There are many reasons that a person may want to take out short term personal loans. For example, you might need an emergency car repair, medical treatment, or perhaps a vital piece of domestic equipment like a washing machine or refrigerator has broken down, and your budget won’t stretch to replacing it. But whatever your reasons in taking a personal loan, you must understand the advantages and disadvantages associated with it.
An informal form of short term loan is the bank overdraft. It may be that you have an overdraft facility in place, in which case that’s fine, you can go ahead and use it. Unauthorized overdrafts can land you in a heap of problems and costs, so don’t take this route – talk to your bank and they will almost certainly be able to accommodate your needs, especially if you have always handled your personal affairs sensibly. Overdrafts are somewhat expensive, but have the advantage of being simple to arrange and very flexible.
If an overdraft is not suitable for you, perhaps the amount is too large, or your bank is reluctant, then you can ask if your bank will offer you a short term loan. Short term would generally mean up to a year, and interest rates should be reasonable. If the loan is for a large amount of money, then you will need to provide some security, typically a property which you own or perhaps rental income which is reliable. Banks generally don’t like to lend money to you unless your overall commitment to borrowing is 40% or less of your monthly income.
Outside of banks, there are many companies offering short term loans, typically for example loans until payday. This is generally a very expensive form of borrowing, but can be convenient if the loan you need is very short term indeed. You can of course withdraw cash using your credit card, but this is truly a last resort and not generally recommended, as charges and interest rates are high and start from the moment you withdraw the money. As ever, consider carefully before you borrow, and only borrow what you can pay back.
Short term
Short term loans or