USAA Career Starter Loan Review: Low Interest Loan for New Military Officers
Review
Updated
If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.
A USAA Career Starter Loan may be ideal for you if you're on track to be a commissioned officer in the U.S. military or have been commissioned in the past 12 months and have little to no credit history. Keep reading to learn what a USAA Career Starter Loan is, who qualifies, and the unique details that set it apart.
Great for: Newly commissioned or soon-to-be officers who want a low-interest loan
The USAA Career Starter Loan is a low-interest loan for cadets, midshipmen, and newly commissioned officers to get their military careers started.
Get the best rates and terms to fit your needs. Here are a few loans we'd like to highlight, including our award winners.
| Lender | APR Range | Loan Amount | Min. Credit Score | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apply Now for Discover Personal Loan
Powered by Credible
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
7.99% - 24.99%
|
$2,500 - $40,000
|
660
|
Apply Now for Discover Personal Loan
Powered by Credible |
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
8.99% - 19.49%**
|
$2,000 - $30,000
|
740
|
|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
6.70% - 35.99%³
|
$1,000 - $50,000¹
|
300
|
USAA has created an extraordinary loan product for newly commissioned and soon-to-be officers. With lower interest rates and better terms than applicants are likely to find anywhere else, the loan is designed to get military members off to their best possible start.
At Motley Fool Money, personal loans are rated on a scale of one to five stars. We primarily focus on APRs, fees, and loan offerings. These categories take into account factors like autopay discounts, origination fees, loan terms, and more. Our highest-rated lenders generally offer competitive APRs, low fees, and diverse loan offerings.
See our full methodology here: Ratings Methodology
Years ago, my husband and I bought a home shortly after rates dropped, excited to think about all the money we could save. Our lender recommended we look into a home equity loan and use the funds to pay off lingering high-interest debt. And so, we took out two loans at the same time -- a mortgage and a home equity loan that we used to consolidate existing debt.
Instead of feeling like those small debts would hang around forever, we knew exactly when they'd be paid off, which spelled freedom to us.
To learn what military members think of the USAA Career Starter Loan, we turned to the subreddit r/MilitaryFinance.
The consensus is that borrowing the money is a good idea, even if the loan applicant doesn't have a specific purpose in mind. For example, several posters mentioned investing the money in something safe, like a high-yield savings account or guaranteed government bond. Others said that expenses -- like buying a car -- will arise.
There are few financial products on the market as attractive as the USAA Career Starter Loan. Here are four things we especially appreciate about the loan.
If you're just starting out in life, chances are, you don't have a long credit history. USAA is willing to overlook that.
What you want to avoid as you begin your career is a payment you can't afford. USAA's flexible terms allow you to design a payment that works for you.
The low interest rates offered by USAA are typical of rates associated with secured loans. We like that you don't have to risk collateral to land a low-interest loan.
Origination and prepayment fees eat into your loan proceeds and end up costing you more. The fact that USAA doesn't add them to its USAA Career Starter Loan is a nice touch.
Because no loan is perfect for everyone, changing these three factors would make the loan darn near perfect.
Military life can be challenging for anyone, particularly financially. It would be nice if a loan like this were available to all active military members.
While this is not an insurmountable problem, it can be a hassle to change from one bank to another.
If you're entering the military with student loan debt, the ability to refinance it with a lower-interest loan would be helpful.
Minimum qualification requirements include:
Applying for a USAA Career Starter Loan involves four straightforward steps.
Only you can say whether or not a USAA Career Starter Loan is a good fit for you. If you need a personal loan of $25,000 - $36,000, it would be next to impossible to find a loan with more attractive terms. Still, you have a lot going on right now and need to be sure that taking on a new loan is in your best interest.
A USAA Career Starter Loan is right for you if:
A USAA Career Starter Loan is for cadets and midshipmen at the five Service Academies, ROTC programs, or an officer candidate at OCS/OTS. Military officers within 12 months of their commission date are also eligible for the loan.
Navy Federal has a Career Kickoff Loan that offers a rate of 2.99% and loan amounts up to $25,000 for Service Academy, ROTC and OCS/OTS Officers and Candidates.
The USAA Career Starter Loan is guaranteed for Service Academy members and graduates. ROTC and OCS/OTS members and graduates must go through a credit check. The minimum credit score is not published and you must apply to see if you qualify.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
*Upstart Loan Disclaimer
¹ Your loan amount will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will qualify for the full amount. Minimum loan amounts vary by state: GA ($3,100), HI ($2,100), MA ($7,000).
