Self review
Updated September 30, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Self suits US adults rebuilding poor credit who want a fixed loan and a secured card that needs no credit inquiry, and the 24 months term on the loan keeps the commitment short. The card's annual percentage rate of 27.49% is the price of holding it.
Key facts
- Best for
- Rebuilding poor credit in the US with a fixed loan and a secured card that skips the credit inquiry.
- APR
- 27.49%↗
- Term
- 24 months↗
- Rate type
- Fixed↗
- Lender type
- Broker↗
- Free early repayment
- Yes↗
- Eligibility
- At least 18 years of age and resident in the United States↗
- Loan types
- Secured↗
- Credit needed
- Poor↗
- Legal entity
- Self Financial, Inc.↗
- Headquarters
- United States↗
- Founded
- 2015↗
- Support channels
- Phone, Chat, Help-centre, Email↗
- Pricing model
- Fixed rate
- Features
- Secured
- Official website
- selflender.com
Credit cards
- Annual fee
- $25↗
- Rewards type
- None↗
- Perks
- No credit inquiry required, Low $100 minimum security deposit, Reports to all three credit bureaus, Instant debit for a $3.50 fee, High approval rates↗
- Card kind
- Credit↗
- Regulators
- NMLS (Self Credit LLC), Texas Department of Banking (Regulated Lender), Connecticut Department of Financial Services (Small Loan Company), Ohio Department of Consumer Finance (Consumer Installment Loan Act), New Hampshire Department of Banking (Small Loan), South Dakota Division of Banking (Money Lender), Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (Loan Broker)↗
Facts checked September 30, 2026, 7 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- LinkedInXinstagram.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- No credit inquiry is needed to open the card, and it is designed around poor credit, so a damaged file is not a barrier.
- Card payments report to the credit bureaus, so the account builds a record that a loan on its own would not (No credit inquiry required, Low $100 minimum security deposit and Reports to all three credit bureaus).
- Early repayment is free, so clearing the credit-builder loan ahead of schedule cuts what you pay.
- The loan runs on a fixed rate, so the monthly figure holds steady across the 24 months commitment.
- Support runs on phone, chat and help centre, so phone, live chat and written help are all open to you.
Cons
- The card adds an annual fee of $25 on top of an annual percentage rate of 27.49%, so a carried balance is costly.
- The rewards type is none, so nothing comes back on what you spend.
- The loan runs 24 months, a shorter commitment than the 12 to 60 months term at ibancar.
- As a broker, Self sits between you and the lender, so the agreement you sign names a partner.
Who it suits
- Adults in the US with poor credit who want a card and a short loan that both feed into their credit file.
- People who can clear a short fixed commitment quickly, because early repayment is free and the term is 24 months.
- Borrowers who want a fixed monthly cost they can see up front, since the rate type is fixed.
Who should look elsewhere
- Borrowers who want a longer window, since ibancar lists 12 to 60 months where Self runs 24 months.
- Anyone who prefers instalments on a different schedule, such as mi-prestamo at 2 to 12 months, rather than the shorter 24 months here.
- Borrowers who want the shortest possible commitment, where axi-card lists 1 month and the Self term of 24 months runs longer.
Regulation and registers
Self works in the US market, and the entity behind the lending side, Self Credit LLC, appears on the NMLS Consumer Access register under 2167345. That register entry is the reference point for confirming who you would actually be contracting with before you sign anything. The structure is worth pausing on as well: Self is listed as a broker, so it introduces applicants to a lending partner rather than carrying every facility on its own books. Registration is a baseline for any US lender, and this one can be checked by name.
Safety of your money
Safety here comes down to who holds your agreement. Self is a broker, which means the product you end up with sits with a partner provider, so the contract you sign names that partner rather than the name you saw in the advert. Brokering adds a step to the chain, and the register is what makes that step verifiable: Self Credit LLC is listed with NMLS Consumer Access under 2167345, so you can confirm the entity exists and check what it is authorised to do before committing. Read the agreement for the partner's name rather than the brand's.
Rates and costs
The card's annual percentage rate of 27.49% is the number to weigh first, because that is what a carried balance costs when it cannot be cleared in full. In plain terms it is a high rate, and that rate is the price of access to this kind of card. Early repayment is free, and that is the friendlier side of the picture: on the credit-builder loan you can clear the balance ahead of schedule at no charge, so paying sooner genuinely lowers what you pay. Plan around the card rate and retire the loan early.
