A Student Loan Refinance Keeps Money in Your Pocket

By Michael Considine

Most of us have gotten to the end of our educations with a huge amount of debt in student loans. Usually, they are with multiple lenders and at multiple interest rates. If you are in this situation, you will probably benefit by getting a student loan refinance.

When you refinance your student loans, you consolidate them into one, usually at a lower interest rate. You may also pay back your loan over a longer period of time. Both of these will result in a lower monthly payment. Bear in mind, though, extending the length of your loan repayment will result in you paying more money when you are done.

You will get the best deal if you go through the consolidation process while still in your repayment grace period. After graduating, you should have six months before repayment starts. Start doing your research before the end of this six months so you can make your decision prior to when your first payment is due.

There are many companies offering student loan refinancing, and offers seem to be thrown at you daily. However, some of these companies are not reputable and may end up costing you more. Check that the companies you are considering are licensed. You might also ask for recommendations from friends who have already been through the process.

Make a list of the student loans you have and their interest rates. You will need this information handy anyway for consolidating them. If you have both private and Federal loans, you will probably lose money by including the federal ones as they generally have a much lower interest rate already. Therefore, it is best to look into consolidating the two types separately.

Request a copy of your credit report. Loan decisions are partially based on credit history. If yours is bad, you will probably not be offered as good an interest rate. Do what you can to improve your credit rating before you go through your consolidation process.

As you are making your comparisons, check into what incentives are available with each company. There are often discounts, such as when you regularly make payments on time, or for making automatic payments.

Do you research carefully ahead of time, as you can normally only refinance your loans once. You need to be sure you have the best deal you can get. Also observe the customer service you are receiving. Some companies are impossible to get on the phone, for example.

It is far too easy to accumulate debt going through school. Most of us do not really think about the day we need to repay them until it arrives. And that day comes more quickly than you are planning on. Do your research now and decide on your best option for a student loan refinance before you are at the repayment stage. - 29971

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here