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Achieve HELOC Review 2026
Last updated on May 6, 2026
Written by
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Our Take
4.5
HELOCs
NerdWallet rating
The Nerdy headline:
Achieve focuses on serving borrowers with low or bad credit, accepting scores as low as 600. It’s a good fit if you want to access your equity fast with a fixed-rate option to repay. Line amounts up to $500,000. There is no annual fee.
Jump to:Full Review
Great for: Predictable payments that include both principal and interest
National / regional
National
Max LTV
85%
Min. credit score
600
Loan types and products
Home Equity
Pros
- Experienced in helping low-credit borrowers.
- Offers fixed-rate option for predictable payments.
- Can access funds as soon as 10 days after applying.
Cons
- Full initial draw required, with short redraw period of five years.
- HELOCs not available for second homes.
Compare to Other Lenders
NATIONAL / REGIONAL
National
NATIONAL / REGIONAL
National
MAX LTV
85%
MAX LTV
85%
MIN. CREDIT SCORE
600
MIN. CREDIT SCORE
670
LOAN TYPES AND PRODUCTS
Home Equity
LOAN TYPES AND PRODUCTS
Purchase, Refinance, Home Equity, Jumbo, Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA
Full Review
💲Achieve HELOC Rates
HELOC rates are determined by two things. The first is the prime rate, which is what banks pay to borrow from one another. The second part is a margin, which the lender calculates based on your financial qualifications (including your credit score, existing debts and income). The prime rate plus your margin equals your HELOC rate offer.
Current prime rate — last changed Dec. 2025 | Prime rate last week | Prime rate in the past year — low | Prime rate in the past year — high | Projected median prime rate for 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
6.75% | 6.75% | 6.75% | 7.5% | 6.4% |
Borrowers can see sample HELOC rates on the Achieve website.
👍 Reasons to get an Achieve HELOC
Achieve provides options for borrowers with low or bad credit, particularly those looking for options to consolidate debt. Its minimum required credit score for HELOCs is 600. The lender promises fast closings, allowing you to access equity in as little as 10 days after you apply.
HELOCs generally have a lower interest rate than credit cards and personal loans, so if you use one to consolidate debt, you could save money and pay off your debt faster.
Achieve offers a fixed-rate repayment option to keep payments predictable. That can be a plus if you’re consolidating debt from credit cards, which usually have higher, variable rates. Borrowers have plenty of options for repayment terms: 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. There’s no annual fee or prepayment penalty.
Rate discounts of 0.50% are available for borrowers who use autopay and borrowers who have paid off their first mortgage.
» MORE: Best HELOC lenders
🤔 Reasons why Achieve’s HELOC gives us pause
With its debt consolidation focus in mind, it makes sense that Achieve’s HELOC limits aren’t as high as other lenders’. While some lenders let you borrow $1 million or more, Achieve limits HELOCs to $500,000. A full draw is required at the start, although you can redraw within the first five years.
Achieve HELOCs aren’t available on second homes. Fees vary by state, but expect to pay an origination fee up to 3.5% of the line amount and an underwriting fee up to $725.
🤓
Using a HELOC for debt consolidation can be risky, so NerdWallet recommends exploring other alternatives first. Unlike a credit card, a HELOC uses your house as collateral — so you risk foreclosure if you can’t keep up with payments. Nerdy Tip
📎 Ways to apply for an Achieve HELOC
How to Apply | Availability |
Online 🧑💻 | ✅ |
Over the phone 📞 | ✅ |
Mobile app 📶 | 🚫 |
In person 🏦 | 🚫 |
You can contact Achieve customer service by phone or email.
🛒 Alternatives to an Achieve HELOC
Wondering if another lender or product might be a better fit? It’s worth shopping around to learn more about your options.
If you’re looking for a HELOC lender that accepts less-than-perfect credit, Andrews Federal Credit Union tells us it accepts scores as low as 580. That doesn’t mean approval is guaranteed, though. Factors like your debt-to-income ratio also affect your ability to qualify for a HELOC, and lenders charge higher interest rates to borrowers with weaker credit.
If you want more flexibility when you open a HELOC, Fourleaf Federal Credit Union doesn’t require an initial draw, although you do need to take money out if you want to secure its promotional interest rate discount. It also offers a longer draw period of 10 years.
A HELOC isn’t your only option
You can also explore products outside of HELOCs. Alternatives to home equity lines of credit include a home equity loan, which offers a lump sum with a fixed rate, or a cash-out refinance, which replaces your existing mortgage with a larger loan.
Borrow from your home’s equity
Methodology
NerdWallet rates home equity line of credit lenders based on what matters most to borrowers: HELOC rates and fees, how much of a lender’s business is dedicated to home equity lines of credit, HELOC market share, product accessibility, borrowing flexibility and features, customer experience and rate transparency.
We review more than 40 lenders and score HELOC lenders using a weighted system that prioritizes affordability, flexibility and a smooth borrowing experience. Lenders earn higher scores for offering lower borrowing costs, higher combined loan-to-value (CLTV) limits, flexible draw and repayment terms, fixed-rate options, faster closing times and clear, accessible rate information, along with strong customer support throughout the process.
We use a mix of lender-provided information, publicly available data and our own analysis to evaluate each lender. Recent regulatory actions may affect a lender’s score.