Vacation Loans: Finance Your Travel in 2026

NerdWallet's picks for the best vacation loans

Earnest: Best vacation loans with multiple rate discounts

Earnest helps cut costs on your vacation loan by offering multiple rate discounts. If you sign up for autopay, you’ll receive a 0.25 percentage point discount. And as you pay down your loan principal, you’ll qualify for another rate discount up to 0.75 percentage points.

One thing to keep in mind: Earnest requires a minimum 680 credit score to qualify.

Upgrade: Best vacation loans for borrowers with fair credit

You only need a 600 credit score to qualify for an Upgrade personal loan. Among this lender’s perks are a rate discount simply for setting up automatic payments and one-day funding after you’re approved.

However, Upgrade charges an origination fee of 1.85% to 9.99% of the loan amount, which increases the cost of the loan.

Happen Bank: Best for small vacation loans

Happen Bank (previously LendingClub) offers loans starting at $1,000, which may be perfect for covering a smaller trip or the most expensive part of your vacation, like airfare. Happen offers joint loans, too, so you can apply with someone else if you’re going on a vacation with a partner or family member.

Similar to Upgrade, Happen charges an origination fee up to 8%.

LightStream: Best vacation loans for borrowers with good credit

LightStream has all the makings of a solid personal loan, thanks to the lender’s zero fees, low interest rates and fast funding. It even offers a rate beat program, in which you can get an additional discount if you show you’re approved by a competitor for a similar loan.

Loan amounts start high at $5,000, so LightStream is only a good fit if you’re planning a more expensive vacation.

Upstart: Best vacation loans for bad credit

Upstart loans have no minimum credit score requirement. The lender even considers borrowers who don’t have enough credit history to generate a credit score, making this a great option if you’re worried about qualifying for a loan.

One downside: Repayment terms for Upstart start at three years, which is a long time to pay off a trip. Most lenders offer terms starting at two years.

Achieve: Best for fast approval and funding

Need money for a last-minute trip? Achieve can approve your application within 30 minutes if you apply within business hours. It can also deposit the funds the same day you sign the loan agreement, so you may be able to go from application to funding in less than 24 hours.

In addition to its 640 credit score requirement, Achieve requires you to have at least three years of credit history spread out over two accounts, which is more than other lenders.

How we chose the best personal loans

Our team of consumer lending experts follows an objective and robust methodology to rate lenders and pick the best.

30+

Lenders reviewed

We review over 35 lenders, including major banks, top credit unions, leading digital platforms, and high interest installment lenders operating across multiple states.

25+

Categories assessed

Each lender is evaluated across five weighted categories and 27 subcategories, covering affordability, eligibility, consumer experience, flexibility, and application process.

60+

Data points analyzed

Our team tracks and reassesses hundreds of data points annually, including APR ranges, fees, credit requirements, and borrower tools, ensuring up to date, accurate comparisons.

Star rating categories

We evaluate more categories than competitors and carefully weigh how each factor impacts your experience.

Affordability

25%

We review lenders’ annual percentage rate offerings and the competitiveness of each lenders’ APR range. We also assess whether a lender charges an origination fee and any opportunity for borrowers to receive a rate discount.

Customer experience

20%

We consider the experience of the consumer trying to manage a personal loan, which means accessibility of customer service representatives, whether borrowers can choose and change their payment due date, and the ability to track their loan on a mobile app.

Underwriting and eligibility

20%

We consider the rigorousness of each lender’s underwriting practices and how widely available their loans are. This category includes whether a lender does a hard credit check before providing a loan, the range of credit profiles they accept and how many states their loans are offered in.

Loan flexibility

20%

We assess how flexible lenders can be with borrowers, including whether they offer multiple loan types, personal loan amounts and repayment term options and whether they offer direct payment to creditors on debt consolidation loans.

Application process

15%

We consider the lender’s full application process, including a borrower’s ability to preview their loan offer via pre-qualification, whether basic loan information such as APR range and repayment terms are available and easy to find online and how quickly a loan can be funded after approval.

5.0

Overall score

NerdWallet’s review process evaluates and rates personal loan products from more than 30 financial technology companies and financial institutions. We collect over 60 data points and cross-check company websites, earnings reports and other public documents to confirm product details. We may also go through a lender’s pre-qualification flow and follow up with company representatives. NerdWallet writers and editors conduct a full fact check and update annually, but also make updates throughout the year as necessary.

