How PayDaySay Reviews, Rates & Displays Lenders

We are not a lender, loan broker, or creditor, and we don’t make credit decisions. We operate as a referral and connection service, sending your information to third-party lenders and lending partners.

Because money decisions are serious, we want you to understand:

• How lenders appear on PayDaySay
• How we evaluate and talk about lenders
• Where our information comes from
• How we get paid
• How we protect editorial independence

This page explains our official methodology for lender rankings, reviews, comparisons, and other editorial content on PayDaySay.com.

Nothing on PayDaySay is financial, legal, or tax advice. Always consider your own situation and local laws before borrowing.

1. What PayDaySay Is (and Isn’t)

What we are

• A loan referral/connection service that sends your information to a network of direct lenders and lending partners when you submit a request.
• A publisher of educational content about payday loans, cash advances, personal loans, credit, and state regulations.

What we are not

• We are neither a direct lender nor a broker. We don’t issue loans, set APRs, or decide whether you’re approved.
• We don’t make credit decisions, and we don’t control lenders’ underwriting, approval criteria, or loan terms.
• We don’t guarantee you’ll receive an offer, be approved, or get the “best” possible terms in the market.

Our methodology applies to:

• Editorial lender content
• “Best of” or “top” lists
• State or product-specific comparisons
• Individual lender reviews and guides

It does not describe how each lender actually underwrites or approves loans. Those decisions belong only to the lenders.

2. How Lenders Are Surfaced on PayDaySay

We work with a network of third-party lenders, lending partners, and other credit providers. When we show or discuss lenders, they may be surfaced in two main ways:

2.1 Lenders in our referral network

These are lenders and lending partners who participate in our online network and may receive your information when you submit a loan request.

To be in this network, a lender must:

• Confirm that they are properly licensed or authorized to lend where they operate (where applicable).
• Agree to our data-handling and security standards.
• Provide clear disclosures of APRs, fees, and repayment terms in their contracts.
• Confirm they do not accept applications from people under 18 (or the legal age in their jurisdiction).

We may remove or temporarily stop working with a lender if:

• We receive credible reports of abusive, deceptive, or illegal practices.
• We are notified of regulatory actions or enforcement involving the lender (if we can verify these from public sources).
• The lender fails to provide the required disclosures or information to our team.

Important: Our network does not include every lender in the market. We cannot guarantee that a lender you are familiar with will appear on PayDaySay.

2.2 Lenders in our editorial content

We also write guides, comparisons, and reviews that mention or evaluate lenders, including:

• Lenders in our own referral network.
• Lenders available in specific states or categories.
• Lenders we do not have a commercial relationship with.

Editorial content is based on:

• Market and web research (lender websites, terms and conditions, regulatory information).
• Lender-supplied information.
• Publicly available reviews and app ratings, where relevant.

A lender does not have to be our partner to be mentioned or discussed in our editorial content.

3. Our Lender Rating Model: The PayDaySay Score

For guides and reviews where we rate or rank lenders, we use an internal PayDaySay Score on a 0–5 scale (including half-points like 3.5 or 4.5). This represents our editorial opinion, not a guarantee of your experience.

To calculate the PayDaySay Score, we evaluate each lender across five main categories:

Category	Weight	What we look at*
1. Cost of Borrowing	40%	APR ranges, fees, cost caps, late/NSF fees, and examples of total cost
2. Eligibility & Access	20%	Min. age & income, credit requirements, state availability, funding speed
3. Repayment Flexibility	15%	Term length options, extensions, hardship options, early payoff rules
4. Customer Experience	15%	Support channels, hours, app/web usability, complaint patterns
5. Transparency & Safety	10%	Clarity of disclosures, regulatory alignment, data & privacy practices

*Not all criteria are available for all lenders; where data is missing, we use the best verified information we have and may adjust the weightings slightly.

