoe-Missouri Tribe of Indians, and it’s based in Oklahoma. It offers loans to borrowers with poor credit, but at rates of 500% or more, it’s preying on people who are desperate for quick funding.

WithU also has an alert on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) site due to a pattern of complaints. Because of the large volume of complaints, the BBB underwent an investigation in July of 2022 and contacted WithU requesting answers to a list of questions. To date, WithU Loans has not responded to this request.

For these reasons and more, we can’t recommend this lender unless you have absolutely no other options. And, if you must take out a WithU loan, it’s in your best interest to pay it off as quickly as possible so you don’t end up repaying five times what you borrowed.

Where WithU Loans falls short

There’s nothing to like about WithU Loans interest rates or the fact that it doesn’t transparently disclose them on its site. However, it does give an illustration of a sample loan of $1,000, with 26 bi-weekly payments of about $221. This payback amount comes to a total of $5,760, at a rate of roughly 597.36%. Customer reviews also confirm that rates are around 500%. There are likely better loan options that cater to borrowers with bad credit and even some that don’t require credit checks.

And, a word of warning to borrowers: In its FAQ section, it reveals that if your normal payment date falls on a holiday or weekend, WithU withdraws your payment one business day early. This practice is in sharp contrast to other lenders, which will typically pull your payment on the following business day to avoid the chance of insufficient funds. You can probably avoid this issue by paying early if that situation arises, but you’ll need to keep vigilant.

Alternatives to WithU Loans

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Finder Score	Loan amount	Turnaround time	Requirements
Promoted 9.5 Excellent EarnIn	9.5 Excellent	Up to $150/day, with a max of $1000 between paydays	1–2 business days standard; minutes with Lightning Speed	At least 18 and a US resident, Valid Social Security number, At least 60 days of banking history, Proof of consistent income, Positive bank balance, Get paid by direct deposit.	Access up to $150 per day, with a max of $1000 between paydays. Not available to CT or Washington, D.C. residents. Subject to EarnIn terms & conditions.	Important information EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Promoted 8.2 Great Cleo	8.2 Great	$20 to $250	3 to 4 days or instant for a fee.	Not stated	Automatically monitor your spending plus access cash advances up to $100 at a time.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Promoted 9.4 Excellent Varo Cash Advance	9.4 Excellent	Up to $250 today. Build up to $700 over time with direct deposit at Varo. Average loan: $195. Qualifications Apply.	Instant, once qualified	You must have an active Varo Bank Account with a positive balance, no delinquent Varo Line of Credit or charged off Believe account in prior 6 months. Varo Advance qualification is subject to evaluation of consumer reports and Varo account activity.	Important information Varo Advance qualification is subject to evaluation of consumer reports and Varo account activity. If approved, initial limits range from $20- $250. Unlock higher limits up to $700 over time when you bring your qualifying direct deposit to Varo and build a positive history with us. Negative repayment history may impact credit. Fees range from $1.60 - $100 based on loan amount, and deposits to your Varo Bank Account. Your current limit and applicable fees can be viewed in the Varo App. Qualifying direct deposits are electronic deposits of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security or unemployment) from your employer or government agency to the extent that can be identified. Tax refunds and government stimulus payments, Person-to-Person payments (such as Venmo or Varo to Anyone), and funds deposited using a Varo routing number are not considered a direct deposit.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.4 Excellent OppLoans Installment Loans	9.4 Excellent	$500 to $5,000	As soon as the same business day	+18 years old, Receive paychecks through direct deposit, $1,500 minimum monthly income, Live in eligible state	Not available in: CO, CT, GA, IA, MD, MA, NY, SD, VT, WV. Comes with the option to change your due date so you won’t fall behind on repayments.	Important information The advertised APR is an estimate based on currently available information, is not final, and is subject to change. If approved, your actual rate will be determined and assigned based on your creditworthiness, income, application information, and other relevant factors. Applications submitted on the OppLoans platform will be originated by one of our bank partners and serviced by OppLoans. Please see the Rates and Terms for details regarding the availability of products in your state of residence. Subject to credit approval and verification. Actual approved loan amount and terms are dependent on our bank partners’ standard underwriting guidelines and credit policies. Funds may be deposited for delivery to your bank via ACH as soon as the same business day if verification is completed and final approval occurs before 12:00 PM CT on a business day. If approval occurs after 12:00 PM CT on a business day or on a non-business day, funds may be delivered as soon as the next business day. Availability of the funds is dependent on how quickly your bank processes the transaction. Installment loan amounts typically range from $500 to $5,000. Annual percentage rate (APR) ranges from 129% to 195%. Installment loan lengths range from 9 to 18 months. Example: A $2,000 installment loan repayable in 9 monthly payments with an APR of 160% would have monthly payments of $394.58. Loan amount, APR, and repayment terms may vary by state, please see https://www.opploans.com/rates-and-terms for additional information. Approval is not guaranteed. If approved, your actual rate will fall within the marketed range of rates, and will be determined and assigned based on your creditworthiness, income, application information, and other relevant factors. Not all applicants will qualify for the lowest available rates. This is an expensive form of credit and you should determine whether the offered product(s) meets your financial needs. OppLoans’ Bank Partners may use credit report information provided by Clarity Services and Experian as part of the application process to determine your creditworthiness. The credit inquiry will appear as a soft credit inquiry on your Experian credit report and a hard credit inquiry on your Clarity report. Therefore it will not affect your FICO credit score. OppLoans and its Bank Partners report customer payment history to the three major credit bureaus. On-time payments may improve credit score.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
8.8 Great Albert Instant	8.8 Great	$25 to $1,000	Within minutes	An active bank account with transaction history linked to Albert	Advance up to $1,000 in minutes with Albert Instant.	Important information Albert is not a bank. Savings account provided by Wells Fargo, N.A., Member FDIC. Albert plans start at $19.99/mo. Try for 30 days before you're charged. Fees auto-renew until canceled. Cancel in the app. Terms apply. Albert Instant Line of Credit is an unsecured line of credit issued by FinWise Bank, a Utah chartered bank, Member FDIC. Limits range from $25-$1,000. Draw fees apply. Terms and eligibility criteria including geographic restrictions apply. In some states, Albert may offer you an Albert Instant Advance instead. Limits range from $25-$1,000, subject to terms and eligibility criteria. No Albert subscription is required for Albert Instant Line of Credit or Albert Instant Advance. See Albert Terms of Use for additional important terms.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading

