LightStream Review
8.4
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LightStream Reviews

8.4
Lauren Le-Hair

WRITTEN BY

Lauren Le-Hair

Top value loans
Top value loans
About LightStream

LightStream is a division of Truist Financial Corporation, acting as its online loans division. LightStream market itself as offering personal loans for practically any purpose, providing loan funding for people with good to excellent credit ratings.

LightStream was founded in 2012 and launched in 2013 as a division of SunTrust Bank. When SunTrust and BB&T merged in 2019, becoming Truist, LightStream came along as part of the deal, and it hasn’t looked back. Another selling point of LightStream’s offering is its same-day loans, where personal loan funding can be in your account on the same day you apply.

9.0

LS SCORE

8.0

CREDIBILITY

5.0

SUPPORT

6.0

ACCESSIBILITY

LightStream Personal Loans Review

LightStream offers a massive range of different types of loans, covering every possible need. Its personal loan offering is very flexible, allowing borrowers to get access to many different terms and structures. There should be something for everyone with the LightStream personal loan offering.

LightStream Personal Loans Highlights

LOAN AMOUNT

$5,000 - $100,000

LOAN REPAYMENT TERM

2-7 years

MIN CREDIT SCORE

660

APR FIXED RATE

5.99% - 24.49%

APR VARIABLE RATE

5.99% - 24.49%

FUNDING TIME

1 days

ORIGINATION FEE

None

PREPAYMENT FEE

None

OTHER FEES

None

SOFT CREDIT PULL

No

LENDER TYPE

Direct

Pros & Cons

  • Variety of loan products
  • Completely online process
  • Fast time to funding
  • Trustworthy lender
  • No co-signers allowable

Personal Loans Types

  • Secured Personal Loans
  • Unsecured Personal Loans
  • Fixed-Rate Personal Loans
  • Variable-Rate Personal Loans

Loan Purpose

  • Car
  • Major Purchase
  • Household Expenses
  • Vacation
  • Wedding
  • Other

LightStream Personal Loans Terms & Requirements

You can get a personal loan from LightStream to cover a wide range of different reasons. It allows you to borrow between $5,000 and $100,000. The typical repayment terms are usually between 2 and 7 years. Typically, borrowers will need to have a credit score of at least 660 in order to qualify.

The APR that you get for your loan depends on numerous factors, including your credit history and current income level. There is a discount on your APR if you set up autopay. LightStream does not charge any application fees, origination fees, late fees, or prepayment fees.

Qualification Requirements

  • Available in every state
  • Credit score of at least 660
  • Certain income requirements
  • US citizen or permanent resident

Required Information

  • Primary loan purpose
  • Current address
  • Loan amount required
  • Social Security Number
  • Country of citizenship
  • Monthly expenses
  • Bank account information

Application Steps & Time Frames

If your application gets approval before 2:30pm ET, then you will usually be able to receive your borrowed funds on the same day.

Otherwise, you will typically get the funds the following day. You will need to have reviewed the terms of the loan and electronically signed the relevant agreement before any funds can be processed.

State Availability

Available in all states

LightStream Auto Loans Review

LightStream states that it provides personal loans for practically any purpose, and one of the main reasons people get a LightStream loan is to buy a new vehicle. Unlike most auto loans, LightStream does not use your vehicle as collateral, so there are no restrictions on what type of car, motorcycle, truck, or RV you buy. Therefore, unlike most auto loan companies, you can buy the classic car you’ve always dreamed of.

LightStream auto loans are strictly for those with a good to excellent credit rating. As such, if you meet this criteria and are looking for a loan for a new vehicle, you should check out what LightStream has to offer.

LightStream Auto Loans Highlights

LOAN AMOUNT

$5,000 - $100,000

LOAN REPAYMENT TERM

24-84 months

MIN CREDIT SCORE

660

APR FIXED RATE

3.99% - 20.49%

FUNDING TIME

48 hours

ORIGINATION FEE

None

PREPAYMENT FEE

None

OTHER FEES

None

MAX VEHICLE AGE

100 years

SOFT CREDIT PULL

No

LENDER TYPE

Direct

Pros & Cons

  • No restrictions on the vehicle that you can buy
  • Competitive interest rates
  • No fees associated with the loan
  • 0.5% deduction in APR if you register through Autopay
  • No pre-qualification available
  • Not available to people with a credit score lower than good
  • No flexibility to change the due date once you have entered the loan

Auto Loans Types

  • Secured Auto Loans
  • Unsecured Auto Loans
  • Simple Interest Loans

Vehicle Types

  • Car
  • Motorcycle
  • Truck
  • EV
  • Snowmbile
  • Auto Repair
  • Watercraft

LightStream Auto Loans Terms & Requirements

Unlike most auto loan providers, LightStream has no restrictions on vehicle requirements as the vehicle is not used as collateral for the loan. Therefore, you could use your auto loan for a broader range of vehicles than standard auto loans, from trucks to RVs and everything in between.

