Achieve Personal Loans Review

Our take on Achieve

Achieve offers personal loans for bad credit, along with fast funding and multiple rate discounts. Borrowers can qualify for a rate discount by applying with a co-borrower, sending debt consolidation funds directly to creditors, or showing they have sufficient retirement assets. 

However, Achieve has a high minimum interest rate, limited repayment-term options, and origination fees. We were also disappointed that the lender wasn't forthcoming about late fees. 

Who (or what) is Achieve best for?

• Borrowers with bad credit: Achieve considers borrowers with credit scores as low as 560, making it an option for bad-credit personal loans. 
• Fast funding: The average funding time for an Achieve loan was 2 days, according to 12 months of Credible personal loans data — one of the shortest average turnaround times of any lending partner. 
• Rate discounts: Achieve offers rate discounts if you apply with a co-borrower, have sufficient retirement assets, or send money directly to your creditors for debt consolidation. 

Who (or what) is Achieve not best for?

• Low minimum interest rates: Before Achieve boosted its starting APR in November 2026, it was consistently among the lowest offered by any Credible lending partner (and most personal loan lenders, period). However, the new minimum APR is several percentage points higher, meaning greater interest costs and less affordability. 
• Borrowers who want a wide range of repayment options: Achieve offers two repayment terms, three years or five years. Some lenders offer longer loan terms (up to seven years) that can make monthly payments more affordable.
• Those who need very large or very small loans: Achieve personal loans range from $5,000 to $40,000. If you want to borrow less than $5,000 or more than $40,000, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
• Transparency: Unlike other lenders, Achieve doesn't clearly display information on fees on its website, including late fees and origination fees.

Pros and cons

Details on the pros 

• Considers borrowers with bad credit: Achieve's minimum credit score of 560 means that borrowers with bad credit (FICO scores below 580) may qualify.
• Funding in 1 to 3 days: Achieve offers same-day decisions on loan applications and funds most loans within 24 to 72 hours. 
• Accepts joint applicants: Applying with a joint applicant can help you qualify for a loan or get a lower rate. 
• Multiple discounts: Applying with a co-borrower, showing evidence of sufficient retirement savings, or using the loan to consolidate debt could reduce your interest rate.

Details on the cons

• High starting APR: Achieve's minimum APR is notably high, even among other lenders that consider borrowers with bad credit.
• Origination fee: Achieve charges an upfront origination fee of 9.99% of the loan amount. Many lenders have a range of origination fees starting much lower, and a few lenders don't charge any origination fees. 
• Limited availability: Achieve loans aren’t available in 12 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
• Limited repayment terms: You have only two options for repayment terms with an Achieve personal loan, 3 years or 5 years.

How to qualify for an Achieve personal loan

Achieve requires a minimum credit score of 560 to qualify for a personal loan. The lender doesn’t list specific income or employment requirements, but requires the following during the application process:

• Proof of income
• Social Security number
• Proof of identity
• Employment status

Achieve personal loan purposes

When applying through Credible, you can use an Achieve personal loan for:

• Debt consolidation
• Credit card refinancing
• Home improvement

Other loan purposes may be available if you apply directly with Achieve. Though Achieve doesn’t list prohibited uses, there are some expenses you can't typically use a personal loan for, including paying college tuition and investing.

Achieve fees and penalties

Though Achieve doesn’t charge prepayment penalties for personal loans, there are several fees you should be aware of:

• Origination fee: Achieve charges an origination fee of 9.99%. Origination fees are common and may be charged upfront as a percentage of the loan balance.
• Late fee: Achieve does not disclose whether it charges a late fee or how much the fee is. The lender did not respond to our inquiry for more information.

Achieve vs. other lenders

Achieve company details and history

Achieve is a digital personal finance company that offers personal loans, HELOCs, home equity loans, and debt settlement services. Formerly known as FreedomPlus, the company rebranded as Achieve Personal Loans in 2022. Achieve is known for offering multiple rate discounts, which you may qualify for by applying with a co-borrower, choosing the direct pay to creditors option with a debt consolidation loan, and showing proof of sufficient funds in a 401(k) or other eligible retirement plan.

Achieve is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, with hubs in California, Arizona, and Texas. It is not a bank, and it partners with Cross River Bank to originate personal loans.

Contact information

Achieve connects you with dedicated loan specialists if you need help during the application process. You also have multiple options to contact Achieve, including:

• By phone: Call Achieve at 1-800-920-0045 or 1-833-418-3193
• By online form: Submit an online message through Achieve’s contact page
• By email: [email protected]

Loan consultants are available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. MST and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.

Methodology

Credible evaluated 32 lenders across 1,184 data points to choose the best lender overall plus top picks for different borrowers and use cases. Across lenders, we collected data on customer experience and service options, minimum and maximum fixed interest rates, minimum and maximum loan amounts, funding times, loan terms, fees, discounts, third-party reviews, and more.

We assigned a score to each attribute based on how that feature compared with the same feature for every other lender in the set. Scores were weighted according to their relative importance — for instance, maximum origination fee scores received a high weight since loan cost is among the most important factors in determining loan value. Individual attribute scores were then added to determine each lender's overall star rating. 

Attributes were grouped into categories; each category contributed to lender scores as follows: 

• Borrower cost (22.5%): Origination fee ranges and minimum and maximum APRs measure upfront and overall costs and lender accessibility across credit score groups.
• Flexibility (22.5%): Maximum loan terms, number of loan purposes, minimum and maximum loan amounts, and availability of joint and secured loans measure the range of options for loan size, repayment terms, and loan types.
• Eligibility and availability (22.5%): Minimum income requirements, funding speed, minimum credit score requirements, and state availability measure how easily and how quickly borrowers can access personal loans.
• Reputation (15%): Trustpilot, Better Business Bureau, and J.D. Power ratings measure customer satisfaction.
• Discounts, customer service, and account management (12.5%): Discounts for autopay and direct pay, plus availability of mobile apps and live customer support chat, measure borrower perks and ease of loan management.
• Partner lender data (5%): Data from loans closed by our partners, including average rates, loan amounts, funding time, and eligibility criteria, measure real-world performance and borrower outcomes.

Non-partner lenders were evaluated based on the same criteria but not assigned star ratings. Learn more about how Credible rates lenders by exploring our full personal loans lender rating methodology.