3.1 Cost of Borrowing (40%)

We place the greatest weight on cost because high APRs and fees can significantly increase the expense of short-term borrowing.
For this category, we consider:

• Published APR ranges (where available).
• Origination fees, late fees, NSF fees, rollover fees.
• Example total cost of borrowing (e.g., amount + interest + fees).
• Whether the lender offers lower-cost alternatives (e.g., longer-term installment loans instead of pure payday structures).

Some states heavily regulate APRs and fees on short-term loans; others allow very high costs. Lenders must comply with applicable state and federal laws, and we encourage readers to carefully review local rules before borrowing.

3.2 Eligibility & Access (20%)

This category reflects how accessible a lender’s products may be, including for people with weaker credit:

• Minimum age and residency requirements.
• Minimum income or employment requirements.
• State availability (our service itself is not available in all states).
• Use of soft vs. hard credit checks (when disclosed).
• Typical time to funding (e.g., same-day vs. 24–48 hours).

We do not guarantee approval or any specific loan terms from any lender, even those that appear to be more “accessible.”

3.3 Repayment Flexibility (15%)

Short-term loans can be risky when repayment is too tight. We look for:

• Availability of installment plans (longer-term loans) vs. single lump-sum payday repayment.
• Range of term lengths.
• Whether the lender offers deferrals, extensions, or hardship options (when clearly disclosed).
• Policies on early repayment and any prepayment penalties.

Where information is not published, we don’t assume generous policies—we rate conservatively based on verified disclosures.

3.4 Customer Experience (15%)

We combine both objective and subjective indicators, including:

• Number and type of support channels (phone, email, chat), and hours of availability.
• Website and app usability, clarity of steps, and availability of self-service tools.
• Patterns in complaints and reviews on reputable platforms (where available and relevant, like Trustpilot).

Individual reviews may be unfair or outdated, so we look for overall patterns over time, not isolated stories.

3.5 Transparency & Safety (10%)

Because trust is critical, we reward lenders that:

• Clearly disclose APR ranges, fees, repayment schedules, and consequences of non-payment before you sign.
• Provide clear privacy and data-handling policies.
• Avoid misleading “no credit check” language when they actually perform soft checks or other assessments.
• Appear to follow applicable laws and regulations in the states where they operate.

This category also includes how clearly we can explain a lender’s terms based on their own disclosures.

4. How We Use Data & Where It Comes From

To rate and describe lenders, we gather data from several sources.

4.1 Primary data: Direct from lenders

Where possible, we collect information directly from lenders through:

• Online questionnaires or information requests.
• Email or phone communication with lender representatives.
• Public statements and FAQs on lender websites.

We ask about:

• APR ranges and fee structures.
• Eligible states and typical loan amounts.
• Repayment terms and options.
• Customer service details and contact methods.

Lenders are welcome to request updates or corrections to information we publish, but they can’t buy a higher editorial score.

4.2 Secondary data: Public and third-party sources

We also review:

• Lender websites, T&Cs, and legal disclosures.
• Public regulatory or legal information, where accessible.
• App store listings and ratings for lender apps.
• Aggregated review sites and independent reviews, when relevant and credible.

We do not rely solely on any single external rating or review source.

4.3 Data freshness and update cycle

We aim to:

• Review core lender information at least every 6–12 months, and sooner if:
  • A lender changes major terms (APR, fees, product type).
  • Laws change in a state where they operate.
  • We become aware of significant issues or regulatory actions.
• Display a “Last updated” date on key comparison and lender pages whenever possible.

Even with regular updates, it’s possible that a lender’s website or contract terms change before we can revise our pages. Always rely on the loan agreement and lender’s own disclosures as the final source of truth.

5. How PayDaySay Makes Money

We want to be clear about how we get paid and how that might affect what you see.

5.1 Referral and partner compensation

PayDaySay provides a free service to users. We typically receive compensation from:

• Third-party lenders and lending partners.
• Networks and marketers we work with.

These parties may pay us when:

• We successfully connect you to them.
• You receive and/or take a loan offer from them.

This is already disclosed in our site notices (for example: “Paid by creditors, crediting partners, networks, or other marketers”).

