Free to ask · Free to walk
Turn the light on
before you borrow.
Choose an amount. CashLantern shows an illustrative monthly payment and total. Your lender sets the actual terms before you accept an offer.
- ≈3
- Minutes
- $0
- Upfront cost
- None
- Documents
We share the details you enter with our lender-network partner and the lenders in its network, which California law treats as a sale. You can opt out on the Do Not Sell page.
- One short form
- Payment shown before you send
- No fee to submit
- Nothing owed if you walk away
- Lenders decide, not us
Rates & costs
Read the numbers before the pitch
Personal installment loans from $1,000 to $5,000, with terms from 61 days to 72 months.
Compare loan options
Personal installment loans
- Amount
- $1,000 – $5,000
- Term
- 61 days to 72 months
- APR
- 5.99% – 35.99%
- Best for
- Applicants seeking personal installment loans through our lender network
APRs are approximate. Lower or higher rates may be offered depending on the lender, product and applicant. The lender shows your actual APR and total cost before you accept an offer.
How it works
Four steps. Exit at any one.
We collect the request; the lender makes the decision. Nothing binds you until their agreement is signed.
- 1
Set your amount
Eleven short questions after that. Save and return whenever you like.
About 3 minutes
- 2
It goes to the lender
One lender, every time. No marketplace, no shopping your details around.
Immediately
- 3
The lender answers
Any offer arrives with the rate, the schedule and the total, before signing.
Usually the same day
- 4
Your call
Signing is optional. Saying no costs nothing at any point.
No deadline
Pack the bag
Six things and you're through
Gather them first and the whole thing takes about three minutes.
18 or older
Or older where state law requires it, such as 19 in Alabama.
A state we cover
We serve CA, FL, MI, LA, MO, TN, SC, AL, KY, DE, SD, WI, UT, ID, NV. We check it early in the form.
A checking account
It has to take ACH both ways. Savings and prepaid cards can't be used.
Income that can be checked
A job or another regular, verifiable source of income, plus an active checking account that accepts ACH credits and debits. Savings and prepaid accounts are not accepted.
An email you read
Agreements and notices arrive there, not in the post.
A phone that rings
Used to confirm the request. Marketing contact stays opt-in.
Spotless credit isn't on the list, and nothing needs uploading to begin.
Honest fit
A narrow fit, on purpose
Consider personal installment loans only when the repayment schedule fits your budget.
Reasonable when
- A one-off dated bill, car repair, deposit, shut-off notice
- You can budget for every scheduled payment
- Thin or damaged credit, and mainstream lenders said no
- You have weighed this cost against leaving the bill unpaid
Please avoid it for
- Clearing another short-term loan, that is how cycles start
- A monthly gap between income and outgoings
- Anything a card or a biller payment plan could cover
- Nice-to-haves, or a purchase that can wait a few weeks
Tight every month? Get free advice first
Nonprofit counselors go through your budget and deal with creditors, free or near it. Accredited ones are listed at nfcc.org. Nobody pays us for that pointer.
Amount realism
$5,000 is a ceiling, not an expectation
The amount a lender offers may be lower than you ask for, especially on a first loan.
Personal installment loans
$1,000 – $5,000
Applicants seeking personal installment loans through our lender network
Review rates and costs. Your amount and rate depend on the lender and your qualifications. Borrow only what fits your budget.
Know what you're getting
This is an installment loan, not a payday loan
Personal installment loans from $1,000 to $5,000 through our lender network have terms from 61 days to 72 months.
| Payday loan | This installment loan | |
|---|---|---|
| How you repay | One lump sum, usually on your next payday | Scheduled payments monthly across the whole term |
| How long you have | Two to four weeks | 61 days to 72 months |
| The usual failure mode | You can't cover the lump sum, so you roll it over and pay again | A missed payment triggers fees and collection, but the schedule doesn't reset |
After you submit
What happens next
Written down, so the moment after submitting is not a guess.
- Who contacts you
- The lender, plus us about the request itself. Your details are not passed down a chain of unrelated buyers.
- How they contact you
- Email and phone, using what you entered. Skip the marketing box and contact stays limited to this request.
- How long it takes
- Loan applications submitted through this website are reviewed directly by participating lenders. Approval decisions are made solely by the lender. If approved, some lenders may transmit funds as soon as the same business day; however, actual funding times depend on lender processing and the policies of your financial institution.
- If a lender can continue
- An agreement arrives with the APR, every payment date and the total. That document binds you, this page does not.
- If you are declined
- You are told plainly. We file nothing on your credit report, and you are free to look elsewhere.
- Your data
- Stop the selling or sharing whenever you want via the Do Not Sell link in the footer. It works today.
Questions
Six real questions
Including the one this category usually dodges.
Before you borrow
Loans available through our network are typically offered in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on eligibility. Short-term or small-dollar loans are not intended to be long-term financial solutions and should be used responsibly.
If the payment still sits right, send it.
Three minutes, nothing to pay, nothing promised, and you can stop halfway.
Exclusions
Residents of some states are not eligible for the loans offered through this website. This website currently serves residents of California, Florida, Michigan, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Delaware, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Utah, Idaho, Nevada only. Residents of other states are not eligible to use this website or service. The states serviced by this website may change from time to time, without notice.