USAA personal loans: 2025 review

Name: USAA Bank
Item: USAA
Rating: 4.5
Author: Denny Ceizyk

Written by

Denny Ceizyk

Edited by

Rhys Subitch

Updated on Jun. 17, 2025

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At a glance

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4.5

Bankrate Score

Availability

5.0

Affordability

4.5

Customer Experience

5.0

Transparency

3.5

Full methodology

Bankrate's take: USAA personal loans give members that need funds fast a wide range of loan amounts and repayment terms to choose from. It may be a good choice for military families and their relatives who enjoy the benefits of other USAA products like insurance, mortgages or investment products.

Lender Details

Loan amount

$1,000-$100,000

APR from

10.09%-18.51%

Term lengths

12-84 months

Funds available in

Within 24 hours

USAA is best for flexible repayment terms and loan amounts

Qualifying USAA members can choose personal loan amounts ranging from $1,000 all the way to $100,000 to fund everything from moving expenses to renovations on a new home. Most lenders either have a minimum of $2,000 or cap your lending amount at $50,000.

USAA’s loan term flexibility comes in handy if you’re trying to budget to pay off an expense quickly or over a longer period. Its 12 to 84 month terms are among the shortest — and longest — of the lenders Bankrate reviewed.

USAA personal loan purposes

Funds from a USAA personal loan can be used for just about anything, including debt consolidation, home renovations, emergency expenses or an upcoming bill you don’t have the cash to cover. USAA doesn’t allow funds to be used to pay for college or higher education expenses.

Where USAA stands out

Multiple loan term choices: You can crunch the monthly payments on terms ranging from 12 to 84 months, giving you the flexibility to tailor a loan that won’t strain your budget.
Low minimum and high maximum loan amount: Most personal loan lenders either offer a very low minimum loan amount or a high maximum loan amount. USAA offers both, giving its members the ability to finance small and large projects with a personal loan.
Offers a personal loan refinance program: USAA lets you refinance your existing USAA personal loan with them. Most lenders will not refinance their own personal loans. This is a great option if your credit scores have improved and you qualify for a better personal loan rate.

Where USAA falls short

High starting APRs: You’ll pay double-digit rates regardless of how high your credit score is, making USAA less competitive with many other lenders that offer minimum APRs below 9 percent.
Slower funding timelines: It usually takes up to two business days to receive funds from a USAA personal loan, which is twice as long as other personal loan lenders.
Membership may limit access: You must have served in the military or be related to someone in the military to qualify for a USAA personal loan.
Doesn’t offer prequalification: Your credit will take a hit if you want to view your potential rates since it doesn’t offer a prequalification option.

USAA customer resources

Customer support

Phone support is available Monday through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT, and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. You may also bank with USAA in person at a branch if you live near one of the handful of locations available.

Digital experience

USAA offers a highly rated app with over 2 million reviews and a score of 4.8 out of 5 stars on the App Store as of June 2025. Members can track all of their USAA products on the app, including personal loan payments and balances, insurance and investment balances.

How this lender compares

4.5

Bankrate Score

APR from

10.09%-18.51%

Loan Amount

$1,000-$100,000

Term Length

12-84 months

Min Credit Score

Not disclosed

Compare rates

on Bankrate

4.6

Bankrate Score

APR from

7.99% to 35.99%*with autopay

Loan Amount

$1,000-$50,000

Term Length

24 to 84 months

Min Credit Score

580

Read our review

on Bankrate

4.7

Bankrate Score

APR from

8.99%-17.99%

Loan Amount

$600-$50,000

Term Length

Up to 60 months

Min Credit Score

700

Read our review

on Bankrate

USAA vs. Upgrade

USAA gives you substantially more borrowing power than Upgrade, which only offers loans up to $50,000. You can also schedule to pay your USAA loan off in as little as one year, compared to the minimum 24 month term offered by Upgrade.

That said, Upgrade has a lower minimum APR than USAA, coming in at 7.99 percent compared to USAA’s 10.09 percent minimum. Upgrade also doesn’t have any membership requirements, making it a good choice if you or your family members aren’t eligible to join USAA.

USAA vs. PenFed

You’ll find a much wider variety of longer repayment terms at USAA — PenFed caps its repayment terms at just 60 months. PenFed also offers a maximum loan amount that’s half of the maximum you can potentially borrow with USAA.

Although PenFed serves military families with its products, it doesn’t limit membership to military families and their relatives. Its minimum APR is also much lower than USAA’s 10.09 percent, clocking in at 8.99 percent for well-qualified borrowers.

Do you qualify for a USAA personal loan?

The application process for a loan includes documenting your income, employment and having your credit pulled. USAA doesn't provide exact credit requirements, but you can expect to need:

Current membership with USAA.
Credit report check.
Higher loan amount and stronger credit profile for longer terms.

