Continental Loans review: Small, costly loans with little transparency

Man standing on train, holding coffee and cell phone and looking up Continental LoansImage: Man standing on train, holding coffee and cell phone and looking up Continental Loans
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Should I get a Continental loan?

It’s best to stay away from a lender like Continental Loans that isn’t upfront about its range of interest rates and makes you submit to a hard credit inquiry to get that info. If you have a credit card to tap into, that may be your best bet for borrowing money with better (and more-transparent) interest rates and costs. Another option may be a payday alternative loan, which some federal credit unions offer to members. These loans cap interest rates at 28% and application fees at $20.

All that said, a Continental loan may be a better option than a title loan, which also commonly charges high interest but puts you at risk of losing your car on top of it. A Continental loan may also may be more appealing if you don’t have a bank account and need just a little money to tide you over — if you can pay it back almost immediately to avoid costly interest payments.

*Approval Odds are not a guarantee of approval. Credit Karma determines Approval Odds by comparing your credit profile to other Credit Karma members who were approved for the personal loan, or whether you meet certain criteria determined by the lender. Of course, there’s no such thing as a sure thing, but knowing your Approval Odds may help you narrow down your choices. For example, you may not be approved because you don’t meet the lender’s “ability to pay standard” after they verify your income and employment; or, you already have the maximum number of accounts with that specific lender.


About the author: Anna Baluch is a freelance personal finance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. You can find her work on sites like The Balance, Freedom Debt Relief, LendingTree and RateGenius. Anna has an MBA in marketing from Roosevelt Un… Read more.