LightStream states that a personal auto loan can be used for the following purposes:

  • New auto purchase
  • Used auto purchase from the dealer
  • Used auto purchase from individual
  • Auto lease buyout
  • Auto loan refinance
  • Motorcycle purchase or refinance

Loans can be taken out between 24-84 months, but the loan term cannot be changed after it has been entered into. LightStream has a higher minimum loan amount compared to most auto loan providers of $5,000, with a maximum amount that you can borrow of $100,000.

A minimum credit score of 660 is required, meaning your credit score will need to be good or excellent to be eligible. This figure is higher than most auto loan providers. APRs vary from 5.99 to 11.49%, which is very competitive.

Overall, the loan terms are pretty good and worth pursuing if you meet the credit score requirements. While the APR is competitive in the marketplace, make sure you are happy with your repayment term, as you will not be able to change this later.

How to Apply

We decided to try out the LightStream auto loan application process as we were looking to get finance to buy a new car. After visiting the LightStream website, we navigated to the Auto Loans section and hit “Apply Now” to get started.

After selecting Apply Now, we were greeted with a Loan Application section outlining the basic requirements for obtaining an auto loan with LightStream. This info included acknowledging that we need a good credit rating and sufficient income and assets to support our existing debt obligations and requested loan amount.

This form was followed by a longer form requesting personal information. This included our name, email address, home address, housing status, SSN, date of birth, driver’s license, citizenship status, employment information, income/financial information, housing costs, and savings status. While this may seem lengthy, this section took only a few minutes to complete.

Screen 1

Welcome screen

After completing this, we had to register an account, complete with a password and security question. Finally, we moved to the “Confirm and Submit” section, where we could review our loan application and submit our application if we were happy with the terms. Doing so initiated a hard credit check, so it is essential to double-check the details before applying.

Our application was accepted within a minute, and the rate we were offered was shown to us. The rate is fixed for 30 days, so we were able to take our time and think whether this was the right loan for us. After careful consideration, we proceeded with the loan. After uploading our proof of ID, driver’s license, and bank account details, we signed the loan agreement, and the process was complete. The loan application was lengthy, but we could still complete it quickly.

Qualification Requirements

  • A minimum credit score of 660
  • At least 18 years old
  • Citizen or permanent resident of the US with a Social Security Number
  • Steady provable income

Required Information

If you want to apply for an auto loan from LightStream, you will need to provide the following information:

  • Proof of ID
  • Driver’s license
  • Insurance
  • Proof of income
  • Proof of residence
  • Bank account details

Application Steps & Time Frames

While the application form was longer than similar auto loan providers, it was still relatively quick to complete, with the process completed in over ten minutes. Once funding was approved, it took 24 hours to receive the funds, which is faster than many auto loan providers.

State Availability

Available in all states

LightStream Business Loans Review

While LightStream does not offer out and out business loans, it does provide a wide range of loans for different types of purposes it appears that businesses will be able to get unsecured loans from LightStream in the same way as an individual might get a personal loan.

LightStream Business Loans Highlights

LOAN AMOUNT

$5,000 - $100,000

LOAN REPAYMENT TERM

2-7 years

FUNDING TIME

1 days

TIME IN BUSINESS

months

ORIGINATION FEE

None

PREPAYMENT FEE

None

OTHER FEES

None

MIN CREDIT SCORE

660

SOFT CREDIT PULL

No

LENDER TYPE

Direct

Pros & Cons

  • No origination or prepayment fees
  • Offers large loans up to $100,000
  • A division of the reputable SunTrust Bank—one of the nation’s top financial services companies
  • You can receive funds as quickly as the same day you apply (conditions apply)
  • LightStream does not offer pre-approval with a soft credit check
  • Caters to those with good credit

Business Loans Type

  • Business Term Loan

LightStream Business Loans Terms & Requirements

As LightStream does not offer defined business loans, you will be looking at similar offerings to what you get with personal loans. Generally, you will be able to get loans of between $5,000 and $100,000. A typical repayment time period for a LightStream loan will be 2-7 years, while a credit score of at least 660 is going to be necessary.

