Bankrate Review

Overall Score
4.3 out of 5
Trustpilot
2.4 out of 5
Loan Volume
Not rated
Editorial Rating
4.2 out of 5

Summary

With more than 40 years in the finance industry, Bankrate maintains a long tradition of providing financial tools to everyday people. If you're looking for a smarter way to shop refinance, their comparison service may be the right choice.

Highlights

Review
  • 800+ reviews on Trustpilot
  • Get multiple leads to lenders with competitive rates
  • Insightful reviews, tools, and editorials on the refinance industry to keep you informed
  • Personalized loan comparisons to suit all homeowners
Overall
Bankrate provides one of the most useful and informative refinance loan comparison platforms around. Their site is filled with reviews, articles, and tools to aid homeowners in making the best possible choices when it comes to their finances. Customers looking for a both convenient and clever way to shop refinance loans will benefit from what they have to offer.

Bankrate Ratings

The team at BestRefinanceRates.com considers a variety of sources and methods to determine an overall ratings score. First, a lender's Trustpilot score (or TrustScore) is factored in, when available. Truspilot, a third-party review site, is a leading source regarding customer satisfaction and consumer sentiment. From there, for lenders that publicly release their financial statements, we research loan origination volume. Loan origination volume is one way to understand a lender's solvency and transactional reliability. Next is brand strength. For lenders who have met a certain threshold of engagement on BestRefinanceRates.com, we measure their relative popularity among our consumers. And finally, we offer our editorial ratings, which rely heavily on in-depth brand research and secret shopping.

Editor Ratings

Loan Variety
Loans Offered Include: Varies by lender
One of the major benefits of Bankrate is the fact that it is a comparison service -- meaning users can compare a huge variety of loan types and terms from multiple lenders. Homeowners can find a wealth of information and tools including refinance calculators on the Bankrate site to make choosing a loan type easier.
Fees
Fees vary depending on the lender you opt to work with. By gathering multiple lender options in one place, Bankrate makes it easy for homeowners to get the lowest rates available at a given time.
Customer Service
Customers in need of extra assistance can reach out to Bankrate via email or through social media. They also provide phone numbers for the lenders they compare to make the application process that much easier.
Company Reputation
With over forty years in business, Bankrate has created a substantial reputation for itself as a provider of personal finance tools, resources, and information. As far as their refinance loan comparison service goes, customers are relatively satisfied with the experience -- among comparison sites, Bankrate is one of the best when it comes to being informative and honest.
Ease of Application Process
Loan applications are not provided directly on Bankrate's website -- how easy an application is will depend on the lender. Bankrate does provide a thorough and intuitive loan comparison service that most homeowners can benefit from using.
For Lower Credit Scores
Minimum Credit Score: Varies by lender
Homeowners with bad credit can take advantage of Bankrate's easy loan comparison service to find a suitable refinance lender. They provide a tailored list of potential lender options so users can choose based on their own goals -- whether you're interested in a particular loan type or the loan with the lowest rates, consider using Bankrate to simplify your search.
For Higher Credit Scores
By simplifying the refinance loan research process, Bankrate is a good choice for homeowners with high credit scores who aren't sure where to start. They make it easy to compare several lenders in one place, and their website provides in-depth articles and helpful tools so you can make informed decisions.

Additional Ratings

Trustpilot Rating
  • Bankrate has a 2.4 on Trustpilot, with almost 800 reviews currently available
  • Customers like the website itself overall, but some find that the rates shown are not always accurate
Loan Volume Rating
Not rated
  • As a comparison service, BankRate cannot be rated for loan volume

Company Background

Originally founded in 1976 as Bank Rate Monitor, Bankrate has been providing helpful finance tools and resources to people for over four decades. With in-depth editorials, matter-of-fact product comparisons, and convenient financial calculators, they aim to empower regular people through honest and thorough personal finance advice.