How To Get The Cheapest Personal Loan

Before you take a personal loan, compare interest rates along with other factors. A low rate will help reduce your emis significantly in a rising rate regime

- Teena Jain Kaushal

FOR A LONG TIME, New Delhi-based software professional Nibedita Sharma had dreamt of renovating her house. The only stumbling block was money. There were always expenses that needed urgent attention, putting the renovation on the back-burner. Till she noticed seepage through the ceiling and couldn’t delay the renovation any further. A nervous Sharma, 40, decided to go in for a personal loan. To her pleasant surprise, many banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and fintech firms lined up to offer her a loan in a matter of seconds. All she had to do was click through a few buttons and the money was credited to her account. “My good credit score and long relationship with the bank helped me get a personal loan at 11 per cent [interest] in a matter of minutes. I will pay monthly EMIs (equated monthly instalments) over a period of two years,” she says.

Like Sharma, many Indians are fascinated by the easy availability of personal loans. Access to funds is no longer limited to people living in metros or with good credit scores. With fintech companies crowding the space, even people with low or no credit scores have better chances of obtaining a personal loan now.

While personal loans may be readily available, how does one get them cheap? Shop around for the lowest rates and opt for a fixed-rate loan as interest rates are rising. The lower the rate, the smaller your EMI. There are many factors lenders look at, including credit score and loan profile.