There are all kinds of loans being offered out there that should be avoided at all costs. The loans that tend to be the most risky and subject to potential abuse are loans that are short term and normally needed by people who are in desperate situations. Though there are some companies who do offer short-term loans in a responsible way, the majority tend to charge very high rates of interest and punitive charges if you find yourself getting behind with the payments. This is why they are best avoided. One of the worst types of loan for this kind of risk are payday loans. Payday loans are designed to be offered as a very short term cash advance for individuals who find themselves short of money and between wage payments. They might be short because they have had a sudden debt arise, or because they have run out of money to buy the family food shopping, or because their child needs something extra for school. In such circumstances, if using a reputable company, there is a use for a payday loan but they should really only be used as a last resort when you have explored all the other avenues.
Firstly, ask yourself a couple of questions. Could you not manage for a week or two without the money? If so, why take on a loan with such high interest? If it’s that urgent, aren’t there any other avenues open to you? Have you tried talking to your bank and seeing if you can either get an overdraft facility or extend your current overdraft facility? If not, then what about your credit cards? Is there any room left on any of your credit cards for you to take a small cash advance until the end of the month? You would think that that might be more expensive but that is not the case. Credit cards charge high interest but payday loans are way more expensive. For every £100 you borrow on a payday loan you will be paying back £30 for every month that you borrow it. That might not appear to be too bad but if you work it out as APR it comes in at a whopping 2,250%! And things get even worse if you cannot pay it back at the end of the month.
In short, if you can find any other way to find the cash, take that! If you are getting one of these loans as a last resort then make sure you go with a company that is respected, has all the correct financial authority accreditation, and does not charge exorbitant rates on its short-term payday loans. Lastly, never, ever borrow more than your monthly salary, because you will get yourself into serious financial trouble.