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What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches 3+ types of short-term loans across 65+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like loans. So if you're comparing the best short-term loans for all credit types, you can see how each short-term loan stacks up against other short-term loans with the same borrower type, rate type and repayment type.

Read the full breakdown

What makes WithU Loans shine?

There’s not a lot to love about WithU loans, except that it offers fast funding for borrowers in an emergency. Plus, it doesn’t charge prepayment penalties, so if you repay the loan quickly, you can come out the other side relatively unscathed. Still, there are emergency loans with much lower rates.

Also in its favor, it recommends that borrowers get credit counseling before applying for a loan, because it admits this is an expensive form of funding and shouldn’t be considered a long-term financial solution.

However, we still can’t recommend a company that is largely targeting borrowers who probably don’t have the means to repay the loan fast. If possible, seek out almost any other option before resorting to this lender.

WithU Loans product details

WithU Loans contact info

Calculate your monthly loan payment

Use our loan repayment calculator to compare monthly payments based on varying interest rates and loan terms.

How to qualify for WithU Loans

The requirements to qualify for WithU loans are as follows:

• Be at least 18
• Have a verifiable bank account in good standing
• Get paid by direct deposit
• No current, pending or previous bankruptcies
• Live in a state WithU services
• No active military members or dependents of active members

You can’t apply for a loan if you currently have one in repayment or if you’ve previously had a loan that has a default or charged-off status.

How to apply

WithU loans doesn’t go into much detail about applying, but the process seems to go like this:

1. Fill out the online application.
2. Wait for verification of your banking and personal information.
3. Read over your loan offer, and if you agree, formally apply with a hard credit check.
4. Review and sign your agreement if you’re approved for a loan and wait for your funds to be deposited.

WithU Loans reviews and complaints

WithU Loans has very poor reviews on the BBB site, with only 1.06 out of 5 stars and an F rating. Customers complain of exorbitant interest rates, problems with customer service and billing issues, among others. Many borrowers say they feel they were rushed through the loan process and misled about the terms.

Surprisingly, WithU appears much better on Trustpilot, with 4.2 out of 5 stars. Positive reviews express gratitude for being approved for a loan when they couldn’t get one anywhere else. They also praise the friendly customer service, fast and easy loan process and quick funding. Negative reviews say the lender charges predatory rates and takes advantage of people in a vulnerable financial situation. At least one reviewer suggests that some of the positive reviews are clearly fake.