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LendKey review

Updated September 30, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

LendKey fits US borrowers consolidating student debt who hold a degree, steady income and fair credit, and as a marketplace it puts a fixed rate of 3.98% to 9.24% in front of qualified applicants. The origination fee is $0 and funding arrives in A few days to a few weeks.

Key facts

Best for
US graduates refinancing student debt at a fixed rate, with an origination fee of $0.
APR
3.98% to 9.24%↗
Loan amount
from $5,000↗
Term
60 to 240 months↗
Arrangement fee
$0↗
Credit check
Soft prequal↗
Funding time
A few days to a few weeks↗
Rate type
Fixed↗
Lender type
Marketplace↗
Free early repayment
Yes↗
Eligibility
Bachelor's degree from an eligible school, minimum credit score of 650, steady employment, monthly income of at least $24,000, U.S. citizen or permanent resident↗
Origination fee (%)
0%↗
Loan types
Student, Debt-consolidation, Guarantor↗
Credit needed
Fair↗
Use cases
Home-improvement↗
Legal entity
LendKey Technologies, Inc.↗
Headquarters
United States↗
Founded
2009↗
Support channels
Phone, Email, Help-centre↗
Pricing model
Fixed rate
Official website
lendkey.com

Facts checked September 30, 2026, 5 sources

Apps and profiles

Elsewhere
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Pros and cons

Pros

  • Rates of 3.98% to 9.24% compare with 12.74% to 13.01% at Ibancar Prestamos, 21.59% at AXI Card Tarjeta y Credito and 23% at Mi Prestamo.
  • Free early repayment means a balance can be cleared ahead of schedule without a charge.
  • Applications open with a soft prequal credit check, which sits more gently on a credit file than a hard search.
  • Support runs on phone, email and help centre, so a person can be reached by phone or by email.
  • Loan types cover student, debt consolidation and guarantor, so a refinance can be aimed at student debt, consolidation or a guarantor arrangement.

Cons

  • LendKey is a marketplace, so a partner lender issues the loan and two sets of terms apply, the marketplace's and the lender's.
  • Borrowing covers a single market, with the business based in the United States and eligibility limited to US citizens or permanent residents.
  • Terms of 60 to 240 months run well past the site median of 36, so the balance stays open longer than on a typical personal loan here.
LendKey

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Who it suits

  • US residents with a bachelor's degree, steady employment and a minimum monthly income who want to refinance student loans at a fixed rate.
  • Borrowers who can clear a balance early without paying a charge for doing so.
  • People who would rather see offers from several partner lenders in one place than apply to a single bank.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Readers who want a Spanish-language provider rather than a US marketplace: Ibancar Prestamos at 12.74% to 13.01% and Mi Prestamo at 23% sit in the same comparison, while LendKey lends in the United States.
  • Applicants who miss the stated eligibility bar of a degree, a minimum credit score, steady employment and a minimum monthly income, and who would rather read a rate stated by a single brand such as AXI Card Tarjeta y Credito at 21.59%.

Who regulates it

LendKey is registered in the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) under 1266627. The company runs as a marketplace rather than as a bank that takes deposits, so the entity you apply through is the one that introduces you to a partner lender. That distinction matters for anyone weighing the paperwork: the NMLS record covers the company operating the marketplace, while the lender named in an offer is a separate firm whose own record and terms sit behind the rate you are shown.

Application and funding speed

Funding takes A few days to a few weeks once a partner lender has made an offer, so this is not a product that pays out the same week. The scale of any refinance is set by from $5,000 and 60 to 240 months: a longer term trims the monthly payment but leaves the balance open for longer, and a larger amount raises the payment on the same term. Checking both figures against the debt already on the balance sheet shows whether an offer is workable before the rate is discussed.

Deposit protection

Products here are loans rather than savings accounts, so there is no deposit sitting with the provider to be protected. What matters instead is who you contract with. LendKey operates as a marketplace, so a partner lender makes the loan and your agreement is with that lender, whose terms set the charges, the rate and the repayment schedule you are bound by. LendKey's own record in the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS), 1266627, identifies the company running the application, and the matched lender's offer documents are the documents worth reading closely.