³ The full range of available rates varies by state. A representative example of payment terms for an unsecured Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 18.60% and a 8.51% origination fee of $851, for an APR of 23.07%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9149 and will make 60 monthly payments of $258. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in December 2024. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
Citi® Personal Loan Disclosure
**Terms, conditions, and fees for accounts, products, programs and services are subject to change at any time. You must be at least 18 years of age (21 years of age in Puerto Rico). Co-applicants are not permitted. Existing Citi deposit and credit card customers who have been a Citi customer for less than 12 months are not eligible for a Citi® Personal Loan.
If you apply online, you must agree to receive the loan note and all other account disclosures provided with your loan origination in an electronic format and provide your signature electronically.
Rates as of 06-03-2025. Your APR may be as low as 8.99% or as high as 19.49% for the term of your loan. The lowest rate quoted assumes excellent credit, a loan term of 24 or 36 months, and includes a 0.5% APR discount for enrollment in automatic payments at the time of loan origination. Your APR will depend on a variety of factors including your creditworthiness, term of loan, and existing relationship with Citi. Citi offers personal loans with a period of repayment between 12 and 60-month terms. For example, if you borrow $10,000 for 36 months at 15.99% APR, to repay your loan you will have to make 36 monthly payments of approximately $351.52.
Existing Citigold and Citi Priority customers will receive an additional 0.25% discount to the APR. If you are in default, your APR may increase by 2.00%. Rates subject to change without notice.
To check for offers you may qualify for, Citi conducts a soft credit inquiry. If you are presented with an offer and choose to proceed with the application process, Citi will conduct a hard credit inquiry which may have an impact on your credit score.
Citi® Personal Loan proceeds cannot be used to pay for post-secondary education expenses or for business purposes. Credit cards issued by Citibank, N.A. or its affiliates, as well as Checking Plus and Ready Credit accounts, are not eligible for debt consolidation, and Citibank will not issue payoff checks for these accounts. If you are unsure of the issuer on the account, please visit https://www.citi.com/affiliatesproducts for a list of Citi products and affiliates.
If you are approved for a personal loan with Citi, you can get your funds the same day with a Citi deposit account, or up to 2 business days for a non-Citi account when using direct deposit. Or, you can select to receive a check by mail in approximately 5 business days.
Personal loans are made available by Citibank, N.A., Equal Housing lender
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
*Upstart Loan Disclaimer
¹ Your loan amount will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will qualify for the full amount. Minimum loan amounts vary by state: GA ($3,100), HI ($2,100), MA ($7,000).
³ The full range of available rates varies by state. A representative example of payment terms for an unsecured Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 18.60% and a 8.51% origination fee of $851, for an APR of 23.07%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9149 and will make 60 monthly payments of $258. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in December 2024. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
Citi® Personal Loan Disclosure
**Terms, conditions, and fees for accounts, products, programs and services are subject to change at any time. You must be at least 18 years of age (21 years of age in Puerto Rico). Co-applicants are not permitted. Existing Citi deposit and credit card customers who have been a Citi customer for less than 12 months are not eligible for a Citi® Personal Loan.
If you apply online, you must agree to receive the loan note and all other account disclosures provided with your loan origination in an electronic format and provide your signature electronically.
Rates as of 06-03-2025. Your APR may be as low as 8.99% or as high as 19.49% for the term of your loan. The lowest rate quoted assumes excellent credit, a loan term of 24 or 36 months, and includes a 0.5% APR discount for enrollment in automatic payments at the time of loan origination. Your APR will depend on a variety of factors including your creditworthiness, term of loan, and existing relationship with Citi. Citi offers personal loans with a period of repayment between 12 and 60-month terms. For example, if you borrow $10,000 for 36 months at 15.99% APR, to repay your loan you will have to make 36 monthly payments of approximately $351.52.
Existing Citigold and Citi Priority customers will receive an additional 0.25% discount to the APR. If you are in default, your APR may increase by 2.00%. Rates subject to change without notice.
To check for offers you may qualify for, Citi conducts a soft credit inquiry. If you are presented with an offer and choose to proceed with the application process, Citi will conduct a hard credit inquiry which may have an impact on your credit score.
Citi® Personal Loan proceeds cannot be used to pay for post-secondary education expenses or for business purposes. Credit cards issued by Citibank, N.A. or its affiliates, as well as Checking Plus and Ready Credit accounts, are not eligible for debt consolidation, and Citibank will not issue payoff checks for these accounts. If you are unsure of the issuer on the account, please visit https://www.citi.com/affiliatesproducts for a list of Citi products and affiliates.
If you are approved for a personal loan with Citi, you can get your funds the same day with a Citi deposit account, or up to 2 business days for a non-Citi account when using direct deposit. Or, you can select to receive a check by mail in approximately 5 business days.
Personal loans are made available by Citibank, N.A., Equal Housing lender
