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A vacation loan is a personal loan used to finance travel expenses including flights, hotels, tours, and other trip costs. Using a personal loan instead of a credit card can save you money on interest and give you a fixed payoff timeline.
Compare vacation loan options from top lenders below.
Let’s get something out of the way: OneMain Financial is not cheap. An 18% floor APR means even their best borrowers pay more than what a decent-credit borrower would get at SoFi or LightStream. If you’ve got a 700+ credit score and a stable income, close this tab and go apply at LightStream. Seriously. OneMain isn’t for you.
But if your credit is wrecked — 550, 500, or a file so thin it barely registers — OneMain might be one of the few legitimate doors still open. Founded in 1912 (yes, over a century ago), the company operates 1,300+ physical branches in 44 states and has built its entire business around lending to people the online fintechs won’t touch. No minimum credit score requirement. No minimum income threshold (though they verify you can handle the payment). Secured loan options that let you pledge your vehicle to access better terms. And same-day funding that gets cash in your hand when the alternative is a payday lender charging 400% APR.
That context matters. OneMain’s 18-36% APR range sounds terrible in a vacuum. Compared to a $15 payday loan fee on a $100 advance (equivalent to 390% APR) or a credit card cash advance at 28% plus a 5% transaction fee, OneMain is the cheaper option — and it comes with a structured repayment plan instead of a debt trap. The question isn’t whether OneMain is a good deal in absolute terms. It’s whether OneMain is the best option available to you given your specific credit situation. For a lot of people, the honest answer is yes.
OneMain’s 1,300+ branches mean you can sit across from a real person — something no online-only lender offers.
APR: 18.00%-35.99%. That 18% floor is the highest starting rate among major personal loan lenders. SoFi starts at 8.74%. LendingClub at 6.53%. LightStream at 6.49%. OneMain doesn’t compete on rate — it competes on access. The company acknowledges that a “substantial number” of borrowers receive rates between 18% and 35.99%. If you’re offered 30%+ and your only alternative is a credit card at 25%, it might still make sense. If you’re offered 30% and could qualify for a 15% loan at Upgrade or LendingClub, it doesn’t.
Origination fee: 1%-10% or $25-$500 flat. The structure depends on your state. Some states use a percentage-based fee (1-10% of loan amount), others use a flat fee ($25-$500). Either way, it’s deducted from your proceeds. On a $10,000 loan with a 5% origination fee, you receive $9,500 but owe $10,000 plus interest. Combined with the high APR, this makes OneMain one of the most expensive mainstream personal loan options on the market. The company offers no rate discounts — no autopay discount, no direct-pay discount, nothing to offset the cost.
Loan amounts: $1,500-$20,000. That $20,000 ceiling is a real constraint. Most competitors offer $40,000-$100,000. If you need $25,000 for debt consolidation, OneMain can’t help with a single loan. State-specific minimums apply too: Alabama ($2,100), California ($3,000), Georgia ($3,100), North Dakota ($2,000), Ohio ($2,000), Virginia ($2,600). North Carolina caps unsecured loans at just $7,500.
Terms: 24-60 months. Standard for the subprime space. The 60-month maximum keeps total interest from spiraling too far out of control — a $10,000 loan at 25% over 60 months costs $17,617 total ($7,617 in interest). That’s painful. At 36 months, the same loan costs $14,295 ($4,295 in interest). Shorter terms save you thousands. Pick the shortest term your budget can handle.
No prepayment penalty. Pay off your loan early and you’re done — no fees for early payoff. This is the one genuinely borrower-friendly term in OneMain’s fee structure. If your financial situation improves and you can pay the loan off in 18 months instead of 48, you save the remaining 30 months of interest.
This is OneMain’s most important feature — and the one that requires the most careful thinking. A secured loan pledges your vehicle as collateral. The benefit: you’re more likely to get approved, you may qualify for a larger loan amount, and your interest rate drops. The risk: if you default on the loan, OneMain can repossess your car. That’s not a theoretical risk. It happens.
