Compare personal loan pre-approval Background

Compare personal loan pre-approval

The table below displays a selection of unsecured personal loans from our Online Partners that have pre-approval available as an option.

Group Manager, Research & Ratings
Senior Finance Journalist
Fact checked

Instantly compare 210+ Canstar expert rated products based on the inputs below


Sort results Sort By
down-arrow
  • Star Rating - lowest first
  • Star Rating - highest first
  • Interest rate - lowest first
  • Interest rate - highest first
  • Comparison rate^ - lowest first
  • Comparison rate^ - highest first
  • Monthly repayment - lowest first
  • Monthly repayment - highest first
Features and fees Glossary
  • icon Additional repayments
  • icon Redraw facility
  • icon Top-up facility
  • icon Application fee: $300 up to $1200
  • icon Annualised fee: $0
  • icon Loan terms available: 1 year to 7 years
star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon
6.57% Glossary
up to 9.29% Glossary
Fixed Glossary
7.59% Glossary
up to 10.33% Glossary
$391.98 Glossary
up to $417.99 Glossary
Features and fees Glossary
  • icon Additional repayments
  • icon Redraw facility
  • icon Top-up facility
  • icon Application fee: $300 up to $1200
  • icon Annualised fee: $0
  • icon Loan terms available: 1 year to 10 years
star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon
6.57% Glossary
up to 9.29% Glossary
Fixed Glossary
8.28% Glossary
up to 11.03% Glossary
$391.98 Glossary
up to $417.99 Glossary
Features and fees Glossary
  • icon Additional repayments
  • icon Redraw facility
  • icon Top-up facility
  • icon Application fee: $300 up to $1200
  • icon Annualised fee: $0
  • icon Loan terms available: 1 year to 7 years
star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon
6.57% Glossary
up to 9.29% Glossary
Fixed Glossary
8.28% Glossary
up to 11.03% Glossary
$391.98 Glossary
up to $417.99 Glossary
Features and fees Glossary
  • icon Additional repayments
  • icon Redraw facility
  • icon Top-up facility
  • icon Application fee: $175
  • icon Annualised fee: $60
  • icon Loan terms available: 0 to 7 years
star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon star-rating-icon
11.49% Glossary
Variable Glossary
13.77% Glossary
$439.75 Glossary

Showing 4 of 88 results

To see more results adjust the filters above

check Included
cross Not included
na Not applicable
canstar-rating-icon Canstar rating
indicative-canstar-rating-icon Indicative Canstar rating

Unsure of a term in the above table? View glossary

The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Comparison rate^ (Low-High) , then Provider Name (Alphabetical) . Additional filters may have been applied, see top of table for details.

About personal loan pre-approval

If you are thinking about applying for a personal loan and want to have an idea of how much you might be able to borrow and your chances of being approved, then personal loan pre-approval is a way to know where you stand ahead of time.

What is personal loan pre-approval?

Personal loan pre-approval is a process that you can undergo before you actually apply for a loan. When you apply for pre-approval, a lender will conduct a preliminary assessment to give you an idea of your chances of approval for a loan, and how much you could be approved for.

Pre-approval for a loan is not the same as actual approval, and for this, you will need to formally submit a loan application and be approved. It is, however, a good way to know where you stand prior to submitting your application, and an indication of whether your application might be successful.

What are the benefits of personal loan pre-approval?

There are various potential benefits to personal loan pre-approval, some of which include:

  • Helping set your budget: Applying for pre-approval can give you an idea of how much a lender might be willing to loan you, which could be useful when planning for a purchase such as a vehicle.
  • Helping you plan for repayments: Applying for pre-approval can also help give you an idea of how your regular repayments might look, and the interest rate that a lender might be willing to offer you.
  • Keeping your credit score intact: An application for personal loan pre-approval only requires a soft credit check, meaning that it will not have an impact on your credit score.

It’s important to note that obtaining personal loan pre-approval does not mean that you will always be automatically granted the loan. The lender will likely do a reassessment prior to giving you the funds you have asked for, and your – or the lender’s – conditions may have changed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Loan Pre-approval

Personal loan pre-approval is not standard, and only some lenders offer it. At the time of writing, at least 80% of the providers on Canstar’s database offer pre-approval on at least one of their personal loans, but it may be wise to check with your individual lender if they are able to offer pre-approval to you. You can also compare personal loans with Canstar to find one that meets your particular needs and requirements. The table at the top of this page displays a range of personal loans from our online partners that have the option of pre-approval. Change the filters to suit your requirements.

