Stephen GbolagadeHave you ever heard of the Branch loan app? If you need instant loans in Nigeria, it’s currently one of the fastest and most reliable loan platforms you can patronize.
Financial emergency arises and when it does, we tend to look for a way to solve it before it gets worse. One of the solutions we sought is instant loan apps but unfortunately, a lot of these apps are not there to help you but to add to your problem.
Recently, the federal government of Nigeria banned a lot of loan apps in Nigeria because they not only squeeze every penny out of their victims with their interest rate, but they can go as far as embarrassing their customers publicly.
These loan apps are called loan sharks. We have a lot of them, but the Branch loan app is different. The experience and public review are different from others and why is that?
Why Branch Loan App?
With over 10M downloads and an average of 4.5/5 ratings on Google PlayStore, the Branch loan app can be dubbed one of the best in Nigeria and we have just a few of them that are trusted and reliable.
The Central Bank of Nigeria licenses Branch Loan Apps, this means the Branch is legally authorized to operate in the country, and before that could ever happen, the app must have been vetted in many ways.
Speaking of why people choose Branch and why you may consider it too, the benefits are summarised below:
- Light-weight mobile app
- Swift onboarding process (You can register and get your first loan in a few minutes)
- No collateral
- You can choose to pay back in two months or within a month
- The branch will not ask to access your contact
- No Branch Loan app’s agent will ever call you or your close friends and family
How to Access Instant Loan on Branch Loan App
As said earlier, the process is fast, to make it faster, you should ensure you have all the details needed to complete your registration.
What you need to register on Branch are:
- Your email address
- Active phone number
- BVN
- Means of Identification like NIN or International Passport
- Ensure there’s enough light to capture your face (for verification)
Once you have these ready, you are a few minutes away from getting your first instant loan with the Branch loan app.
Let’s get started.
Step 1: Download the App
This is the most difficult step. Downloading Branch loan apps is not easy like other loan apps but there’s a way you can sort it out.
The easiest way is to ask someone who already gave the app to share it with you.
You can also try your luck downloading it from the Google PlayStore here.
But beware of downloading the app from anywhere online as that may land you into hot soup.
Step 2: Register
Once you have the app downloaded on your phone, open it and start the registration process.
PS: If you sign up with this refer code: “stephe6690b”, you stand a chance to earn N2,000 cash back when you repay your first loan.
You will need your phone number. Once you enter your number, a one-time password (OTP) will be sent to you as a text message, enter the OTP correctly to verify your number.
Then proceed to set a PIN, this will be required every time you want to log in or perform a transaction.
Once you’ve done that, ensure you complete the onboarding process such as submitting your BVN and identity document.
And you’re done!
Step 3: Request for a loan
The good news is that you don’t need to wait for 3 days or a week before you can request a loan on the Branch app. You can register today and get a loan today.
The verification process has been automated.
To request a loan, in your app, click “Apply Now”.
You will be required to allow permission to capture your face for further verification, allow it and capture your face.
Note that the face must match with the picture on your NIN or BVN data otherwise, the system will automatically reject it.
If the face matches, congratulations the app will direct you to where you can ask for a loan.
As a first-time user of the Branch Loan app, the maximum cash you can get is N12,000.
If you pay it back on time, the threshold will be increased… the more you borrow and pay back, the more you will be eligible to borrow.
As simple as that!
PS: If you sign up with this refer code: “stephe6690b”, you stand a chance to earn N2,000 cash back.
Once the loan has been disbursed to your branch wallet, you can transfer it to any bank account.
How to Pay Back Loan on the Branch App
Paying back your loan on the Branch app is as easy as when you took the loan.
The first step is to log in to your app, click on “Add Fund”, and account details will be shown to you (it’s your personal Branch account details).
Copy the account number and send money to it from any app or any medium.
Once the money lands in your Branch wallet, you can then use it to pay back your loan by clicking on the same button you clicked to get a loan but this time, it will redirect you to the loan repayment screen.
Other Cool Features on Branch Loan App
Aside from taking out a loan, you can use the Branch app just like your neo-banking apps like Kuda Bank. With the Branch loan app, you can also:
- Send and receive money with the app
- Buying Airtime & Data
- Saving your money to earn interest
- Get an ATM card that you can use
If you want a Branch loan app ATM card, it costs N1,000 and the delivery fee ranges from N1,500 to N2,500 depending on your location.
Why you may not Like Branch Loan App
You will struggle to download the app unless you’re lucky for the issue to have been resolved when you want to download it.
Some claim that the interest rate is high. The interest rate ranges from 17% to 40%. If you pay back your loan as early as possible, you will have a good credit history and low interest rate to pay but if you are unable to pay early, your next loan will suffer the consequence with a slightly higher interest rate.
The investment returns on the app are low. For instance, if you borrow N30,000 for instance on the app, you will have to pay back N39,000. But if you save the same N30,000 in their investment plan, you will not earn up to N500 at the end of the month as returns.
Poor customer service. Although the app is fast and great you may not need to contact Customer support but if there is a reason you need to, you will struggle to get any support from them.
Verdict on the Branch Loan App
The Branch Loan app is legit and reliable. The issue only you might encounter is how to get the app downloaded and once that is resolved, you should be good.
Note that to avoid high interest rates, always pay your loan early and that will also help you build a good credit history on the app.
Don’t forget that you can use the same app for other banking functions such as savings, sending and receiving, investing, buying data, and airtime.
Stephen Gbolagade
Stephen Olgade