In some cases, if you obtain a loan offer through PayDaySay’s network, it may come from the lender or network that bids the most for your lead, not necessarily the lender that can give you the absolute best terms available in the entire market.

5.2 Does compensation affect ratings or rankings?

We separate our editorial methodology from our business relationships:

• The PayDaySay Score and our written opinions in guides and reviews are based on the criteria in Section 3 and the data sources in Section 4, even when we are paid by some of the lenders we mention.
• Lenders cannot pay to increase their PayDaySay Score, to receive a positive review, or to be labeled our “best” or “top choice.”

However, compensation can influence:

• Which lenders we can connect you with after you submit a request.
• The order or prominence of some offers in certain tables, widgets, or forms, except where prohibited by law.

This type of relationship is often called a “material connection” between a publisher and a company. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that such connections be clearly disclosed so consumers understand when money might influence what they see.

We aim to follow the FTC’s guidance by:

• Using clear language (not buried in fine print) to explain that lenders may compensate us.
• Linking to this methodology and our other disclosures near the top of recommendation-type pages.

6. Editorial Independence

To ensure our information remains fair and useful, we maintain a clear distinction between editorial and business decisions.

• Our editorial content (articles, guides, lender reviews, rankings) is created by writers and editors whose role is to serve readers, not advertisers.
• Business and partnership decisions (who we work with, how we’re paid) are handled separately.
• Lenders and partners cannot review or approve our independent articles that discuss their products, unless we clearly label the content as sponsored.

If a lender believes we have made a factual error, they can contact us and provide documentation. We will:

• Verify the information.
• Correct the content if needed.
• Add or update a “Last updated” note where appropriate.

Corrections are made for accuracy, not because of commercial pressure.

7. Limitations of Our Methodology

No methodology is perfect. Here are the main limitations you should know:

• We do not review every lender in the market or in every state.
• Some lenders do not publish complete information about costs, fees, or policies. When this happens, we rate conservatively or choose not to assign a PayDaySay Score.
• Your personal offer (APR, fees, amount, term) depends on your credit, income, state, lender’s criteria, and many other factors we cannot control.
• The service itself is not available in every state, and some states restrict or ban payday-style loans entirely.
• We cannot monitor every customer’s experience; our view is based on patterns in data and reviews, rather than individual cases.

Because of this, our scores and rankings should be treated as one input into your decision, not the only one.

8. How We Keep This Methodology Up to Date

We may change this methodology from time to time to:

• Reflect new regulations or guidance (for example, changes in FTC or state rules on disclosures and lending).
• Improve how we evaluate cost, risk, and fairness in short-term lending.
• Respond to changes in how lenders operate or disclose terms.
• Align with evolving best practices for high-quality review content and user protection.

When we make material changes to our scoring model or criteria (for example, changing category weights or adding a new factor), we will:

• Update this page.
• Adjust affected scores over time.
• Note the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, where practical, on key ranking pages.

9. FAQ About Our Methodology

Q: Do you get paid by every lender you mention?

A: No. Some lenders mentioned in our editorial content are not partners. Others are partners who may compensate us when we connect you or when you take an offer. We disclose that our service is paid by lenders, networks, or other marketers, and this page explains more details.

Q: Can a lender pay to get a higher PayDaySay Score or a better review?

A: No. Our PayDaySay Score and written opinions are based on the criteria and data sources in this methodology. Lenders cannot buy a higher score or a positive recommendation.

Q: Does your compensation affect which lender I’m actually connected with?

A: It can. In our referral network, you may be connected with a lender or network that bids the most for your lead, not necessarily the absolute cheapest or best overall option in the marketplace. That’s why we encourage you to read all terms carefully, compare alternatives, and consider whether borrowing is right for you.

Q: How can a lender ask for a correction?

A: Lenders can contact us through the Contact Us page, provide documentation, and request a review of specific factual information. If we verify an error, we will correct it.

If you have questions about this methodology or believe a lender is being misrepresented, please reach out via our Contact Us page so we can review your concern.