National Credit Direct Review
Finally, there’s a way for rent to own customers to get their payments reported on their credit.
One of the most popular questions people have is whether Rent-a-Center, Aaron’s or FlexShopper (among other rent to own companies) can report on your credit. They cannot, but here is a company that offers better benefits than rent to own and can report your payments and allow you to build a history. Here’s what you need to know about National Credit Direct.
What I Discovered about National Credit Direct
It seems like wherever I look there is a Rent-A-Center, Aaron’s Rental or short term lender in a strip center. Who are these companies and do they serve their customers well? Some research about the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market brought me to a company that finances people without performing a credit check. Its name is National Credit Direct.
This is the ONLY legitimate “No Credit Check” financing company I could find in the country. A quick Google search revealed that other companies claim they don’t check credit, but when you read the small print it states they often do check your credit, even rent to own companies do.
I researched National Credit Direct and they actually do have a program where they DO NOT CHECK YOUR CREDIT. They also guarantee your approval, which I will explain below. The company has been in business since 2006 and has served hundreds of thousands of customers. They offer over 15,000 consumer goods in a number of product categories, including:
- Laptops
- HD TVs
- Washers and Dryers
- Smart Phones
- Gaming Systems (PCs and consoles)
- Drones
- Cameras
- Bedding
- Small furniture
- Home appliances
- Kitchen appliances
- Jewelry
They also offer popular brands, like: Apple, Samsung, Dell, HP, LG, Westinghouse, and more.
How Does National Credit Direct Work?
When a company gives you financing and does not check your credit, it’s important to understand how the company works. Upon a great amount of research, I discovered the company has developed a special “Credit Algorithm” for determining how much and when to finance your purchase.
The Six Easy Steps to Getting Approved with No Credit Check
After your first purchase they don’t require you to go through this process again. As long as your account is in good standing, National Credit Direct ships additional purchases after you order them, and the balance is applied to your revolving account agreement. Often your payment can remain the same on subsequent purchases, so your budget is not affected. Here are the steps to their No-Credit-Check approval process:
Step 1: Select a product at the National Credit Direct website.
Step 2: Submit your information.
Step 3: Set up an initial payment date. This is a one-time payment that is applied toward your purchase.
Step 4: Set up your first recurring payment date. They make it easy by offering weekly, bi-weekly, twice a month and monthly payments.
Step 5: Pay your initial payment plus establish 6 to 13 consecutive payments. The bigger the purchase the more payments they want to see.
Step 6: Validate your identity and mailing address.
They approve you and process your purchase for shipping.
How National Credit Direct Compares to Popular Rent to Own Programs
You Can Save Up to $480 with National Credit Direct when Buying the Sony Play Station 5 Console
People can save on their payment amount and several hundreds of dollars on the total cost of ownership with National Credit Direct when compared to rent to own programs. *The advertised Payment is $169.99 but I converted it to a weekly payment amount for comparison purposes (monthly payment X 12 / 52). Prices evaluated on 12/12/2022. Actual article is here.
REVIEW:
National Credit Direct has developed an innovative way to finance people with past credit problems. The pricing of their products are less expensive than rent to own options. The company also provides a loyalty program, Reward Points, that allows customers to accumulate 100 Points for every dollar they spend. As customers continue to pay off their balance the Points accumulate and can be redeemed for merchandise or cash back. The value is significantly greater with National Credit Direct compared to many other options for this customer market.
PROS:
- No Credit Check
- National Credit Direct will find a way to approve you for financing
- Your established account can be used over and over on future purchases
- 0% interest
- Customers can set up payment plans around their payday schedule
- Smartphone app to manage your account
- Reward Points program to accumulate Points and redeem them for free merchandise
- 90-Day cash discount where you pay closer to traditional retail prices
- 50% payoff discount on balance after 180 days that allows you to pay off your balance for 50% off (e.g., after 180 days a $500 balance has a $250 payoff amount)
- Over 15,000 products to shop
CONS:
- Must establish payment history prior to receiving your first purchase
- If your account becomes inactive you might have to establish a payment history again
- Does not offer 24/7 support
REPUTATION:
National Credit Direct has a reputation of following through on its promises for customers, and its limited reviews are satisfactory. Listening to the customer testimonials gives you good insight into what their customers think of them. National Credit Direct has a 3.8 stars out of five with Google Reviews and an A+ Rating with the BBB.
Key Information About the Company
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs.
- Q1. Why You Have to Establish a Payment History?
- A1. I was curious about that too. I contacted them and they said that because the company does not check your credit, they want you to establish the payment history to show them you are a good credit risk. It also demonstrates that you have the ability to afford the purchase. These are very reasonable requests when issuing credit to a person who may have had past credit problems. It was good to hear the person mention this, because companies should not be indebting people who cannot afford the payments. This is a good protection mechanism.
- Q2. Can You Get Your Money Back If You Change Your Mind?
- A2. This what my next question when speaking to an agent. Nobody I know of asks their customers to make payments on an item they don’t have. But then again I don’t know of any company that finances people without a credit check. So what happens if you change your mind? National Credit Direct gives you a full refund on all money paid. The way it works is that if you change your mind within the first 30 days, they issue a refund back to your financial institution. After 30 days they issue a refund in the form of store credit that you can use to purchase anything on the company’s website.
- Q3. What Happens if You Miss a Payment?
- A3. It is true that life happens and sometimes you have an unexpected expense that disrupts your budget. The company will still approve you. Depending on the circumstances (and this is determined by the company’s proprietary Credit Algorithm), you may have to make up to three additional bi-weekly payments in order to get approved. But they still approve you.
- Q4. Can National Credit Direct Pull Your Credit?
- A4. When I spoke to them I asked that question. In the company’s Terms it does say that they reserve the right to do that. National Credit Direct says that they have this option for certain customers who do not want to wait and pay the required consecutive payments. The type of credit check they do will not show up on your credit report, but the place they get the information is subject to the Fair Reporting Credit Act, so they must obtain include this language in their account terms.
- Q5. Can You Cancel Your Account?
- A5. Yes. But they did tell me that if you have a balance and it’s past the return period, then the customer is responsible for payment the balance.
Conclusion
National Credit Direct does take care of its customers. I don’t have a use for these types of companies myself but this is a multi-billion dollar industry. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people use companies like these. Some of them are publicly traded. While it’s easy to say these companies are bad, I’m more curious as to why so many people rely upon them, compared to more traditional forms of credit from banks and credit card companies. In the end, my research on National Credit Direct was surprising in a pleasant way.
The company does charge more than regular retailers, but they say that in their FAQs and they do not focus on charging a lot of nuisance fees. The total advertised price is really what a customer ends up paying, even if they are late or miss a payment altogether. Plus, the Reward Points gives customers extra value for being a good paying customer, so I give this company a positive review.
Here is a list of other companies I’ve found who serve the same types of customers:
- Rent A Center
- Aaron’s rental
- Fingerhut
- FlexShopper
- Buddy’s Rents
- Grover
- Leaseville
- Zebit
- PerPay
- Luther Sales
- Rent Delite
- Buy on Trust
In the coming weeks I will write reviews of these companies and maybe do some comparisons. I’m also looking to speak with customers and hear their take on what motivates them to buy from them. Thank you for reading.