The APR that you receive for your loan is going to be dependent on different factors such as your revenue and credit history. There is an autopay discount available at LightStream. No application fees, late fees, prepayment fees, or origination fees are charged.

Qualification Requirements

  • Available in every state
  • Credit score of at least 660
  • Certain revenue requirements
  • US citizen or permanent resident

Required Information

  • Primary loan purpose
  • Current address
  • Loan amount required
  • Key business details
  • Monthly expenses
  • Bank account information

Application Steps & Time Frames

If you have your application submitted before 2:30pm and all of the necessary documents have been supplied and the loan terms signed electronically, you can often receive your funds on the same day. Otherwise, you will normally get access to the money by the following day.

State Availability

Available in all states

Privacy & Security

LightStream’s privacy policy states that it may share your personal information and information about your creditworthiness for marketing purposes. Yet, you can limit sharing by visiting the Preferences section of its customer service page or by emailing privacy@lightstream.com.

LightStream has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. The company has closed over 1,900 customer complaints during the past three years. LightStream has an average 1.06/5-star rating with the BBB.

Customer Support

LightStream has received mixed reviews online for its levels of customer care and support, with many online reviews giving adverse reports about the support provided. Much of the criticism comes from the fact that customer service can only be contacted through email and not by any other means. We emailed a query about APRs and required credit ratings and received a response within four hours, which isn’t the quickest response time. Full details for getting in touch with LightStream are shown below.

In Conclusion

LightStream is an excellent option for a personal, business, or auto loan if you have a good to excellent credit rating. LightStream offers competitive interest rates and rapid funding, and it is straightforward to apply for a personal loan. We have noted that customer service is not as efficient as it should be, so if you value speedy and responsive customer support, it may be worth considering another personal loan provider.

FAQ

Is LightStream a legit company?
Yes, LightStream has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and is a division of Truist Financial, one of the largest banks in the US.
Can I apply for a loan from LightStream with a bad credit rating?
No, LightStream personal loans are only available to people with a good to excellent credit rating.
Does LightStream offer fixed and variable rate loans?
Unfortunately not, LightStream offer fixed rate loans only.

LightStream Disclaimer

LightStream is a part of Truist Bank. While most correspondence will come from LightStream, you might notice the name Truist on certain communications from us. We continue to serve customers across all 50 states, and you do not need to be an existing customer to qualify for a LightStream loan.

Your loan terms, including APR, may differ based on loan purpose, amount, term length, and credit profile. The lowest rates require excellent credit. At least 22% of approved applicants applying for the lowest rate qualified for the lowest rate available based on data from 07/01/2022 to 09/30/2022.

Rate is quoted with an AutoPay discount. AutoPay discount is only available before loan funding. Rates without AutoPay are 0.50% points higher. Subject to credit approval. Conditions and limitations apply. Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice.

Disclosure

This website is an informative comparison site that aims to offer its users find helpful information regarding the products and offers that will be suitable for their needs. We are able to maintain a free, high-quality service by receiving advertising fees from the brands and service providers we review on this website (though we may also review brands we are not engaged with). These advertising fees, combined with our criteria and methodology, such as the conversion rates, our team of reviewer's finding and subjective experience and product popularity, impact the placement and position of the brands within the comparison table. In the event rating or scoring are assigned by us, they are based on the position in the comparison table, or according to other formula in the event specifically detailed by us. See our How we Rate page and Terms of Use for information. The reviews, rating and scoring are provided “as-is” without guaranties or warranties regarding the information contained in our website, which shall not be considered as endorsement. We make the best efforts to keep the information up-to-date, however, an offer’s terms might change at any time. We do not compare or include all service providers, brands and offers available in the market.

WRITTEN BY

Lauren Le-Hair

As an experienced content writer, Lauren’s passion for the finance sector is only exceeded by her love of writing. Lauren specializes in the financial industry, drawing on her knowledge and experience to deliver top-quality, specialized content with an expert tone of voice and a unique flair. She also holds a First Class (Hons) Batchelor’s degree from Staffordshire University.