Best Swimming Pool Loans in 2025

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.

To get a loan from BHG Financial, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

• Credit score: 660+
• Administrative: Have a Social Security number and email address
• Residency: Not live in Illinois

BHG Financial’s average borrower has a score of 744, no past bankruptcies or collections and an annual income of $241,000.

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.

You’ll need to meet these eligibility criteria to get a Discover loan:

• Age: Be at least 18
• Citizenship: Have a Social Security number
• Administrative: Have a physical address, email address and internet access
• Income: Minimum income of $40,000 (individually or as a household)
• Credit score: 720+

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.

LightStream doesn’t specify its exact credit score requirements, but you must have good to excellent credit to qualify. Most of the applicants that LightStream approves have the following in common:

• At least five years of on-time payments under a variety of accounts (credit cards, auto loans, etc.)
• Stable income and can handle paying their current debt obligations
• Savings, whether in a bank account, investment account or retirement account

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.

Navy Federal Credit Union only offers loans to people with military connections, including:

• Active duty members of the military (regardless of branch)
• Veterans, retirees and annuitants
• Those in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP)
• Department of Defense (DoD) Officer Candidates and ROTC
• DoD Reservists
• DoD civilian personnel
• Immediate family of military members, as well as household members

You’ll need to meet the following requirements:

• Administrative: Provide your Social Security number, home address, credit card or bank account number and a form of government identification
• Membership: Create a Membership Savings Account and maintain a $5 balance to join and continue membership in the credit union

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.

You must meet the requirements below in order to get a loan from SoFi:

• Age: Be the age of majority in your state (typically 18)
• Citizenship: Be a U.S. citizen, an eligible permanent resident or a non-permanent resident (a DACA recipient or asylum-seeker, for instance)
• Employment: Have a job or job offer with a start date within 90 days, or have regular income from another source
• Credit score: 680+

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.

To qualify for a loan through Upgrade, you must meet the requirements below:

• Age: Be at least 18 years old (19 in some states)
• Citizenship: Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or live in the U.S. with a valid visa
• Administrative: Have a valid bank account and email address
• Credit score: 580+

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.

You must be an account holder for at least 12 months before you are eligible for a Wells Fargo personal loan. Wells Fargo doesn’t specify its minimum credit score requirements for its loans, but to open a checking or savings account, you must:

• Apply in person at a Wells Fargo branch if you’re a non-permanent U.S. resident, are under 18 (in most states) or are getting a joint loan
• Have an adult co-owner if you’re under 18
• Provide two forms of ID and proof of address, in some cases
• Make a deposit of at least $25