What is the difference between a soft and a hard inquiry?
Not every credit check is the same, and the difference decides whether your score moves. A soft inquiry is a background look at your credit: it happens when you check your options or when a lender pre-screens a request, it does not affect your score, and other lenders never see it as an application. A hard inquiry is the formal kind: it happens when you actually apply with one specific lender, it shows on your report, and it usually costs a few points. The practical takeaway is that comparing is safe - it is the formal application, not the shopping around, that leaves a mark.
| Soft inquiry | Hard inquiry | |
|---|---|---|
| Affects your score | No | Yes, usually a few points |
| When it happens | Checking options, pre-screening | A formal application with one lender |
| Shows to other lenders | No | Yes, on your report |
| Your choice | Starts your request | Only if you accept an offer |
Where does USARateHub fit?
USARateHub is not a lender. It takes one short request - amount and reason - and routes it to a network of U.S. lenders. Sending that request does not, by itself, put a hard inquiry on your report. If a lender you are matched with wants to move forward, that lender may run its own check: a hard inquiry can occur at that stage, or if you proceed with a formal offer. You stay in control of that step. Rates, fees and credit decisions sit with the lender that reviews your request, and the detail lives in our Lending Policy and Rates & Fees.
How can you protect your score while shopping?
The order of operations matters more than anything else. Check your options first - that is the soft-inquiry stage, and it costs nothing on your report. Compare what comes back before you commit to anything. Only proceed with a formal application when an offer genuinely fits, because that formal step is where a hard inquiry enters the picture.
Does using USARateHub hurt my credit score?
Submitting a request does not by itself affect your credit. A lender reviewing your request may run a soft or hard inquiry, and a hard inquiry can occur if you proceed with an offer. Until that point, the checking and comparing stays on the soft side of the line.
When exactly does a hard inquiry happen?
A hard inquiry typically happens when you formally apply with a specific lender or accept an offer. It can lower your score by a few points, and unlike a soft inquiry it is visible to other lenders on your report. That visibility is why the decision to trigger one is left to you rather than baked into the comparison step.
How much can you request?
Requests run from $100 to $5,000. The amount a lender offers, if any, depends on that lender's own criteria - USARateHub is a loan-request and referral service, not a lender, so it does not set rates or make credit decisions. Product terms vary by lender, state and creditworthiness; see the Disclaimer for the full picture.
Where can you compare personal loans?
Inquiry rules only matter once you have real offers to weigh. Our current ranking of personal loan offers, compared on rates, terms and eligibility, lives at best personal loans, and when you are ready to check your own options, the short request form at personal loans starts at the soft-inquiry stage described above.