LightStream is an online lender that offers personal loans ranging from $5,000 - $100,000 with APRs of 6.49% - 24.89%. LightStream loans are good for people with good-to-excellent credit. Here is a quick overview of LightStream loans:
LightStream offers excellent personal loans, combining the ability to borrow large amounts for long periods of time with remarkably low minimum interest rates, no fees and fast approval. More specifically, you can borrow anywhere from $5,000 - $100,000 with LightStream. Plus, the payoff periods can be anywhere from 24 - 144 months. You’ll be hard-pressed to find bigger personal loans or longer repayment timelines elsewhere.
In addition, LightStream keeps the costs low. Their APRs range from 7.44% - 25.39%. Most other personal loan providers don’t offer APRs lower than 7% and often charge up to 36%, so LightStream is very cheap by comparison. Plus, LightStream has a 0% origination fee and a $0 late fee.
LightStream, a WalletHub partner, is the online lending division of Truist Bank (formerly SunTrust Bank, before its merger with BB&T). LightStream offers personal loans to people anywhere in the U.S.
Additional requirements: You’ll need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a Social Security number.
Approval and funding:As soon as the same day you are approved (conditions apply)
LightStream customer service rating. LightStream has an A+ from the BBB. LightStream has an average user rating of 3.0/5 on WalletHub.
"Rate Beat Program”: LightStream will offer an APR 0.1 percentage point below what you’re approved for by a competitor. Terms apply.
Pre-qualification: LightStream does not allow potential applicants to pre-qualify. But they do provide a calculator on their website to help you estimate what rates you might qualify for.
Overall, personal loans can’t get much better than what LightStream offers – low costs, large loans and quick funding. As long as you have a credit score of at least 700+, you should definitely have LightStream on the list of lenders you’re considering. Below, you can see how WalletHub rates LightStream in our three major categories: Terms, Requirements & Application, and Reviews & Transparency.
LightStream Ratings by Category:
Category
Editor’s Rating
Terms
3.3/5
Requirements & Application
3/5
Reviews & Transparency
4.3/5
Overall Score
11.1/15
These scores reflect how close a loan offer is to WalletHub’s definition of a 5-star loan. For more information, please read WalletHub’s full methodology.
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LightStream
Daniel Spencer @daniels_480
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5 Star Rating
Verified Customer
Great company I have used them many times. Will always recommend them to anyone looking for a loan.
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
Liam Ng @liamnguyen938
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1 Star Rating
Applying for a loan with LightStream was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made.
They pulled a hard inquiry on my credit without any clear, upfront disclosure. I never saw an obvious warning that applying would immediately impact my credit score—no final review screen, no confirmation, nothing. Instead, I experienced an unexpected credit hit.
Now, my credit score has been damaged, and I haven't even accepted or reviewed an offer. When I reached out, their response was robotic—no acknowledgement of responsibility, no effort to make things right.
If you're considering applying here, I recommend you avoid it at all costs.
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
andres riv @Anduriverog
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5 Star Rating
They deserve 5 stars for fast funds and easy application with no documents required. Answers to questions are provided quickly through email or call. Overall, the entire process has been very easy and their rates are fine compared with other options to which I have applied. Also, they make loans available for almost everything you need.
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Product: LightStream Car Loans
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LightStream
nic my @nicolermyles
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1 Star Rating
DO NOT GET A LOAN FROM THEM. Took three payments from my account in one month and of course refuse to refund any of them. Takes four seconds to take your money and take food from your kids' mouths, but it takes 15 business days to issue a check for their mistake. Also claims you owe 2 payments if you’re less than 5 days late with a monthly payment but auto pay and scheduled payments don’t cancel each other out! Oh and don’t you dare make a monthly payment more than 10 days ahead of your scheduled monthly payment or that will count as an extra payment too WHICH THEY WILL AGAIN REFUSE TO REFUND TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. You can’t turn off autopay so you’re forced into it forever. Have had 2 loans with them and didn’t have a problem until they sold companies a year or 2 ago. Also refused to give me a debt consolidation loan because I have “too much debt.” Made every payment on time and have decent credit but they could care less about anyone. HIGHWAY ROBBERY!
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Product: LightStream Car Loans
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LightStream
Ron Klein @kleinron392
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1 Star Rating
Dealing with this loan company for the last five days has been an absolute nightmare! I'm 67 years old and have never in my life been subjected to such nonsense after my loan was "approved". The ordeal they put me through was degrading and senseless. I should change my rating to negative ten.
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
Justin M @justinmayet
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1 Star Rating
Don't ever use LightStream. They don't do soft pulls to see if you qualify first, and they don't automatically offer lower amounts for what they can approve you for. In addition, after they denied me twice, even after I lowered my requested amount to half, I was immediately approved by SoFi for a large amount. What did SoFi see that LightStream didn't?
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
Justin Griffin @jgriff90
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1 Star Rating
Complete joke! I got approved instantly for a 20k loan. I contacted them stating I accidentally picked the wrong loan type and just wanted to change it for record's sake. I was told to resubmit the application, so I did. Now, all of a sudden, LightStream wanted to see my tax returns, W-2s, and bank statements. I told them I'm not buying a house, plus you literally just approved me yesterday without any of this. I sent them my proof of income and bank statements and was denied. When I called to ask why, they said they could only verify half my income, although I sent my pay stubs in. They are a joke.
