The general US population is taken for almost three and a half billion dollars per year in extra fees by payday lending companies. Since these companies have put together a business model made to reap rewards from repeat borrowers, they can be classified as predatory. One of their favorite targets are members of the US armed forces in the form of what they will call US military loans or sometimes Armed Forces loans.

These companies of found that members of the USAF, Marines, or even the National Guard are ideal as targets for these types of loans. You, as a government employee, have a steady income from the US government and you have a very little to spare in most cases. Then, deployment time comes, and your family needs money for extra expenses. That is where these companies step in. They offer your family a quick cash payday loan at a “military loan” rate. The truth is, though, that they are taking very little off the rate and are only offering you and your family a loan that will force you to borrow again down the road to cover the original loan. These places will happily “roll over” your loan for a fee each week. Eventually you are in a debt trap.

Glad I Avoided the Scams…
… and went with the best when it comes to military lending!

- PFC Tony Baylor, US Army

Avoid fake military lending sites – Apply Today!

The other thing that makes military personnel vulnerable to these payday loan traps is that they are often young and inexperienced with money. Then, as debt builds up, the indebted military personnel are embarrassed to admit their problem to their CO and end up continuing to borrow and pay only on interest and roll over fees. They are fearful for good reason, since failing to repay a loan violates a number of military codes that can result in jail time and or court marshal.

So what is the answer? Many of these fake military loan companies are being kept away from military bases. Additionally, they are being forbidden from using names that imply affiliation with the military, which is a common practice with these military loan payday check cashing stores.

In the end, it is up to you to beware. It is a good rule of thumb to simply avoid any payday loan store, but any that offer special military loans are likely just targeting you or your base for a cycle of debt you want no part of. If you have financial problems, many bases are even offering financial advice to young recruits. So ask for help, but avoid the trap that is payday military loans.

First, you should understand that the fast military loans do have a maximum. You can generally only borrow up to $10,000 at a time. If you need a larger loan, there are other ways to go. With a little research you will be able to find a military benefit that can help you in such a situation. For the purposes of military loans in general, though, we must look at a maximum of $10,000. Once you have your money, then you should think about how you pay it back.

For most military loans, the member of the Air Force, Marines, or other branch of the military will get one full year, or 12 months, to pay back the money. The payments can be made a number of ways, which are totally up to you in most cases. You can pay monthly, weekly, or through your paycheck. It just depends on how you would like to set it up. Just remember, though, that even though the interest rate is low, you will likely be compounding it daily as your loan sits unpaid.

The most common way to pay back your military loan is through allotments. When the money is taken directly from your military paycheck to pay off your military loan, you are taking late fees out of the equation. In fact, some companies will require that you pay back your loan this way. They know the money is coming, you don’t have to remember to write a check each month, and your entire loan will undoubtedly be paid off in time. It is a great deal.

You should note as well that there are no pre-payment penalties on military loans. No matter how early you pay off the money you borrowed, you will only pay the amount. No fees, no extra interest, and no problems with early payment. That means that you can save on interest if you are able to get the money together earlier. Good news for you and your bank account if you are a military personnel.

Military loans are becoming a benefit that is used often by those in the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, or even National Guard. With the information above, you now have a better understanding not only of what a military loan is, but also how the repayment of such a loan is possible. It is a great way to get your emergency cash and the repayment is easy.