Personal Loans
October 22, 2024
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is a part of our Money254 Partner series and is produced in partnership with LendPlus Kenya. For more on Money254’s editorial policy, read here.
If you occasionally require a quick cash injection between paychecks, a fairly substantial amount to fulfil orders for your small business quickly, or wondering where you can get some money for emergencies, LendPlus is a digital loan app you may want to consider from the many options available currently in the Kenyan mobile app loans market.
In this article, we dive deep into the LendPLus loan app, terms and conditions, pros, and cons, some of the product’s unique features, how to apply, as well as the discounts and promotions, to help you decide whether Lend Plus is the right choice for your needs.
The LendPLus App is available for download on the Google Play Store here. As of December 7, 2022, the app had over 100,000 downloads and a 4-star rating out of 5 stars. This is out of a total of about 4,100 reviews.
LendPlus (legal name Aventus Technology Limited) is a FinTech company in Kenya launched by the Aventus Group that began operations in 2021. It offers instant digital loans with a fairly high limit of Ksh30,000 at a daily interest rate of 2% for a maximum tenure of 30 days with an option to extend repayment.
To be eligible for a LendPlus App Digital Loan, you have to be a Kenyan citizen of 21 years and above, be employed or self-employed with a steady income, have a valid mobile phone number with the M-PESA mobile wallet, and have a national identity card.
LendPlus, however, does not lend to Kenyans in some professions such as those in the army, police, or the security sector. There are also some counties that LendPlus is yet to begin issuing loans to. You also need to have a credit history and generally be aged between 21 and 60 years to be eligible for a LendPlus digital loan.
Sometimes, your bills may pile up, your suppliers may delay making payments or something may come in the way of your making prompt payments. If this happens to you, one standout feature of the LendPlus app loan is the ability to extend your repayment several times by up to the number of days your loan was due. However, note that the extension also attracts a daily interest rate of 2%. See the "Interest Calculation on LendPlus Loan Repayment Extension" section below.
Note that if you choose to repay the loan early, you still have to pay the full amount of interest for the tenure that you had selected on application. For example, if you apply for a 10-day loan and pay within two days, you will still have to pay the entire interest amount that you would have paid if you repaid in 10 days. Early repayment, nevertheless, is beneficial in that it can help you increase your loan limit with LendPlus.
Learn More About LendPlus
The lender promises a quick turnaround time of just 15 minutes from when you download the application from the play store to when you get the amount you applied for disbursed into your M-PESA account.
This is, however, subject to the applicant qualifying for the amount applied for and providing the requisite information needed to approve the application - this includes filling out a form that details among other things your sources of income, profession/employment type, and entering your national identification card number.
While this is an app-based digital loan, even a first-time applicant can qualify for a first loan amount of up to Ksh15,000 making this option a viable consideration even for small business owners looking for a quick cash injection. Note that the first loan has a maximum repayment period of 20 days.
Nevertheless, as all other digital lenders, loans start at a minimum of Ksh500. The minimum tenure is 5 days meaning you cannot borrow for a period shorter than this.
Once you have taken and successfully repaid your first loan (in 20 days), you can qualify for a loan amount of up to Ksh30,000 on your second and subsequent loans where the maximum repayment period is also extended to a maximum of 30 days as compared to a maximum of 20 days for a first loan.
The only documentation you need to provide to be considered for a LendPlus loan is simply your National Identification Card (ID Card) number. You no longer need to upload a picture of your ID Card. The lender from November 25, 2022, also removed the requirement to upload a selfie image as part of the application process in response to customer requests.
LendPlus app loans are issued to Kenyans above the age of 21 years who have a mobile number and an active mobile wallet - specifically M-PESA which is where the loan is directly disbursed once approved.
Now, the question of qualifying for a digital loan also comes with questions on how much one may qualify for, how to increase the limit, and whether one will be eligible for a subsequent disbursement.
With the minimum amount set at Ksh500 and the maximum amount being Ksh15,000 for first-time applicants and Ksh30,000 for repeat applicants, LendPlus tells Money254 that its internal system considers multiple factors about a customer’s profile including their credit history to determine the amount they can qualify for.