The company behind it

The company is LendKey Technologies, Inc., based in the United States and founded in 2009. It works as a marketplace with a registration in the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) under 1266627. Support runs on phone, email and help centre, so help is available by phone, by email and through a help centre once an application is under way. Because the marketplace sits between applicants and lenders, the company handling the application and the lender holding the repayment relationship are two separate firms, and borrowers should keep both sets of documents.

How LendKey compares

Where LendKey is available

Available
United States
Licence in United States
National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) (1266627), checked September 30, 2026

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What rate would I pay on a LendKey refinance?+

LendKey publishes a fixed rate band of 3.98% to 9.24% and the rate type is fixed, so the cost of the loan does not move with market rates. The exact figure depends on your own credit file and the partner lender you are matched with, since LendKey is a marketplace rather than the lender itself.

What fees does LendKey charge on the loan?+

The origination fee is $0 and the percentage charge is 0%, so nothing is taken when the loan is set up. That keeps the opening cost of a refinance easy to compare, though the partner lender sets any charge that arises later in the life of the loan.

How much can I borrow and over what term?+

The borrowing amount runs from from $5,000 and the term runs 60 to 240 months, so the same rate can be stretched across a shorter or a longer repayment period. A longer term trims the monthly payment but keeps the balance open longer, which matters when the aim is clearing old student debt.

How long does it take to receive the money?+

Funding takes A few days to a few weeks once a partner lender has made an offer, so this is not a same-day product. The wait runs from the point a lender agrees terms with you, which is why the first step matters: checking is soft prequal and carries less weight on a credit file than a hard search.

Who actually lends the money I apply for?+

LendKey is a marketplace, so it introduces partner lenders rather than lending its own money. The loans available cover student, debt consolidation and guarantor, which includes student loans, debt consolidation and guarantor borrowing, and the lender that receives your application sets the final rate and terms you are bound by.

What credit and eligibility rules apply?+

The credit requirement is fair, and to qualify you need a degree from an eligible school, a credit score clear of the stated floor, regular employment, earnings above a monthly threshold, and US citizenship or permanent residency. The first check is soft prequal, which sits lighter on a credit file than a hard search.

Is LendKey regulated?+

LendKey is registered with the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) under 1266627, and the business is based in the United States. Since the loan itself comes from a partner lender in the marketplace, the NMLS record is the place to check who you are dealing with before signing an offer.

Can I repay a LendKey loan early?+

Free early repayment is available, so clearing the balance ahead of schedule carries no charge. On a fixed rate of 3.98% to 9.24% that is worth having, since the alternative is holding an open balance and paying interest longer than you need to. Ask the matched lender to confirm the same terms apply on the offer you are given.

Sources

  • nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/1266627 checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Licences

  • lendkey.com checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Legal entity

    “2026 LendKey Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. NMLS #1266627”

  • lendkey.com/about checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Lender type, Support channels

    “Our innovative cloud technology matches consumers with community banks and credit unions”

  • lendkey.com/disclosures checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: APR, Headquarters, Pricing model

    “As of 08/07/2026 student loan refinancing rates range from 3.98% to 9.24% Fixed APR with AutoPay”

  • lendkey.com/our-story checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Founded, Loan types, Use cases

    “Since 2009, we have empowered more than 350 financial institutions”

  • lendkey.com/student-loan-refinancing checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Loan amount, Credit check, Credit needed, Eligibility, Free early repayment, Funding time, Arrangement fee, Origination fee (%), Rate type, Term

    “Loan amount more than $5,000 unless you live in AZ ($10,001), CT ($50,001), or MA ($6,001)”

Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Representative example.

LendKey

LendKey

US graduates refinancing student debt at a fixed rate, with an origination fee of $0.

9.0/10Visit