Payday Loans and Debt Consolidation

Pros and cons of payday loans

Payday loans can be used without creating serious financial challenges. They have advantages over traditional lending methods. They offer faster loan approval with no credit check and low dollar amount loans that can be as low as $500.

However, the structure of these short-term loans means borrowers often face high finance and interest charges. Payday loans can also cause problems with cash flow management due to the automatic ACH payment structure. Payments are usually withdrawn automatically. As a result, payday loans often lead to NSF (non-sufficient fund fees) and account overdrafts.

Why payday loans are problematic

Problems with payday loans usually arise when the borrower fails to pay back the full amount borrowed within the first payment cycle. Payday loans usually have a 2-week term; that means you are supposed to pay back what you borrow within a single paycheck cycle (hence the name “payday loan”).

Payday loans are intended to cover unexpected emergencies if a borrower doesn’t have the cash flow or savings available. For instance, if your water heater breaks on a Tuesday and you don’t get paid again until next Friday, you borrow $500 to cover the repair. Then you pay the money back when your paycheck clears your bank account.

However, as you can see from the infographic above, payday loans often used to cover regular recurring expenses. That kind of budget imbalance usually signals larger financial troubles beneath the surface. In this case, the borrower may struggle to pay off the balance in the first billing cycle. Then interest charges are applied and a cycle of debt starts. It can quickly turn into a downward spiral.

Get out of payday loans with debt consolidation

Payday loan consolidation is possible in some cases, depending on which method of debt consolidation you use and which lenders service your payday loans.

Payday loan consolidation option 1: Debt consolidation loan

A personal debt consolidation loan is a do-it-yourself method of debt consolidation. You take out a loan and use the funds you receive to pay off your debts in-full.  You need a good credit score to qualify. This means it’s not always a viable option for borrowers who bank on the no credit check benefit of payday loans because of bad credit.

However, if you took out a few quick payday loans to cover expenses but you actually have the good credit necessary to qualify for a traditional loan, then a debt consolidation loan can be an avenue to consolidate payday loans.

Payday loan consolidation option 2: Debt management program

When you enroll in a debt management program, part of the service involves the credit counseling team calling each of your creditors to negotiate. They advocate the inclusion of each particular debt in the program to get the creditor’s approval. At the same time, they negotiate lower interest rates and to stop new penalty assessments.

Payday loans can be included in your program as long as each lender signs off on it. There is no mandate for lenders to agree when you sign up for a debt management program. Credit counseling agencies also don’t have standing relationships with many payday lenders as they do with other major credit issuers. However, in many cases, a payday lender may agree that their debt can be included when you enroll.