Vehicle requirements for secured loans. Your car must be no more than 10 years old, titled in your name, insured, and meet OneMain’s undisclosed value requirements. You need to own the vehicle free and clear — no existing auto loan on it. OneMain places a lien on the title, which means you can’t sell the car without paying off the loan first. Active-duty military, spouses, and dependents covered by the Military Lending Act cannot pledge a vehicle as collateral.
When a secured loan makes sense. If you’re borrowing $5,000-$10,000, your unsecured rate would be 30%+, and pledging your car drops the rate to 22-25%, the interest savings over 4 years can exceed $2,000. That’s real money. But you have to be brutally honest with yourself about the risk. Can you make every single payment for 4 years? What happens if you lose your job for 3 months? If there’s a realistic scenario where you miss payments and lose your car, the secured loan isn’t worth the rate savings. Period. Your car is worth more than $2,000 in interest savings.
When to stay unsecured. If your income is unstable, if you’re in an industry prone to layoffs, or if the payment stretches your budget to the limit, keep the loan unsecured. The rate is higher, but you keep your transportation. A $12,000 unsecured loan at 28% over 48 months costs roughly $18,700 total. Expensive? Absolutely. But you still have a car at the end of it, even in a worst-case scenario.
| Lender | APR Range | Max Amount | Min. Score | Orig. Fee | Branches |
| OneMain Financial | 18%-35.99% | $20K | None | 1%-10% | 1,300+ |
| Upgrade | 7.74%-35.99% | $50K | 580 | 1.85%-9.99% | None |
| LendingClub | 6.53%-35.99% | $60K | 600 | 0%-8% | None |
| Avant | 9.95%-35.99% | $35K | 580 | Up to 4.75% | None |
| Upstart | 7.80%-35.99% | $50K | None | 0%-12% | None |
Rates as of March 2026. OneMain rates start higher but accepts the lowest-credit borrowers. Score requirements reflect published minimums.
OneMain vs. Upgrade: Upgrade starts at 7.74% APR — dramatically lower than OneMain’s 18%. For anyone with a 580+ credit score, Upgrade is almost certainly cheaper. Upgrade also lends up to $50,000 with terms up to 84 months. The only edge OneMain has: physical branches and no minimum credit score. If you’re below 580, Upgrade won’t help you. OneMain will.
OneMain vs. Upstart: Upstart also has no minimum credit score and uses alternative data (education, employment history) to evaluate thin-file borrowers. Rates start at 7.80% — much lower than OneMain. Upstart lends up to $50,000. For a recent college grad with limited credit history but a solid degree and job, Upstart is the far better option. OneMain’s advantage: the secured loan option and physical branches.
Pledging your car as collateral can lower your OneMain rate — but make sure you can afford every single payment before you sign.
Legitimate strengths. No minimum credit score — period. That’s not a marketing claim that falls apart in practice; OneMain genuinely approves borrowers that other lenders decline. The 1,300+ branch network lets you sit across from a human being, which matters when you’re stressed about money and want someone to look you in the eye and explain the terms. Same-day funding is possible if you apply before noon. The secured loan option gives you a lever to pull if your unsecured rate is painfully high. Direct-pay to up to 10 creditors simplifies debt consolidation. And the 4.8/5 Trustpilot score across 75,000+ reviews says something about the actual borrower experience — people walk out of OneMain branches feeling treated with respect, even when the rate is high.
Real downsides. The 18% floor APR makes this one of the most expensive mainstream personal loan products. Origination fees up to 10% pile on additional cost. The $20,000 ceiling is low. No rate discounts of any kind — not even for autopay. Pre-qualification shows your potential loan amount but not your APR, so you can’t truly comparison-shop without a hard pull. Not available in 8 states. And in 2023, the CFPB fined OneMain $20 million for pushing unnecessary add-on products and failing to honor refund policies — the company says it addressed the issues, but it’s a red flag worth acknowledging.
