RISE Credit Loans Review: High Costs for Quick Funding

3.9 _/5

View Rates

Our take: RISE offers fast funding and accepts borrowers with poor credit, but its interest rates are among the highest you’ll find at up to 299%. If you’re facing an emergency and need a small loan right away, it may be a last-resort option. But we recommend exploring Upstart, which considers nontraditional factors (like education and employment) and offers much lower rates for many borrowers.

Personal Loans

• Small loans available
• Fast funding
• 5 days to change your mind
• Accepts borrowers with low credit scores
• Reports to credit bureaus
• No origination, late, or prepayment fees
• Financial wellness tools

• Super high APR
• Terms vary depending on the state you live in
• Maximum loan amount is $5,000
• Not available in all states
• Many negative reviews online

Rates (APR)	60% – 299%
Loan amounts	$300 – $5,000
Repayment terms	7 – 36 months
Fees	No origination, late, or prepayment fees

When an emergency expense hits and you don’t have enough savings, companies like RISE Credit offer fast funding. However, with this convenience comes expensive interest rates that can keep you in debt longer. We recommend exploring several better and lower-cost personal loan alternatives first.

This review shares the benefits, drawbacks, and costs of a RISE Credit loan, which can help you make an informed borrowing decision. We’ll also share several other lenders, including ones that extend funding to those with a limited or poor credit history.

Table of Contents

1. About RISE
2. How do RISE Credit loans work?
   1. Fast, secure online application
   2. Installment loans
   3. Money as soon as tomorrow
   4. Clear terms, no hidden fees
   5. Customer dashboard
3. Pros and cons
4. Customer reviews
5. Alternatives
   1. vs. Upstart
   2. vs. Upgrade
   3. vs. Prosper
   4. vs. cash advance apps

About RISE

RISE has helped more than 1 million customers since 2013. Its mission statement says the company was founded to offer financial assistance to those who have been declined by other lenders. RISE is an alternative to payday loans, which don’t offer flexible payments or credit bureau reporting like RISE does.

RISE aims to help customers who need to borrow $5,000 or less, and the company provides access to credit checks, credit score monitoring, and online tools that help teach customers better money habits. At this time, RISE is not available in all 50 states.

How do RISE Credit loans work?

Rates (APR)	60% – 299%
Loan amounts	$500 – $5,000*
Repayment terms	7 – 36 months
Additional fees	None
State availability	RISE loans are only available in 9 states (AL, DE, GA, ID, MS, MO, SC, UT, and WI); Partners with lenders to offer options in 21 more states
Credit building features	Reports payments to credit bureaus; Free access to credit checks and credit score monitoring alerts
Financial wellness tools	Budget tracker, debt payoff tips, and educational videos

Fast, secure online application

One of the biggest benefits of RISE Credit loans is that you can apply for funding in just a few minutes. The application is entirely online, and the online portal makes it easy to upload necessary loan information.

Installment loans

Unlike payday loans, RISE Credit loans are installment loans, aka personal loans. That means you make equal payments during a set loan term that you choose. RISE also offers flexible payment scheduling, but the availability of this feature varies depending on your location; each state has unique rules and regulations.

Money as soon as tomorrow

Once you apply for a RISE Credit loan, you can get your money as soon as the next business day. This is helpful, especially if you need money right away.

Clear terms, no hidden fees

RISE mentions throughout its website it doesn’t charge hidden fees. All required costs and payments are disclosed in the rates and terms documentation you receive when approved for the loan. Make sure to review this document carefully if you choose to move forward with a RISE loan. It contains important information about the total cost of your loan.

Customer dashboard

Manage your loan entirely online through RISE’s customer dashboard. This is where you can see payment information, due dates, and more.

Credit building

As you pay back your loan, RISE reports your payments to the credit bureaus, which helps build your credit. RISE also offers free access to credit checks and credit score monitoring alerts. So if improving your credit is one of your goals this year, the tools included as part of the RISE platform can help.

