YOU ARE HERE:   Home News Business Personal Finance Smart Borrowing: Tips To Get The Cheapest Personal Loan

Smart Borrowing: Tips To Get The Cheapest Personal Loan

03 March, 2025 | 11:01 IST

A personal loan can be helpful when you need funds for unexpected expenses like urgent home renovations and medical emergencies. You can also use a personal loan for debt consolidation.

These loans are typically unsecured, meaning they do not require collateral, and are approved based on factors like income, credit score and repayment ability. While personal loans offer flexibility and quick access to funds, it is essential to understand interest rates, repayment terms and any associated fees before making a decision.

How Personal Loans Work

A personal loan is an unsecured borrowing for which you need not to provide any collateral or pledge any asset. Most lenders approve the personal loan applications on two important elements — creditworthiness and income of the borrower.

The personal loan could be cheap or costlier depending on the following factors:

  • Interest rate: The percentage charged by the lender on the borrowed amount.
  • Processing fee: A one-time charge for loan processing.
  • Loan tenure: The repayment period affects your EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment).
  • Prepayment charges: Fees for paying off the loan before tenure ends.To get a cheap personal loan, you need to focus on offers that come with low interest rates and nominal charges.

Here are a few simple tips to avail cheapest personal loan.

Easy Tips To Secure Cheapest Personal Loan

1. Maintain a High Credit Score

Your credit score plays a crucial role in determining the interest rate on your loan. A high credit score (750 or above) assures lenders that you are a responsible borrower, increasing your chances of getting a lower interest rate.

How To Improve Your Credit Score?

  • Ensure pay all your credit card bills and EMIs within the due date. Failure to pay the credit card bills and EMIs will negatively affect your credit score.
  • It’s advisable to keep credit utilisation low, preferably below 30% of the available credit limit.
  • Avoid applying for multiple loans or credit cards in a short duration.
  • Check your credit report regularly for errors and get them corrected.

ALSO READ: Credit Report: A step-by-step guide to read credit score report in detail

2. Compare Loan Offers From Different Lenders

Interest rates and loan terms vary across banks, NBFCs (Non-Banking Financial Companies) and digital lenders. Instead of accepting the first offer, compare multiple lenders to find the lowest rate.

As interest rates form a major part of your total loan repayment amount look for the most affordable interest rate charged by the lender. Apart from the interest rate also check details about processing fees, prepayment charges and hidden costs before finalising a loan offer.

You can explore multiple loan offers through the Moneycontrol app and website for loan amounts up to Rs 50 lakhs. The interest rates for personal loans start at 10.5% per annum. You can apply for a personal loan offered by 8 lenders on the Moneycontrol platform through a 100% paperless process.

3. Choose a Shorter Loan Tenure

While longer loan tenures may offer lower EMIs, they result in higher interest costs over time. A shorter tenure helps you save on interest, making the loan cheaper.

Even though the EMI is slightly higher in the second case, the total interest paid is significantly lower.

4. Check for Special Offers and Discounts

Many banks and NBFCs offer special interest rates on personal loans during festive seasons, to existing customers, or based on employer tie-ups.

  • Keep a watch on seasonal discounts from banks.
  • Check if your salary account bank offers lower rates.
  • If you work for a reputed company, you may get lower interest through corporate tie-ups.Taking advantage of such offers can reduce your borrowing cost.

5. Consider a Pre-Approved Loan Offer

Banks often offer pre-approved personal loans to customers with a good repayment history. These loans come with:

  • Lower interest rates
  • Zero or minimal processing fees
  • Instant disbursal

6. Avoid Unnecessary Add-Ons and Fees

Lenders may try to sell insurance along with personal loans, increasing your overall cost. While loan protection insurance can be helpful, it’s often expensive.

  • Ask for a breakup of all charges before signing the loan agreement.
  • Decline any unnecessary add-ons unless they genuinely benefit you.
  • Hidden fees can increase your loan cost, so always read the fine print before accepting the loan.

ALSO READ: Is it mandatory to buy insurance with a personal loan? Here's everything you need to know about personal loan insurance

7. Use a Loan Against Fixed Deposit or Other Assets

If you have a fixed deposit (FD) or other financial assets, you can consider a loan against FD, gold, or shares instead of an unsecured personal loan. These loans typically have:

  • Lower interest rates (since they are secured loans).
  • Flexible repayment options.
  • Quick approval with minimal documentation.This is a great way to access funds at a cheaper rate while keeping your savings intact.

8. Negotiate With Your Lender

If you have a good relationship with your bank, a strong credit score, or an existing loan that you have paid on time, don’t hesitate to negotiate for a lower rate.

9. Balance Transfer for Lower Interest

If you already have a personal loan at a high interest rate, you can transfer it to another lender offering a lower rate. This process, known as balance transfer, helps in:

  • Reducing interest costs
  • Lowering EMI burden
  • Saving money on overall repaymentBefore opting for a balance transfer, check for processing fees and ensure that the savings outweigh the charges.

Instant Loans Up To Rs. 50 Lakhs

Moneycontrol has partnered with eight lenders to offer access to the most affordable personal loans. You can check your credit score for free and apply for personal loans up to Rs 50 lakhs through the Moneycontrol app and website. The interest rates start at 10.5% per annum and it’s a completely digital application process.

Step 1: Enter your details

Step 2: Choose a suitable loan offer

Step 3: Complete your KYC

Step 4: Set up EMI repayment

Step 5: Withdraw funds to your bank account

Disclaimer

This piece/article was written by an external partner and does not reflect the work of Moneycontrol's editorial team. It may include references to products and services offered by Moneycontrol.
Fintech

About the Author

Fintech

Stay updated on the latest personal finance trends, with a focus on products like credit cards, credit score, personal loans, fixed deposits, and more

Found the article useful?

Share it in your circle

Related articles

Business

Why a personal loan can be your best bet for relocation expenses

Relocating to a new city or country comes with numerous expenses, and a personal loan can be a practical solution to manage the financial burden smoothly.

21 September, 2025

Business

Does a personal accident policy pay for total disability?

Total disability is covered by personal accident policies but not known to most policyholders on how claims for total disability are settled.

20 September, 2025

Business

Travelling abroad this festive season? Here's how you can manage foreign currency effectively

Travelers can manage foreign currency effectively by using prepaid forex cards, keeping some cash for essentials, and reserving credit/debit cards for emergencies, while avoiding hidden fees and exchange rate fluctuations.

19 September, 2025

Business

Why your credit score drops and smart ways to fix it

A dip in your credit score isn’t the end of the world—understanding why it happens is the first step to rebuilding it.

17 September, 2025

Get Instant Loan up to ₹50 Lakhs with Zero Paperwork from Top Lenders

  • 100% Digital100% Digital
  • Quick DisbursalQuick Disbursal
  • Low Interest RatesLow Interest Rates
Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347