While eligibility criteria will vary depending on the individual lender, generally speaking, you must :

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or on an eligible Visa
  • Meet your lender’s minimum income requirements
  • Be employed or receiving regular income

Have a good credit score

Pre-approval for a loan does not guarantee approval, and for this, you will need to submit a formal loan application and your lender of choice will carry out some checks.

When you apply for a loan, your lender will undertake what’s known as a hard credit check in order to get a detailed look at your credit report and assess your reliability as a borrower.

It is only when your lender is satisfied that you meet their eligibility criteria that you are likely to receive approval for your loan application.

If you’re thinking about applying for a personal loan with pre-approval, a good first step is to consider your budget and the amount that you can afford to repay.

After doing this, you can start to compare personal loans to find a lender that offers pre-approval. When comparing lenders and loan products, consider things like:

  • Fees and charges
  • Interest rates (including the comparison rate)
  • Maximum and minimum loan amounts
  • The loan term (how long you’ll have to repay it)

When you have found a lender you are satisfied with, you can start the application process for pre-approval.

There are several types of personal loan pre-approval, with the main ones generally including:

  • Self-sought pre-approval: This is when you apply to a lender to see how much you might be able to borrow before submitting a formal application. You may choose to seek this kind of pre-approval before a major purchase, such as a vehicle.
  • Conditional approval for existing customers: Sometimes, your existing lender might send out a communication based on the financial data they already have on you, to try and encourage you to take out a personal loan.

While the application criteria for personal loan pre-approval will be different depending on the individual lender, but generally speaking, you might expect the steps to be:

  1. Fill out your lender’s preliminary approval application, providing any documents and information they might request, relating to your finances, employment, assets and liabilities.
  2. Wait for the lender to review your application.
  3. Receive your quote, which is likely to include the maximum amount the lender will approve you for, and information on interest rates and repayment terms.

Latest in personal loans

Canstar Personal Loans Star Ratings and Awards

Looking for an award-winning personal loan or to switch lenders? Canstar rates products based on price and features in our Personal Loans Star Ratings and Awards. Our expert Research team shares insights about which products offer 5-Star value and which providers offer outstanding value overall.

Canstar rates a range of financial products, covering banking, insurance and investment. We also reveal which providers have the most satisfied customers in our dedicated Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Personal and Car Loans Awards

About our finance experts

Alasdair Duncan, Senior Finance Journalist

Alasdair Duncan
Alasdair Duncan is a Senior Finance Journalist at Canstar, specialising in home loans, property and lifestyle topics. He has written more than 200 articles for Canstar and his work is widely referenced by other publishers and media outlets, including Yahoo FinanceThe New DailyThe Motley Fool and Sky News. He has featured as a guest author for property website homely.com.au. In his more than 15 years working in the media, Alasdair has written for a broad range of publications. Before joining Canstar, he was a News Editor at Pedestrian.TV, part of Australia’s leading youth media group. His work has also appeared on ABC News, Junkee, Rolling Stone, Kotaku, the Sydney Star Observer and The Brag. He has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Journalism from the University of Queensland. When he is not writing about finance for Canstar, Alasdair can probably be found at the beach with his two dogs or listening to podcasts about pop music. You can follow Alasdair on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Joshua Sale, Group Manager, Research & Ratings

Joshua Sale

As Canstar’s Ratings Manager, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology and delivery of Canstar’s Personal Loans Star Ratings and Awards. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, Josh has worked behind the scenes for the last five years to develop Star Ratings and Awards that help connect consumers with the right product for them.

Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Reviewnews.com.au and Money Magazine.

You can follow Josh on LinkedIn, and Canstar on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for visiting Canstar, Australia’s biggest financial comparison site*

Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more.

The Personal Loan Star Ratings are updated daily. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. Current rates and fees are displayed and may be different to what was rated. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Personal Loans Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. Canstar provides information about credit products. We’re not suggesting or recommending a particular credit product for you. If you decide to apply for a loan, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar. Consider the Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD. It’s important you check rates and product information directly with the provider. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure. ^Read the Comparison Rate Warning.

Representative example total repayment amount: For a personal loan of $20,000 borrowed for 60 months with a minimum interest rate of 9.84% (comparison rate^ of 10.87%), the total amount you would need to repay would be $25,551. This is made up of a $20,000 principal amount, $5,402 interest amount, estimated upfront fees of $149 and total ongoing fees of $0. This example is hypothetical. The total loan repayment amount for any individual personal loan will vary depending on several factors (including making on time repayments). You should confirm with the lender the total amount repayable for your particular circumstances.