Financial wellness

In addition to free credit monitoring, RISE also offers access to online tools, like a budget tracker, debt payoff tips, and educational videos, which set them apart from the competition.

Loan options

RISE offers small installment loans up to a maximum of $5,000. The minimum amount you can take out varies depending on where you live. As we mentioned, RISE is not available in all 50 states. (In addition to offering RISE loans in nine states as of September 2025, RISE partners with two lenders to make loan options available to residents of 21 more states. See if RISE loans are available in your state.)

Loan uses

You can use a personal loan for almost anything, including emergency expenses, medical bills, debt consolidation, or making a rent payment. 

The Federal Reserve reports an increase in small-dollar loans, with the current outstanding debt in this category reaching $1.4 billion in 2024. However, due to the high interest rates RISE charges, it’s best not to make a habit of taking out small installment loans; the payments can add up over time.

Costs and fees

RISE has no origination prepayment or late fees. However, its interest costs are among the highest in the industry. For that reason, we recommend researching multiple lenders, including Upstart, to ensure you get the best possible rate.

Risk-free guarantee

If you change your mind about taking out a RISE Credit loan, the company offers a five-day risk-free guarantee. You can rescind your loan agreement up to five days after signing it.

Pros and cons of RISE loans

Here are some benefits and drawbacks of taking out a loan with RISE.

Pros

• Small loans available

• Fast funding

• 5 days to change your mind

• Accepts borrowers with low credit scores

• Reports to credit bureaus

• Financial wellness features

Cons

• Super high APR

• Terms vary depending on the state you live in

• Maximum loan amount is $5,000

• Not available in all states

• Many negative online reviews

Is RISE Credit legit? Customer reviews

Source	Customer rating	Number of reviews
Trustpilot	4.4/5	5,722
Better Business Bureau (BBB)	1.08/5	49
Google	4.3/5	1,626

RISE credit loans earn mixed reviews online. Many of the thousands of reviews on Trustpilot and Google are complimentary. Those who review with BBB, where RISE is not accredited but has an A+ rating, tend to be unhappy with their experience.

Overall, customers appreciate RISE’s good customer service, quick loan approval, and many reviewers expressed gratitude for being approved for a loan when they haven’t been able to with other lenders. The negative reviews center on the high interest rates RISE charges. Several commented that they’ve made more payments than their original loan balance.

One Reddit user asked for advice about whether to take out a RISE loan after being denied everywhere else, and several commenters cautioned them about the high interest rates:

Rise Credit reviews? Anyone actually use them?
byu/Long-Editor2081 infinanceonloans

Alternatives to RISE

Here’s how RISE Credit stacks up to three of our team’s picks for the best personal loans:

RISE Credit vs. Upstart

Upstart is our recommended alternative if you’re considering RISE due to bad credit or urgent cash needs. It accepts borrowers with credit scores as low as 300 (the lowest possible) and uses AI to evaluate your full financial picture, not just your FICO.

RISE Credit vs. Upgrade

Upgrade is a strong option for borrowers with fair credit (580+). You’ll benefit from lower interest rates and longer repayment terms, up to seven years. Upgrade also offers personal loan features like credit-building tools and mobile banking.

RISE Credit vs. Prosper

Prosper is a peer-to-peer lender, which means individual investors fund your loan rather than a bank or credit company. It’s best for borrowers with a credit score of at least 560 and offers much lower rates than RISE with a more transparent fee structure.

RISE Credit vs. cash advance apps

If you only need to borrow a small amount for a few days or weeks, reputable cash advance apps may be a smarter short-term solution than a RISE loan. Apps like EarnIn, Tilt, and Dave let you access $100 to $500 with no interest or fees, provided you have a steady income and a checking account.

These apps won’t help you with larger expenses or long-term funding, but they can help you avoid predatory rates on payday-style loans.

How we rated RISE Credit

We designed LendEDU’s editorial rating system to help readers find companies that offer the best personal loans. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.

We compared RISE Credit to several personal loan lenders, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take is represented in our rating, recapped below.

---