If your credit score has tanked and fallen into the bad or poor category, getting approved for a personal loan will be tough.
A bad credit score impacts your financial life more than you can imagine. Banks avoid you like the plague, and payday lenders throw interest rates as high as 600% your way, making it nearly impossible for you to break free from the vicious grip of debt.
Below, I discuss several lenders in Canada who provide loans at competitive rates (i.e. compared to payday loans) to people with bad or poor credit.
Bad Credit Loans in Canada for 2023
Loans Canada
Loans Canada is a loan comparison platform for all kinds of personal loans, car loans, debt consolidation loans, and bad credit loans. This company holds an A+ accreditation with the Better Business Bureau and features multiple lenders on its website.
Interest rate: 2.99% to 46.96%
Loan term: 3-60 months.
Maximum loan amount: Up to $50,000.
Eligibility: Resident of Canada and employed for at least 3 months with proof of income.
On Loans Canada’s website
FatCatLoans
FatCatLoans is a Canadian loan comparison website. They take the work out of searching for a loan as they search the market to find trustworthy instant loan lenders. Get up to $50,000 with a personal, installment, bad credit, and debt consolidation loans.
Interest rate: 6.99% to 46.96%.
Loan term: 3-60 months.
Maximum loan amount: Up to $50,000.
Eligibility: Resident of Canada and the age of the majority in your province or territory, have a regular source of income, and an active bank account.
On FatCatLoans’s website
LoanConnect
LoanConnect is a search engine for finding personal loans online from various lenders. You can use it to find a loan that works for your situation regardless of your credit score.
Interest rate: 6.99% to 46.9%.
Loan term: 3-120 months.
Maximum loan amount: Up to $50,000.
Eligibility: Resident of Canada and the age of the majority in your province or territory.
On LoanConnect’s website
- Loans Canada: Borrow up to $50,000 for 4 months to 5 years and 2.99% to 46.96% APR.
- FatCatLoans: Borrow up to $50,000 for 3-84 months and 6.99% to 46.96% APR.
- Loan Connect: Borrow up to $50,000 for 3-120 months and 6.99% to 46.96% APR.
A bad credit score is a credit score below 560. If you have recently declared bankruptcy, defaulted on multiple loans, or have gone through collections, it is likely that your credit score is now considered ‘bad’ or ‘poor.’
In this case, most banks will not approve you for a loan or a credit card.
Not sure what your credit score is? Check it out for free.
If your credit score falls in the 550-650 range, an alternative lender is your best chance at obtaining a personal loan. If your credit score is in the 660+ range, it is considered ‘fair’, and some traditional lenders, i.e. banks, may approve you for loans.
Alternative lenders charge higher interest rates on bad credit loans. This is because they are faced with higher risks of loan defaults.
Unsecured Personal Loans With Bad Credit
An unsecured loan means that you are not required to provide any collateral or security for the loan. They can be used to pay off credit card debt, as a car loan, or for debt consolidation.
1. Loans Canada
Loans Canada is a loan comparison platform for unsecured and secured personal loans. They are connected to a large network of lenders who extend loans to individuals with poor or bad credit.
You can borrow up to $50,000 for 4 to 6 months, and interest rates range from 1.99% to 46.96%.
If you do not qualify for an unsecured loan, Loans Canada can help you find alternative lending options, including secured personal loans.
2. FatCatLoans
As a specialist in the Canadian loan market, FatCatLoans does the hard work of finding instant loan lenders for those with bad credit. It accepts credit scores as low as 300 and doesn’t require loan applicants to have guarantors for approval.
Through this platform, you can borrow $300 to $50,000 and choose from a loan term between 3 to 60 months. Interest rates vary between 6.99% to 46.96%.
The online application process of FatCatLoans takes less than 5 minutes to complete, but one must earn at least $1,000 a month and have a minimum credit score of 300 to be eligible.
Apart from bad credit loans, FatCatLoans also offers other loan types, such as no credit check loans and consolidation loans.
3. LoanConnect
LoanConnect is Canada’s popular search engine for personal loans. Their portal links borrowers with multiple lenders who cater to individuals with bad to excellent credit scores.
The maximum loan available via the platform is $50,000. Loan terms range from 3 months to 120 months, and the rates vary from 6.99% to 46.96% APR.
Many of their lenders offer instant approval, and you can have funds transferred to your bank account in as little as one day.
To apply for loans using LoanConnect, you must be the age of the majority in your province and a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.
Read our detailed LoanConnect Review.
4. Loanz
Loanz is a Canadian loan rate comparison site. It caters to approximately 15,000 Canadians every month and is one of the top platforms for bad credit loans in Canada.
You can borrow up to $15,000 on the site, with terms ranging from 12 to 60 months and interest rates from 29.9% to 46.9%.
To get started, complete the online application form. Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements to qualify:
- Live in BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, NL, NS, NB, or PEI
- Have a minimum income of $1,200 per month
- Not have filed for bankruptcy
- Be of legal age (18 or 19 years, depending on your province)
5. Mogo
Mogo is a Canadian fintech company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. The company offers personal loans, credit scores, identity protection, mortgages, and cryptocurrency trading (Bitcoin).