The borrower who needs OneMain typically has a credit score below 600, has been declined by at least one online lender, needs $2,000-$15,000 for an emergency or debt consolidation, and doesn’t qualify for a credit union loan. Maybe there’s a medical bill that’s about to go to collections. Maybe the car repair is $3,000 and without it you can’t get to work. Maybe the credit card is at 28% and you need a fixed-payment plan to actually make progress on the balance. Those are the scenarios where OneMain’s 22-28% rate (secured) is the least-bad option available.
You don’t need OneMain if: your credit score is above 620 (try Upgrade, Avant, or LendingClub for better rates), you can qualify at a credit union (rates are typically 9-18% for fair credit), you have time to improve your credit before borrowing (even 3-6 months of on-time payments can move your score enough to unlock better lenders), or you need more than $20,000.
Step 1: Pre-qualify online (soft pull). Visit OneMain’s website and provide basic personal and financial information. OneMain runs a soft credit check and tells you if you’re pre-qualified — including an estimated loan amount and whether you’d need collateral. Importantly, pre-qualification does NOT show you your APR. You’ll need to complete the full application to see your rate.
Step 2: Complete a full application. If pre-qualified, you’ll submit a formal application with detailed income, employment, and expense information. OneMain runs a hard credit inquiry at this point. If you’re applying for a secured loan, you’ll need to provide vehicle details (make, model, year, mileage, insurance info).
Step 3: Visit a branch (may be required). Depending on your state and loan type, OneMain may require an in-person branch visit to verify your identity, review documents, and finalize terms. For secured loans, the vehicle may need an in-person inspection or appraisal. Bring your government ID, proof of income, and vehicle title if applicable.
Step 4: Sign and receive funds. After everything is verified, review your final loan terms — APR, origination fee, monthly payment, and total cost. If you accept, sign the agreement. Funds can be available same-day if you complete the process before noon, or within 1-2 business days via ACH transfer.
No. OneMain has no published minimum credit score — they evaluate your overall ability to repay, including income, expenses, and credit history. Borrowers with scores below 500 have reported being approved, particularly with secured loans.
APRs range from 18.00%-35.99%. A “substantial number” of borrowers receive rates in this full range. Secured loans (with vehicle collateral) typically get lower rates than unsecured. No rate discounts are available — not even for autopay.
Yes. Your vehicle must be 10 years old or newer, titled in your name, insured, and owned free and clear (no existing auto loan). Pledging collateral can lower your rate and increase your loan amount. If you default, OneMain can repossess the vehicle.
$1,500-$20,000, depending on your state and credit profile. Larger amounts typically require vehicle collateral. State-specific minimums apply: California ($3,000), Georgia ($3,100), others vary. North Carolina caps unsecured loans at $7,500.
Yes. Founded in 1912, OneMain is one of the oldest consumer lenders in the U.S. with 1,300+ branches in 44 states. A+ BBB rating, 4.8/5 Trustpilot across 75,000+ reviews. In 2023, the CFPB fined OneMain $20 million over add-on product practices — the company says the issues have been resolved.
Rates and terms are subject to change. This is not financial advice. All information is for educational and comparison purposes only. OneMain Financial is a legitimate lender serving borrowers across the credit spectrum. Verify current rates, fees, and state-specific terms directly with OneMain before committing to any loan.
SoFi offers some of the largest personal loan amounts available, up to $100,000. SoFi charges no origination fees, no prepayment penalties, and no late fees. Members get access to financial planning, career coaching, and unemployment protection that pauses payments if you lose your job.
LightStream, a division of Truist Bank, offers loans up to $100,000 with no fees whatsoever. Same-day funding is available, and they offer a Rate Beat program where they’ll beat any qualifying rate by 0.10%.
Marcus charges no fees — no origination fees, no prepayment penalties, and no late fees. Backed by Goldman Sachs, Marcus offers competitive rates and flexible payment terms from 36 to 72 months.
Upgrade accepts credit scores as low as 580 and offers loans from $1,000 to $50,000. Reports to all three credit bureaus, helping build credit with on-time payments. Funds typically deposited within one business day.
Prosper is a peer-to-peer lending marketplace connecting borrowers with individual investors. Offers loans from $2,000 to $50,000 with terms of 24 to 60 months.
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