Check Smart is a reliable and long-standing provider of emergency loans for customers across the USA. They have been operating since 1987 and now run 214 branches in 10 states: Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Utah, and Virginia. Check Smart's core values have always been promptness, customer service, and efficiency. Check Smart's staff of loan consultants are highly knowledgeable in their field and can answer any query a customer might have about the service. Their expertise ensures that the application process is smooth and fast moving.

Check Smart loans are a fast, easy-to-follow, and useful option for those who encounter unexpected expenses such as medical bills or repairs to their houses or cars. Usually, these loans are for sums of $100-$800 and can be applied for either via Check Smart's website, or in person at one of their specialist offices.

Customers are simply required to write out a check for the amount they qualify for plus any fees. After that, Check Smart pays out immediately. Customers are obliged to pay back the total balance on their next payday, typically within 14 days. Some states allow the customer to pay off the finance fee on payday and the loan itself at a later, more convenient date.

Check Smart Ratings 5 Customer Reviews

Check Smart Customer Service Cost of Loan Funded in Time Would Use Again 3.4 / 5 2.75 / 5 2.75 / 5 2.8 / 5

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All Check Smart requires for the application process is that customers have a good bank account with no bad debts attributed to it, identification, and proof of a decent income. Customers do not have to have a good credit history.

Check Smart is strict about conforming to the standards and practices laid down by the Community Financial Services Association, the Financial Services Centers of America, the Ohio Association of Financial Services Centers, the Utah Consumer Lending Association, the Financial Service Centers of Florida, and the California Financial Service Providers Association.

Check Smart's comprehensive website has many useful facilities for the potential customer or casual browser to use. There is a helpful loan glossary that elucidates such finance terms as annual percentage rate, cap, fixed rate, and interest-only loan. Check Smart's site also features a handy "store locator" where a customer can type in their city and zip code and find their nearest office, some of which are open 24 hours a day to maximize customer convenience.

Check Smart also offers the facility of obtaining a free credit report through its site. Customers are permitted to request one once a year from each of the United States' major credit reporting companies - Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax - via the Central Source. Customers can choose to order all three credit reports simultaneously or at different times. If the simultaneous option is chosen, the various reports can be usefully compared. Conversely, ordering one now and the others later lets the customer stay abreast of any changes or new data that may appear on their credit history.

Customers can be assured that any data they submit to Check Smart will be handled with sensitivity and discretion. SSL technology ensures that their website is secured against fraud, encrypting all personal information so it is unavailable to outside parties. Furthermore, Check Smart adheres to a stringent privacy policy and does not hand over their customers' data to other organizations. While Check Smart will never ask its customers for their reasons for taking out a loan, the company does value financial responsibility by making it clear that its services are intended only as short-term measures and not as something to be relied upon over long periods of instability. Check Smart encourages people who do have major, long-term financial problems to seek advice for strategic solutions. Check Smart advises customers that they should bear the following in mind when choosing a lender:

Is the lender state licensed?

Are fees presented as a dollar amount and annual percentage rate (APR)?

Steer clear of lenders who let customers extend their loan beyond state limits.

Ensure the security of the lender's website. You should never risk your personal details on the worldwide web.

Does the lender allow you the right to cancel the loan?

Be suspicious of lenders who ask for advance monies before the loan can be agreed.

Do they follow Military Best Practices?

Always read the small print.

Check Smart has always been deeply concerned about the wider society they operate in, doing good charity work, and improving community relations over many years. In 2007, Check Smart sponsored the Children's Hunger Alliance and its project to eradicate infant hunger in the state of Ohio. As a result of this relationship, tens of thousands of poor children are now being fed properly. Check Smart was proud to found The Menu of Hope Luncheon some 12 years ago, whose proceeds went to the Children's Hunger Alliance's Endowment Fund. The fund was intended to provide nutritious food and valuable services to children throughout the state.

In 2006, Check Smart contributed money and volunteers to assist in the building of the Habitat for Humanity house in Newport News, Virginia. Habitat for Humanity is a well-respected charitable organization that has built over 145,000 homes for poorer people in almost 90 countries. Habitat for Humanity operates according to nonprofit values and uses its religious associations to erect and sell safe, warm, affordable houses to various low-income families in communities around the USA, including Hampton, James City County, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, and York County, Virginia.

After the terrible Hurricane Katrina, Check Smart raised almost $40,000 from their employees and the public - promising to match all donations made with its own funds - to help buy much-needed supplies such as cooking implements, cleaning supplies, and school desks. These important items have been dispensed by the brave men and women of The Christ Methodist Church located in Jackson, Mississippi.

Check Smart can be contacted through their website www.checksmart.com where a series of online forms can be used to make inquiries to the correct department, by snail mail at Buckeye Check Cashing Inc., 7001 Post Road, Dublin, Ohio 43016, or by telephone on 1-800-837-0381.