Mogo’s online installment loan (MogoLiquid) offers borrowers up to $35,000 for up to a 5-year term. The interest rate on the loan is from 9.9% to 46.96% APR.
In addition to their MogoLiquid loan product, Mogo also offers free credit scores and identity fraud protection.
Read our Mogo review.
6. Spring Financial
Spring Financial offers several credit products, including personal loans and mortgages.
You can apply for this loan online and borrow up to $15,000. Funds are sent via Interac e-Transfer to your bank account.
To qualify for a loan, you need a minimum annual income of $28,000 and must be at least 21 years old. The loan interest rate ranges between 19% and 46.96%.
Spring Financial personal loans are available across Canada except for Saskatchewan, Quebec, and New Brunswick.
7. Borrowell
Borrowell is an online Canadian lender that also provides free credit scores. As of 2023, over 1.5 million Canadians have obtained their credit scores through Borrowell.
They offer personal loans up to $35,000 with loan terms of up to 5 years and a fixed interest rate of up to 46.96% APR. Your application is completed online, and approval may take less than two days.
To qualify for a Borrowell Personal Loan, you must:
- Have a credit score above 660
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Have a bank account in Canada
- Not have filed bankruptcy or a consumer proposal
- Debt service ratio of less than 48% and a credit utilization of less than 80%
- At least 12 months of credit history
You can read our Borrowell review.
Best Car Loan Rates For Good or Bad Credit
Getting the best car loan rates for your financial circumstances can be tough if you have to go shopping around at several banks. The challenge with this is that it is time-consuming, and you may end up hurting your credit score due to several hard inquiries hitting your credit file.
A rate comparison site like Car Loans Canada allows you to make one free application that is distributed to over 300 lenders at the same time. Excellent, good, or bad credit? They will send the best rate available your way.
8. Cars Fast Loans
Cars Fast
Cars Fast is a popular destination for getting a car loan regardless of your credit score. The platform has partnerships with top loan providers, including TD, Scotiabank, RBC, HSBC, and others.
Interest rate: Varies.
Loan term: 12-96 months.
Maximum loan amount: $75,000.
Eligibility: Earn at least $20,000/yr, reside in ON, BC, or AB; and be employed for 3 months+.
Cars Fast is owned by Consumer Genius Inc., a loan comparison firm that also owns Loanz.ca and LendingArch.
The platform has partnerships with over 350 dealerships across Canada and can be used to obtain car loans of up to $75,000.
Loan terms vary from 12 months to 96 months.
9. Car Loans Canada
Car Loans Canada is one of Canada’s online platforms for finding the best auto finance rates, irrespective of your credit profile. Applying for a quote via their website takes about 3 minutes, and the entire approval process from application to getting your car can be completed in a few days.
Loan rates range from 0% to 29.99%, and you can borrow for up to an 8-year term. Car Loans Canada operates in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Checking your rate is free. To be eligible, you must:
- Earn at least $1,800 per month in gross income (including employment income, pension benefits, disability and other payments)
- Be a permanent resident of Canada
- Have a valid driver’s license
- Have a valid Canadian address
- Provide a void cheque from a Canadian bank
Related: Best Car Loans for Bad Credit.
Secured Personal Loans With Bad Credit
If you cannot qualify for an unsecured loan, a secured loan is your other option. Secured loans require you to put up collateral such as a personal asset like your car, home, jewelry, etc. In some cases, all you need is a guarantor.
One benefit of these loans is that they also report to credit rating agencies (TransUnion and Equifax), which means you can use them to rebuild your credit score.
On the flip side, a downside of secured loans is that you can lose your collateral if you cannot repay your loan.
Personal Loan Payoff Calculator
How To Fix Your Bad Credit
If you work on your credit rating and it improves, it will have a significant positive impact on your life. You can access credit at much better rates and save money in the long run.
Before you can improve your credit score, you need to understand how it became bad in the first place. Some of the reasons for your bad credit rating may include:
- Late payments
- No payments
- Defaulting on a loan
- Filing for bankruptcy
- Collections or consumer proposals
- Identity theft or fraud
To improve or rebuild your credit score, you need to:
- Make loan or credit card payments on time
- Keep your credit utilization low
- Correct any inaccuracies on your credit report
- Keep old credit cards alive
- Vary your credit types
- Consolidate your debt
- Monitor your credit
- Not apply for too much credit
Related Posts
- Low Income Credit Cards in Canada
- Credit Cards for Bad Credit in Canada
- Best No Credit Check Loans in Canada
- Best No Fee Cash Back Credit Cards in Canada
- Best Emergency Loans in Canada
- Best Bad Credit Car Loans in Ontario
For more strategies to improve your credit score, read my article on eight ways to raise your credit score fast.
I am trying not to declare bankcrupty i am not the best candidate for a personal loan. I have been struggling to make ends meet .however i know i can make a small monthly payment. I have been trying forever to get on my feet and manage but i need help .Seem like no one wants to give me a chance to prove myself. Trying to get rid of several debts including a consumer proposal that i did not know what it was. So if anyone can help me i appreciate it.
I found some good information here and thanks for sharing this useful article.