Bad Score

Here's the reality that reframes the whole question: unsecured personal lines of credit usually require strong credit, and borrowers with FICO scores below 670 tend to have fewer options — though exact minimums vary by lender.

Most people with a credit score under 580 walk into the borrowing process asking the wrong question. They ask, "Can I get a loan?" The more useful question is, "Which type of loan will I actually qualify for—and at what cost?"

Here's the counterintuitive part most people miss: a personal loan can raise your credit score or sink it, and the deciding factor isn't the loan itself. It's what you do with the money and whether every payment lands on time.

One borrower qualifies alone for a $15,000 personal loan at a subprime APR near 27%—roughly $610 a month over three years. Another borrower, applying with a well-qualified cosigner, may receive an offer closer to 12%, or about $500 a month.

You pulled up your credit score, saw a 590, and your stomach dropped a little.

A 100-point swing in your FICO score can change the interest rate on a $30,000 auto loan by roughly four percentage points—and quietly cost you over $3,000 in interest across a five-year term.

You need money. Maybe it's a car repair that can't wait, a medical bill that showed up out of nowhere, or rent that's due before your next paycheck lands. You go to apply for a personal loan — and your credit score is sitting somewhere around 560. Or 590. Or maybe you don't even know what it is, and that's part of the problem.