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Product: LightStream Car Loans
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LightStream
Alexander Niland @islandniland7
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3 Star Rating
Verified Customer
Had two loans with them. Paid on time for the last four years. For people who pay on time, they should offer special rates if they wanted to get another loan.
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
John Florer @jflorer513
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1 Star Rating
I have applied for multiple loans from Lightstream throughout the years, with every application resulting in a decline. I have top-tier credit, employment history, and plenty of assets. I believe this is now discrimination and violates Regulation B of the ECOA. If you look at the reviews online, this seems to be happening to more and more people. If this happens to you, I highly recommend filing an online complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, FDIC, and your state's attorney general's office. I believe lenders like these should be held accountable for their actions.
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Product: LightStream Car Loans
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LightStream
Faith Wilson @faitheee
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5 Star Rating
Verified Customer
Phenomenal company! I cannot say enough good things about my experience with this lender. The application process was fast, the terms were fair, and they have products that meet my needs. I highly recommend this company!
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
Gregory Carcerano @gcarcerano
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1 Star Rating
This company is a joke! I applied for a classic car loan of $42,000. I was going to put $15,000 down. I have $120,000 in my bank account and home equity of $280,000. My credit score is 815. My income is good. And I got turned down. Hahaha, what does it take to qualify for a simple loan with these people? Unbelievable.
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Product: LightStream Car Loans
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LightStream
Dana @619venezia
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5 Star Rating
Verified Customer
They were extremely professional no gimmick or misleading promises. I did what they asked, they did what they promised. No problems or issues I wish I could give them 20 stars!
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
Terry @terrye_26
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5 Star Rating
Verified Customer
I have used Lightstream several times and they are the best. Best rates. Very easy to work with. Their website is very easy to use.
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Product: LightStream Personal Loans
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LightStream
Eric @ericmhouck
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1 Star Rating
This company is a complete Scam. I followed Nerd Wallets suggestion and applied for a debt consolitation loan based on my credit score of 723. Their website stated that it would not impact my credit score. I filled out all the information and submitted it and immediately I started getting alerts on my phone about a new hard credit pull from a bank called Truist. I am starting to think that all of these credit companies such as Nerd Wallet, Credit Karma, and Credit Sesame are complete scams and wish I would have never followed their recomendation. My credit score just dropped 14 points because of this. Of course they have no customer service to speak of so ill just leave a bad review and move on.
Get answers to your questions about LightStream below. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered. Ad Disclosure
LightStream can be trusted because it has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and it has been BBB-accredited since 2021. Also, LightStream personal loans received a 4.4/5 rating from WalletHub's editors because they offer large amounts for long periods of time with some of the lowest interest rates on the market.
Why LightStream Can Be Trusted
LightStream has a A+ from the Better Business Bureau.
LightStream has an average user rating of 3/5 on WalletHub.
WalletHub's editors gave the company's personal loans a 4.4/5 rating.
The company lists product terms and conditions on its website.
LightStream does a hard credit inquiry into your credit report when you apply for LightStream personal loan. LightStream does this in order to get a full look at the prospective borrower's credit history and make an approval decision. A hard credit check does have a temporarily negative effect on the applicant's credit score. However, the score typically drops just 5 - 10 points. So it's easy to bounce back in a few months – especially...
You need a minimum credit score of 700 to get a personal loan from LightStream, according to multiple third-party sources. That means a personal loan from LightStream requires at least good credit. Generally, a higher credit score will give you better approval odds for a LightStream loan and will also likely get you better loan terms.
LightStream is a legit company because it is backed by Truist Bank and offers large loan amounts with some of the lowest interest rates on the market. LightStream has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2021, earning an A+ rating, and its personal loans received a 4.3/5 rating from WalletHub editors.
Why LightStream Is Legit
LightStream is registered as a business in the states it services.
LightStream debt consolidation loans allow borrowers to combine existing debts – such as other personal loans, credit cards, payday loans, bills and more – into one monthly payment, both for simplicity and the potential for a lower APR. LightStream debt consolidation loans have APRs ranging from 5.95% to 17.29%, depending on the applicant's credit history, income and existing debt. Those are some of the lowest rates on the market overall.
LightStream does not allow cosigners, but does offer joint applications. With a joint application, both applicants' credit, income and other details are weighed equally during the approval process. And both people are held equally responsible for paying the loan back. This differs from applying with a cosigner, where approval depends entirely on the cosigner's information, rather than the primary applicant's. And with a cosigner, the primary applicant is responsible for payments while the cosigner just...
If LightStream denied you, the first step is to figure out why exactly. That's easy to do. The letter that LightStream sends after a denial should list the reasons. Reasons that LightStream might deny applicants include too little credit history or too low of a credit score, high amounts of debt, low income, a lot of recent credit inquiries, accounts in collections, or bankruptcy. The letter should also include instructions on how to request a...
Your LightStream approval odds are good if you have a low debt-to-income ratio and meet LightStream's requirements to get a loan. Some requirements include being at least 18 years old, having enough income to make monthly payments and having a credit score of 660+. If you meet all the requirements, your approval odds are high, but approval is never guaranteed.
LightStream auto refinance loans are inexpensive, and they offer the potential for a lot of funding very quickly. In fact, auto refinance loans are some of the cheapest loans that LightStream offers, with APRs as low as 3.99%. Borrowers take out the loan from LightStream and then use it to pay off their existing car loan. This effectively “refinances” the car loan and can allow the borrower to pay off the balance at a lower...
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