Our star ratings award points to lenders that offer consumer-friendly features, including: soft credit checks to pre-qualify, competitive interest rates and no fees, transparency of rates and terms, flexible payment options, fast funding times, accessible customer service, reporting of payments to credit bureaus and financial education. Our ratings award fewer points to lenders with practices that may make a loan difficult to repay on time, such as charging high annual percentage rates (above 36%), underwriting that does not adequately assess consumers’ ability to repay and lack of credit-building help. We also consider regulatory actions filed by agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We weigh these factors based on our assessment of which are the most important to consumers and how meaningfully they impact consumers’ experiences.

NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings. Read more about our ratings methodologies for personal loans and our editorial guidelines.

Show more

Pros and cons of vacation loans

It’s always best to pay for a vacation with savings. But for urgent travel or a major trip you can’t afford outright, a vacation loan may make sense if it’s your cheapest option.

If you do take out a loan, make sure the monthly payments fit comfortably into your budget, and commit to paying off the loan on time.

Pros of vacation loans

Cons of vacation loans

How much do vacation loans cost?

The cost of a vacation loan is measured by its annual percentage rate, or APR, which includes interest and fees. APRs on personal loans range from about 6% to 36%. The lower the rate, the more affordable the loan.

For example, a two-year loan of $3,000 with an APR of 11% would have monthly payments of about $140 and cost $3,356 overall. That same loan with a 25% APR would require monthly payments of $160 and cost $3,843.

The rate you ultimately get depends mostly on your credit score and your debt-to-income ratio. The higher your credit score and the lower your DTI, the more likely you’ll get a low rate on a vacation loan.

Use NerdWallet’s free personal loan calculator to estimate your vacation loan’s monthly payments, based on the amount, rate and term.

How to get a vacation loan

1. Check your credit: The first step to getting a vacation loan is to check your credit report, which you can do for free on NerdWallet or at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Look for common errors, such as inaccurate credit limits, accounts you don’t recognize or incorrect late payments. Disputing these errors can help your credit score and your chances of getting a better rate. Paying off small debts can also help your credit score.

2. Know what terms you need: Estimate the total cost of the vacation in advance so you can request the right loan amount.

Also, consider how long you want to be paying off your loan, so you know your ideal repayment term. Lenders will ask for these loan details when you pre-qualify.

3. Pre-qualify: Pre-qualify with multiple lenders to see which offers the lowest rate and the repayment term that fits your budget.

Pre-qualifying involves filling out a short online application with the lender, and it won’t affect your credit score.

4. Gather documents and apply: Once you’ve decided on a lender, it’s time to apply.

Gather the necessary documents — including proof of identity, W-2s or pay stubs, your Social Security number and bank account numbers — and submit a formal application.

There will be a hard credit pull at this stage, which temporarily knocks a few points off your credit score.

5. Get funded and prepare to pay off the loan: Many online lenders offer same- or next-day funding, and pretty much all lenders can fund vacation loans within a week of approval.

Once you receive the funds in your account, plan for your new loan payment, which starts in about 30 days. Making the monthly payments on time is important to avoid late fees and hits to your credit.

» GET STARTED: Pre-qualify for free on NerdWallet to compare loan offers

Other ways to pay for your vacation

A vacation loan may not be your cheapest option for financing a trip. Consider these two alternatives, which charge zero interest.

0% APR credit card

A 0% APR credit card comes with no interest during its promotional period — usually 15 to 21 months. That means you can charge any vacation costs to the card, and as long as you pay it off before the promotional period ends, you won’t pay anything extra.

But be sure you can meet that deadline. Once the promotional period is over, you’ll pay the regular interest rate on any remaining balance, which can be more expensive than a personal loan.

You’ll need good or excellent credit to qualify for this type of card.

» COMPARE: The best 0% credit cards

Buy now, pay later

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) companies like Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay offer payment plans that can help cover travel costs. You may see a BNPL option when you go to book a flight or hotel online.

The most common plan is a pay-in-four, which splits your purchase into four installments, due every two weeks, with zero interest. Some companies offer longer plans, but these typically charge interest.

You won’t need good credit to qualify for BNPL, but make sure you can afford the payments. Most companies charge late fees and may report missed payments to the credit bureaus.

» COMPARE: The best buy now, pay later apps