On your individual loan limit specifically, once you complete your application on the app, LendPlus shows you how much you can qualify for at the time of making the application.
If you are a second-time applicant, you may notice that the LendPlus app may quote for you a different loan limit than the one that you were given when you made your last application.
LendPlus tells us that this is because the lending system makes decisions on every loan application after weighing in customer-specific factors that could mean your loan limit goes higher, lower, or remains the same.
To increase your loan limit, which is something many borrowers want to do to assure them of a ready hassle-free injection of substantial amounts of cash whenever the need arises, LendPlus says your repayment history with them will play an important role.
Making early or on-time repayment is one of the best ways to make sure your loan limit rises. But, LendPlus says this is not the only factor and cannot guarantee an increase in loan limits for every customer since the broader factors to be considered are unique to everyone.
You are advised to always keep your account in good standing to improve the chances of increasing your loan limit to your desired level.
Which then brings us to the next question that uniquely positions LendPlus as a viable option for someone facing hard times such as someone in business with irregular payment intervals.
No digital lender so far reviewed by Money254 seems to offer this useful option of extending one’s repayment period when a borrower finds themselves in a situation where they cannot repay the loan by the due date.
LendPlus says you may extend your loan repayment period to give you more time to look for the money to repay back. You can do this by yourself on the app or alternatively contact the customer service centre for assistance via 0709 029 000.
One great thing about this feature is that you can actually extend your repayment period by up to the number of days your loan was due. For example, if your loan was to be repaid in 30 days, you could push your repayment by another 30 days.
LendPlus says that customers are allowed to extend the repayment period several times. The extended repayment period, however, has a cost implication that you need to be aware of before taking this option. For your repayment extension to be approved, you have to pay the interest accrued for the period in question, not the principal.
If you choose to extend the repayment period of your LendPlus loan, the following applies.
If your loan was already in default;
Note that after the extension, even if you are able to pay back the money before the end of the extension period (e.g. after 5 days instead of 10), you will still have to pay the full interest due after the full 10 days which is the loan tenure you selected. That is why you have to choose your extension period - and even your initial loan tenure carefully since, as is the case with other digital loans in Kenya, there is no early repayment discount.
If your loan application is rejected, you may have failed to pass the threshold of qualifying due to various factors including your credit history.
The lender prides itself in being a responsible lending company whose loan decisions are made by an automated system that analyses multiple factors.
If you unfortunately have not passed the test of the LendPlus system, LendPlus encourages unsuccessful applicants to try again once the platform can allow them to - this is typically after 14 days.
As previously stated, the LendPlus lending system considers each application independently. Your overall credit history is considered in determining whether you qualify for a subsequent loan.
LendPlus advises customers to always pay off their loans on time, to never borrow more money than they can comfortably repay, and to make sure their credit history does not deteriorate.
If your credit history remains good, you can qualify for higher amounts. For example, after repaying your first loan, the limit of your second loan could go as high as the maximum of Ksh30,000.
Also, the loan tenure for the second loan rises from 20 days to a maximum of 30 days.
The LendPlus app loan with its quick disbursement time, ability to extend repayment periods, and relatively high loan limits is an option for anyone looking for a short-term loan quickly to sort out an urgent need while being confident they can repay it back in a relatively short time.
Here are some of the ways to use your LendPlus app loan
You will have to download a LendPlus application from Google Play Store on your phone. After downloading, sign up and fill out a short application form on the Lend Plus app. The application should take a few minutes. What you need is only your ID card number. Here is the link to download the LendPlus App.
Read Also: How to Apply for The LendPlus App Loan
You can pay your LendPlus loan through the LendPlus app or through the M-PESA Pay Bill number 4073865, the account number being your phone number.
LendPlus allows early repayments through the app or via M-PESA Pay Bill. But, as discussed above, since the interest due is calculated based on the loan tenure chosen and not the actual date you end up repaying, there is no direct monetary advantage of repaying early.
LendPlus, however, encourages borrowers to pay early to stand a chance at increasing their borrowing limits.
You can also repay your loan using the LendPlus app. Follow these steps if you are using the LendPlus Digital Loan App to repay your loan.
