Self Lender Review: Build Your Credit Score with CD-Secured Loans

— Review updated Nov 2025

- Nov 4, 2025

Self Lender offers an innovative solution for those struggling with bad credit or no credit history. Their credit-builder loans provide a structured path to establishing credit with transparent terms.

While their fees and interest rates are moderate, the unique value proposition makes them worth considering. The locked CD approach ensures discipline but requires commitment from users.

An effective tool for credit building, though not the cheapest option available.

Read the full review

Self Lender At glance

Popularity

The popularity score indicates the percentage of customers choosing this company the last 90 days.

Customer Experience

Customers appreciate the straightforward structure, educational resources, and transparent fees. Most complaints involve account closure issues or occasional reporting delays to credit bureaus, but overall satisfaction is high.

Company name

Self Lender

Website

https://www.self.inc

Phone

1-877-883-0999

Email

support@self.inc

Address

515 Congress Ave, Suite 2200, Austin, TX 78701

Pricing

Self Lender charges moderate admin fees ($9-15) with APRs ranging from 12-15.65%. While serving a unique niche, the overall costs are somewhat above average compared to traditional credit-building options.

Customer Support

Based on research, Self Lender offers average customer support with response times typically within 3-5 business days. Support appears adequate but with some complaints about offshore service and occasional resolution issues.

Terms and Flexibility

Clear, transparent loan structure with well-defined commitment levels. All fees and terms are explicitly stated upfront. Self Lender offers flexibility with multiple payment options, though funds remain locked until maturity.

Pros & Cons

Innovative Credit-Building Approach: Self Financial offers a unique "credit builder loan" that helps people with poor credit or no credit history establish or rebuild their credit. The loan proceeds are held in a CD until maturity.
No Hard Credit Check Required: Self Financial performs only a soft credit pull during the application process, which doesn't negatively impact your credit score.
Accessible to High-Risk Borrowers: With minimal requirements (being at least 18 years old, having a bank account, and providing basic identification), Self Financial makes credit-building accessible to people usually rejected by traditional lenders.
Flexible Payment Options: Self Financial offers multiple payment plans with different monthly commitment levels ($25, $48, $89, or $150), allowing users to choose an option that fits their budget.
Dual Benefit - Credit Building and Savings: Beyond just improving credit scores through regular payment reporting to all three major credit bureaus, SelfFinancial model creates a savings account that provides users with a lump sum at the end of term.

Relatively High APRs and Fees: Self Financial charges APRs ranging from 12.03% to 15.65% along with administrative fees between $9 and $15. These rates are higher than many traditional secured credit options.
No Immediate Access to Funds: Unlike traditional loans, Self Financial's credit builder loan doesn't provide immediate access to the borrowed funds. The money is locked in a CD until maturity (12 or 24 months).

Details

SelfLender Loan

Terms & fees

Loan amount$600 - $1,800

Term1 year - 2 years

Annual interest rate15.92%

Origination fee$9

Requirements

Minimum age18

Minimum income$0

National bank requiredNo

National phone number requiredYes

Citizenship requiredYes

Electronic identificationYes

Features

Cosigner possibleNo

Revocation periodNo

Accept bad credit historyYes

Weekend payoutNo

Loan extensionsNo

Early paybackYes

Payment within 24 hoursNo

Loan brokerNo

Interest free loanNo

Additional fields

Payment hoursAlways Open

Approval rate90%

High approval rateNo

Credit check companyExperian, Equifax, TransUnion

Recommended companyYes

Get started

Do you have bad credit and find yourself struggling to figure out how to boost it because you can’t get a loan or credit cards? Or maybe you’re new to credit and can’t establish yourself because your lack of credit is preventing you from getting credit cards and loans. Self Lender’s innovative program may be the perfect solution to each of these issues.

In a nutshell, Self Lender issues you a loan, but places it in a secured account until you pay it off. This guarantees Self Lender won’t lose money, making it easier to get a loan with no credit or bad credit, and helps you build your credit quickly.

So how does it work? Keep reading to find out.

How does Self Lender work?

Self Lender has found a creative way to lend money to high-risk borrowers that allows them to build their credit without a lot of fees and without exposing themselves and their investors to huge risk. They are able to do this by lending you an amount of money based on your monthly savings commitment. Depending on the monthly commitment level you select, Self Lender will issue you a loan and place the loan proceeds in a 12- or 24-month CD account.

Once the CD reaches its maturity date, you are finished paying off the loan, and Self Lender releases the funds to you. So, not only have you built your credit score, but you’ve also established a small nest egg you can build upon in the coming years.

One thing to keep in mind is that this CD is locked, so you cannot access the funds until its maturity date. This is not a personal loan where you can use the funds to immediately buy a car or do home repairs. This is purely a loan to help build your credit.

As you make payments, Self Lender will report those payments to all three credit bureaus, helping boost or establish your credit score.

Who can get a loan from Self Lender?

Getting a loan from Self Lender is similar to any other loan. You’ll need to provide your Social Security number, you must be a permanent U.S. resident with a permanent address, you must be at least 18 years old and you must have a bank account. Self Lender also requires a phone number and email address, but it does not require any proof of income.

What are Self Lender’s terms?

Self Lender’s terms vary with the monthly commitment you choose. There are four monthly commitment levels to choose from: $25, $48, $89 and $150. The terms for each are as follows:

$25 Admin fee: $9 Payments: $25 per month Term: 24 months Interest Rate: 13.16% APR: 14.92% Finance charges: $84 Total payments: $600 Payout: $525
Admin fee: $9
Payments: $25 per month
Term: 24 months
Interest Rate: 13.16%
APR: 14.92%
Finance charges: $84
Total payments: $600
Payout: $525
$48 Admin fee: $15 Payments: $48 per month Term: 12 months Interest Rate: 10.34% APR: 15.65% Finance charges: $46 Total payments: $576 Payout: $545
Admin fee: $15
Payments: $48 per month
Term: 12 months
Interest Rate: 10.34%
APR: 15.65%
Finance charges: $46
Total payments: $576
Payout: $545
$89 Admin fee: $12 Payments: $89 per month Term: 12 months Interest Rate: 12.32% APR: 14.62% Finance charges: $80 Total payments: $1,068 Payout: $1,000
Admin fee: $12
Payments: $89 per month
Term: 12 months
Interest Rate: 12.32%
APR: 14.62%
Finance charges: $80
Total payments: $1,068
Payout: $1,000
$150 Admin fee: $12 Payments: $150 per month Term: 12 months Interest Rate: 10.69% APR: 12.03% Finance charges: $112 Total payments: $1,800 Payout: $1,700
Admin fee: $12
Payments: $150 per month
Term: 12 months
Interest Rate: 10.69%
APR: 12.03%
Finance charges: $112
Total payments: $1,800
Payout: $1,700

What’s great about Self Lender is that it does not do a hard credit pull when approving you for a loan, dropping your score even further due to an additional inquiry. Because its interests are protected by the CD in your name, Self Lender only needs to perform a soft credit pull to confirm your identity and ensure accurate reporting, which does not show up on your credit report.

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