Who runs it
The brand is run by Self Financial, Inc., a US company based in the United States and trading since 2015. The lending side sits with a separate registered entity, Self Credit LLC, which appears with NMLS Consumer Access under 2167345. Day to day contact runs across phone, chat and help centre, so help comes by phone and live chat as well as in writing and through a help centre. For a product aimed at rebuilding credit, being reachable on several channels is a practical plus, and this one is.
How Self compares
Where Self is available
- Available
- United States
- Licence in United States
- NMLS Consumer Access (Self Credit LLC) (2167345), checked September 30, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Does the Self credit card need a credit check?+
No inquiry is made, which is the point of the card. The minimum security deposit is low, so approval rests on your deposit rather than your credit file, and the card is designed around poor credit. It is a credit card, so it works as a way to show a payment record rather than as a borrowing tool.
What does the Self secured card cost to hold and to borrow?+
The card carries an annual fee of $25 and an annual percentage rate of 27.49%, and both sit on the card account rather than on the credit-builder loan. They apply to different things, so keep them apart in your own sums. The rate only bites if you carry a balance, so clearing the card in full each month is the cheap way to use it.
Does the Self card pay cashback or points?+
No. The rewards type is none, so there is no cashback, no points and no miles on your spending. The value sits on the credit-building side instead, because a secured card that reports its payments is aimed at a file that needs history. Treat the card as a way to show a record rather than as a card to earn on.
Is my money safe with Self, and who do I actually deal with?+
Self is a broker, so the product you end up with sits with a partner provider and the contract you sign names that partner rather than the name in the advert. Brokering adds a step to the chain, and the register is what makes that step verifiable: Self Credit LLC is listed with NMLS Consumer Access under 2167345, so you can check the entity before you commit.
Can I repay the Self credit-builder loan early without a charge?+
Yes, early repayment is free, so clearing the balance ahead of schedule costs nothing extra. The loan is a fixed rate, so your monthly figure does not move while the 24 months commitment runs, and finishing early simply stops the cost building further. That makes it the cheapest way to use a credit-builder loan.
How long is the Self loan compared with other lenders?+
The credit-builder loan runs 24 months, which is a short commitment and keeps the total cost contained. If you want a longer window, ibancar lists 12 to 60 months and mi-prestamo lists 2 to 12 months, while axi-card shows 1 month. Shorter is cheaper overall but leaves less room for a bad month at work.
How do I get help from Self?+
Support runs on phone, chat and help centre, so you can reach the team by phone, in live chat or in writing, with a help centre for the routine questions. Correspondence is handled by Self Financial, Inc., the entity named in the terms and based in the United States. For anyone without a steady credit file, a named contact makes awkward questions easier to ask.
Who runs Self and who can apply?+
The brand is run by Self Financial, Inc., based in the United States and trading since 2015. The lending side sits with Self Credit LLC, the entity shown on the NMLS Consumer Access register. To apply you must be an adult living in the United States, so this is not a route for readers in the UK or Europe.
Sources
- selflender.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Lender type
“This is a loan solicitation only. Self Credit LLC (NMLS ID# 2167345) is not the lender.”
- selflender.com/credit-builder-loan checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Credit needed, Free early repayment, Loan types, Pricing model, Rate type, Term
“So whether you have bad credit or no credit at all, you can use Self to get on track towards building your dreams.”
- selflender.com/terms-of-service checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Eligibility, Support channels
“You are at least 18 years of age ... You reside in the United States and in the state and at the address you have or will provide to us”
- nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/2167345 checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Licences
- self.inc/about checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Founded
“Self began in 2015 after a mistake with Founder James Garvey's credit card”
- self.inc/licenses checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Regulators
- self.inc/terms-of-service checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity
“Self Financial, Inc. c/o Legal Department PO Box 11 Southlake, TX 76092-9998”
- self.inc/visa-secured-credit-card checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Annual fee, APR, Card kind, Features, Perks, Rewards type
“Intro annual fee for new customers (first year) $0; Standard annual fee $25 (Self Visa Credit Card, secured)”
Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Loan amount, Arrangement fee, Credit check, Funding time, Representative example.
Self
Rebuilding poor credit in the US with a fixed loan and a secured card that skips the credit inquiry.