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Personal Loans Credit Builder Loans

Self Credit Builder: How It Works and Why It Stands Out for Added Benefits in 2025

Best for Added Benefits

4.8 /5
Credit Builder Loans

Our take: Self stands out for people who want to actively build credit and unlock added perks like a credit card or rent reporting.

  • Best if you have no credit or a low score and want to rebuild through consistent on-time payments
  • Allows you to save while building credit
  • 4 plan options with estimated payouts ranging from $500 – $3,000 or more
  • Access to multiple other tools, including access to a secured credit card, rent reporting, and a cash advance
  • Manage it all conveniently from the app
  • You’ll lose some money to interest
  • Locked into a 24-month term
  • You don’t get your money until the end of the term

If you’re looking to build credit and savings at the same time, Self’s Credit Builder Account offers more than your average credit builder loan. You make monthly payments into a locked savings account, and Self reports your activity to all three credit bureaus—helping you build a positive payment history over time.

But the real standout? Self comes with extras you won’t find everywhere else, like a potential pathway to a secured credit card, optional rent and bill reporting, and one of the top-rated apps in the category.

Table of Contents

What is Self, and how does the Credit Builder Account work?

Self Financial is a financial company that helps people build credit from scratch or after a rough patch.

Self credit builder account

Its main product, the Self Credit Builder Account, is a twist on a traditional loan: instead of getting the money upfront, your loan funds are saved in a certificate of deposit (CD) while you make monthly payments.

When the loan ends, you get the money back (minus interest and fees), and all your payments get reported to the three major credit bureaus to help you build a positive payment history.

Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large Builders

You can choose from four plans—Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large Builders—that vary in monthly cost and payout amount. Plans last 24 months and show up as installment loans on your credit report.

Here’s how much you’ll pay into each plan each month, as well as total payments, cost, and final payout.

Plan namePayment/mo.Total paymentsPayout at end*Final cost
Small$25$600$511$89
Medium$35$840$717$123
Large$48$1,152$985$167
X-Large$150$3,600$3,069$531
*Estimated payout after fees and interest. Exact amount may vary.

Added benefits of a Self Credit Builder Account

What sets Self apart from other credit builder loans is the extras built into the experience. For instance, users get access to:

Highly rated mobile app

The Self mobile app makes it easy to track your progress, manage payments, and monitor your VantageScore 3.0 credit score on the go.

self credit builder on mobile app
Source

Built-in savings habit

Because your loan payments are held in a CD, you’re saving money while building credit, which can feel like a major two-for-one win.

Rent and bill reporting

Self partners with third-party platforms to help you get credit for on-time rent, utility, and cell phone payments.

Self rent reporting
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Self’s other tools

Self offers more than just credit builder loans—it’s a full suite of tools designed to help you build credit from all angles:

Secured Self Visa® Credit Card

After a few months of on-time payments with your Credit Builder Account, you could unlock access to the Self Visa® Credit Card. This card has no hard credit check, and you can use your Credit Builder Account savings as the security deposit.

Self Visa Credit Card
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Self Cash

Get a quick cash advance of $25 to $300 with no interest or hidden fees. Delivery is instant (for a small fee) or free if you wait a few days.

Self Cash advance
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Pros and cons of Self’s Credit Builder Loan

Pros

  • Builds credit with no credit check

    The Self Credit Builder Loan reports to all three bureaus, even if you’re starting from scratch.

  • Pairs well with other Self tools

    You could also use the secured Visa card, Self Cash advance, and free rent reporting to build some financial security.

  • Four payment plan options

    Self makes it easy to choose a monthly payment and savings amount that works best for your budget.

  • Builds savings as you go

    Perhaps the best added benefit of a Self Credit Builder Loan is that you get a payout at the end (minus interest and fees) that you can then put toward a secured credit card or other goals.

Cons

  • You’ll lose some money to interest

    For example, on the $600 “Small” plan, you might only get around $520 back. That’s a roughly 15.92% annual percentage rate (APR) on your money.

  • Locked into a long timeline

    Each plan runs for 24 months, and there’s no way to pause or skip payments without canceling.

  • No access to funds until the end

    Unlike traditional loans, you don’t get any money up front. You must wait until your term ends.

Is Self a good lender? Reviews from customers

PlatformRatingNumber of reviews
Trustpilot4.3/5.01,438
Better Business Bureau3.79/5.0862
Google4.5/504,119 reviews
Data collected September 27, 2025

Overall, customer feedback for Self is generally positive. Many reviewers say the app is easy to use and has helped them steadily improve their credit. However, it’s worth noting that the BBB gives Self an F rating and the company is not accredited, largely due to issues with responding to and addressing complaints.

How Self compares to other credit builder loans

Here’s how Self compares to two of the best credit builder loans:

Company Best for… Rating (0-5)
Best Credit-Building Card
Best Collection of Products

Self vs. Chime

Chime’s credit-builder card works more like a debit-secured credit card with no fees or interest, so it could be a better option if you want to build credit through spending. You also get 1.5% cashback on certain categories. But Self might be better if you want a credit-building tool with a savings component.

Self vs. CreditStrong

Both Self and CreditStrong services report to all three bureaus and let you build savings, but CreditStrong’s loans stretch up to 48 months, while Self’s plans top out at 24 months.

How we rated Self

Since 2020, LendEDU has evaluated personal finance companies to help readers find the best credit-building solutions. Our latest analysis reviewed 198 data points from 11 companies, with 18 data points collected from each. This information is gathered from company websites, online applications, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives.

These star ratings help us determine which companies are best for different situations. We don’t believe two companies can be the best for the same purpose, so we only show each best-for designation once.

Company Best for… Rating (0-5)
Best for Added Benefits
Article sources

At LendEDU, our writers and editors rely on primary sources, such as government data and websites, industry reports and whitepapers, and interviews with experts and company representatives. We also reference reputable company websites and research from established publishers. This approach allows us to produce content that is accurate, unbiased, and supported by reliable evidence. Read more about our editorial standards.

About our contributors

  • Cassidy Horton, MBA
    Written by Cassidy Horton, MBA

    Cassidy Horton is a finance writer passionate about helping people find financial freedom. With an MBA and a bachelor's in public relations, her work has been published more than 1,000 times online.

  • Amanda Hankel
    Edited by Amanda Hankel

    Amanda Hankel is a managing editor at LendEDU. She has more than seven years of experience covering various finance-related topics and has worked for more than 15 years overall in writing, editing, and publishing.