How to apply for a personal loan with USAA

You will first need to establish membership with USAA if you haven't already. If you are a member, you will need to sign in to your account. There is no prequalification process.
Fill out your application completely and upload any information related to your approval. The faster you provide documents, the sooner you’ll get your loan funds.
Check the figures to make sure they are correct, keep track of your first payment due date, and if possible, set up automatic payments to avoid any accidental late payments.

Fees and penalties

One of the perks of getting a loan through USAA as a member is that the bank charges few fees. There are no application or origination fees, and the lender doesn’t impose a penalty for paying your loan off early. USAA does, however, charge a late fee of 5 percent of the amount due and a $25 returned payment fee.

How Bankrate rates USAA

	Score	Explanation
Overall	4.3
Availability	4.8	More repayment terms than most lenders offer, and a wider range of available loan amounts.
Affordability	4.7	Minimum rates are higher than those offered by other lenders.
Customer experience	4.1	No phone support on weekends.
Transparency	3.5	Rates are disclosed but the lender doesn’t offer prequalification and there is very little information about how to qualify.

Methodology

Bankrate's trusted personal loans industry expertise

Read our full methodology

years in business

lenders reviewed

loan features weighed

900

data points collected

Availability covers loan amounts, qualification requirements, available terms and time to approval and funding. Lenders that serve the widest variety of customers and needs with speedy loans get the highest scores.
This category measures interest rates, penalties and fees. Lower rates and fees and fewer potential penalties result in a higher score. We also give bonus points to lenders offering rate discounts, grace periods and the ability to change borrowers' due dates.
Customers want a convenient application process and easy ways to contact the lender and manage their loan. We score lenders on their customer service hours and whether they offer an online application and account access, with a bonus for offering a highly rated app.
To effectively shop around, customers should be able to judge their eligibility and potential rates without a hard credit check. A lender scores higher if its website clearly discloses credit requirements, rates and fees, in addition to offering prequalification.

Editorial disclosure: All reviews are prepared by Bankrate.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the lender’s website for the most current information.

What customers think

What people are saying across the web about USAA

Although reviews on Trustpilot cover a wide variety of products, the overall consensus is negative — with 88 percent of the reviews coming at one star as of June 2025. Customer service complaints dominate the reviews, with many consumers sharing experiences of being unable to resolve their issues despite repeated efforts. One customer said, in part:

I’m not sure what’s going with USAA but…

1.0

I’m not sure what’s going [on] with USAA but they are failing fast. It’s almost impossible to talk with a human these days.

, Trustpilot user

Posted on Trustpilot

Positive reviews appear to be from long-time USAA members, with many citing excellent customer service related to insurance claims and banking products.

Outlinked content may contain views and opinions that do not reflect the views and opinions of Bankrate. Please see the issuer’s website for updated terms and conditions.

Community USAA scores

PERSONAL LOAN

USAA

Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about USAA.

25 ratings

Score breakdown

5 stars

52%

4 stars

24%

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Score by category

Overall rating 4 / 5

Fees & closing costs 4.2 / 5

Funding time 4 / 5

Customer service 4.1 / 5

Application process 4 / 5

Online portal or mobile app 4.1 / 5

In July 2024, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 1.3K loan borrowers nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected and summarized borrower responses to five questions on a 5-point scale, three yes/no questions, as well as open-ended reviews of their loan experience. Responses are based on individual borrower’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by the associated lenders, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own expert review of these loan products.

Community Reviews

See what users like you are saying about USAA.

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Anonymous Borrower

August 20, 2024

Describe your experience with customer service

Amazing

Loan purpose

Home project loan

Score by category

Fees & closing costs 4 / 5

Funding time 5 / 5

Online portal or mobile app 4 / 5

Customer service 4 / 5

Application process 5 / 5

Anonymous Borrower

August 20, 2024

Describe why you selected this lender

I selected USAA to move forward with because they exactly the kind of loan options I was seeking for, and they presented it in such a way that seemed flexible and worth it to me.

Describe your experience with the application process

There weren't much challenges as I had already call the customer service prior to my coming in person to the bank.

Loan purpose

Cash for a big purchase

Score by category

Fees & closing costs 5 / 5

Funding time 5 / 5

Online portal or mobile app 5 / 5

Customer service 5 / 5

Application process 5 / 5

We wanna know what you think about USAA

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USAA personal loans: 2025 review

The Bankrate promise

At a glance

Lender Details

Loan amount

APR from

Term lengths

Funds available in

USAA is best for flexible repayment terms and loan amounts

USAA personal loan purposes

Where USAA stands out

Where USAA falls short

USAA customer resources

Customer support

Digital experience

How this lender compares

USAA vs. Upgrade

USAA vs. PenFed

Do you qualify for a USAA personal loan?

How to apply for a personal loan with USAA

1. Becoming a member

2. Add information and finalize the application

3. Review the loan details

Fees and penalties

How Bankrate rates USAA

Methodology

Bankrate's trusted personal loans industry expertise

Availability

Affordability

Customer experience

Transparency

What customers think

What people are saying across the web about USAA

Community USAA scores

USAA

Community Reviews

We wanna know what you think about USAA

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