LendPlus regularly runs promotions that offer discounts on the interest rates as a reward to its loyal customers. We’re not fully sure when and how often discounts are offered but here’s what we do know about it.
“We often do SMS mailings with promo codes for loans. Make sure you receive our SMS and use our promo code to get a discount on the interest rate,” LendPlus says.
If you have not been receiving SMSs from LendPlus with promo codes, it is possible that you have blocked SMS mailing. You have to check if you have blocked SMSs from LendPlus
You can unblock SMS mailing by dialling *456*9*5# or chatting with the LendPlus customer service team.
As stated earlier, a unique feature of the LendPlus App is the ability to elongate your repayment period by up to as long as your current loan tenure.
To prolong your loan tenure on the app, navigate to the yellow button titled “prolong” as shown in the image below. You can also call the customer service team for assistance.
If your loan is overdue, note that LendPlus will charge late payment fees of 2% per day - this is if you do not request for an extension before your loan falls into default.
If you are late for more than two days, the cost of the first two days will be 4% each and then the late fee applied reverts to 2% a day for each extra day in default. A 20% excise duty is applied to all late fees.
As such, it is very important that you borrow only what you can repay and make sure you pay on time, and if possible pay early, to reduce the chances of being charged this avoidable late fee.
Note that you have to pay in full any pending loan before you get another one - you cannot top up an existing loan or get a new loan before fully repaying your loan.
The LendPLus App is available for download on the Google Play Store here. As of December 7, 2022, the app had over 100,000 downloads and a 4-star rating out of 5 stars. This is out of a total of about 4,100 reviews.
You can compare this to some other loan apps such as Tala which has a 4.4-star rating on the Play Store from 451,000 reviews. Launched over eight years ago in 2014 in Kenya, Tala has been downloaded over 10 million times on the Google Play Store.
Zenka, another loan app, has a star rating of 4.3 stars out of 5 stars from over 101,000 reviews. The app that was launched in 2015 in Kenya (about 7 years ago) has been downloaded over 5 million times on the Google Play Store.
The LendPlus App is a recent entrant into the Kenyan market having only launched operations just about two years ago in 2021.
A quick scan of the five-star reviews shows many happy users are particularly happy with the app’s fast processing times, the ability to extend the loan repayment period, and a responsive customer care experience.
The lower star reviews showed dissatisfaction with the interest rate and some challenges in the registration process (especially on the ID upload that has since been removed).
“I love this app. Their customer service is exemplary, they have friendly interest rates and the best part is the extension option whereby you can pay a small charge to push your deadline further ahead. You can extend as many times as possible until you are financially prepared to clear the whole amount. Highly recommend!!!!”
“They're very honest and low-interest rate compared with other apps. Also, you can extend the days of the loan without additional fee thanks to PendPlus we are proud of you.”
“I will give you 4 stars the 5th one you have it for asking too much information including my company number ,this is between you and I, its my personal issue not where I work, Otherwise I'm a happy client, its a good app I recommend it.”
“This is the most outstanding app i've ever used, faster disbursement and utmost professionalism in their customer care services. Kudos 💪 Keep it up.”
“The app is quite disturbing when it comes to taking ID's photo and selfie....after it has detected, it doesn't allow you to go to the next step.”
“I've been trying to complete registration but nimekwama hapo kwa ku-upload pics. The app keeps on stopping and I can't finish the process.”
NOTE: LendPlus has now removed the need for a photo ID and you can reach out to their customer support on this number for any issues: 0709 029 000
“Lendplus is a very good loan app though the interest is a little higher. Paying 60% per month is something else.”
"Very good loan app with fastest approval. I recommend it to all for quick financial solutions. I have one concern though, why won't the app give me another loan after clearing my previous loan? keeps saying company and client phone number can't be the same but it has been issuing loans to the same?? Again do your support team respond during weekends and public holidays? If you don't give loans more than twice let us know instead of keeping us pending!?! 🤨😕"
NOTE: LendPlus tells Money254 that it considers a customer’s overall credit history when determining whether they qualify for a subsequent loan. If you encounter any challenges during your application, LendPlus advises that you contact their customer support team for assistance via 0709 029 000 or email customer@lendplus.ke
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