Best Swimming Pool Loans in 2024

BHG Financial offers business and consumer loan products, including loans for home improvement projects, such as building a swimming pool. BHG allows you to prequalify for a loan, which only requires a soft credit check, but watch out for its origination fees — which are subtracted from your total loan amount — and higher minimum APR.

Read our full BHG Financial personal loan review.

You must have a credit score of at least 660 and a minimum annual income of $75,000 to qualify for a BHG Financial personal loan. Plus, you’re required to submit standard information, like proof of income. You won’t qualify with a history of bankruptcy or accounts in collections.

In addition to credit cards, Discover offers various loans and other banking products. Discover’s home improvement loan has a relatively low maximum amount, so you may not be able to finance the construction of an in-ground pool. But if you don’t need financing for the entire cost of the pool or are planning a less expensive project, the Discover loan could be a great option.

Read our full Discover personal loan review.

At 720, Discover’s minimum credit score is on the higher end. Plus, you’ll need a minimum annual income of at least $40,000 to qualify. If you can meet those benchmarks, you’ll also need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid Social Security number to complete Discover’s loan application.

LightStream is an online consumer loan company that is part of Truist, a large bank. Meant for high-credit borrowers, LightStream may be a good financing option for an in-ground pool loan, considering its long repayment terms and high maximum loan amount. However, this lender doesn’t offer prequalification, so you’ll have to agree to a hard credit pull before seeing the loan terms you qualify for.

Read our full LightStream personal loan review.

Beyond requiring good to excellent credit, LightStream also looks for strong credit histories, solid debt-to-income ratios, liquid assets and a record of on-time payments when granting loan approval.

Credit unions are owned by their members and sometimes restrict access to certain groups of borrowers. For those who are eligible to join, in addition to competitive rates and long loan terms, Navy Fed allows you to apply with a co-applicant and may provide funding the same day your loan application is approved.

Read our full Navy Federal Credit Union personal loan review.

To join Navy Federal Credit Union, you must be an active-duty service member or part of the Department of Defense — or you must be a close relative to one.

SoFi is an online lender that doesn’t charge any required fees and offers same-day funding. It allows prequalification with a soft credit pull so you can see the rates and fees you may qualify for without impacting your credit. SoFi loans also come with the opportunity for interest rate discounts, which allow you to reduce your rate by taking certain steps, like enrolling in autopay and direct deposit.

Read our full SoFi personal loan review.

To qualify for a pool loan with SoFi, you must have a credit score of at least 680, meaning these loans are best suited for those with good credit scores. Additionally, you must be employed, have sufficient income from other sources or have a job offer that starts within 90 days.

While bad-credit loans for home improvement projects like swimming pools do exist, the options are few and far between. Upgrade is our pick for those with lower credit scores because they offer the opportunities for an interest rate discount and applying with a cosigner, which may lower your rate even further. Still, the maximum loan amount is fairly low, which means it may not be a fit for all pool installations, and the maximum APR can get quite high, adding to your total costs.

Read our full Upgrade personal loan review.

To qualify for a loan through Upgrade, you’ll need a credit score of at least 580. You’ll also need to be of the age of majority in your state and be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident or living in the U.S. with a valid visa. You should also have a verifiable bank account and email address.

Wells Fargo Bank is one of the largest banks in the country and offers a variety of loan products, including home improvement loans for swimming pool construction. The combination of low APRs, flexible terms, large loan maximums and lack of origination fee is appealing, but Wells Fargo only issues personal loans to existing customers, so you must already have an account to apply.

Read our full Wells Fargo personal loan review.

Aside from letting you know that you need to be an existing customer, Wells Fargo doesn’t disclose many of its other requirements. Although it does ask for standard documentation, like proof of income and mortgage/rent amount.