Secure financing for purchases despite poor creditworthiness: Your path to a fair loan
1 Jun 2025
Katrin Straub
Managing Director at nextsure
Has a negative Schufa entry blocked your wish to finance a new car or washing machine? This is frustrating, but often not the end of the road. Learn how to secure financing for purchases despite poor credit and recognize dubious offers.
The topic in brief and concise terms
Banks are legally obliged to conduct credit checks (§ 505a BGB), but a negative entry does not necessarily mean the end of financing.
Serious alternatives include loans without SCHUFA (e.g. "Swiss loans" with fixed interest rates around 13 percent), P2P loans from private individuals, or involving a guarantor.
You can actively improve your credit rating by correcting incorrect Schufa entries, consolidating multiple loans, and only making a 'conditional request' when comparing.
Der Wunsch nach einer größeren Anschaffung ist da, doch die eigene Bonität macht einen Strich durch die Rechnung. Viele Deutsche kennen diese Situation: Ein negativer Schufa-Eintrag führt zur Ablehnung bei der Hausbank. Doch es gibt legale und seriöse Wege, um dennoch an ein Darlehen zu kommen. Dieser Artikel zeigt Ihnen praxisnahe Strategien, von Krediten ohne Schufa-Abfrage über die gezielte Verbesserung Ihrer Kreditwürdigkeit bis hin zur Erkennung von Risiken. Wir führen Sie Schritt für Schritt durch den Prozess, damit Sie Ihre Ziele erreichen, ohne in eine Schuldenfalle zu geraten.
Understanding credit checks as the foundation of lending
Every credit application in Germany begins with a credit check, which is legally required. Banks are obliged under § 505a of the German Civil Code (BGB) to assess your creditworthiness.
In doing so, they usually rely on data from credit agencies such as Schufa, as permitted by § 505b BGB. A Schufa score of over 97.5 percent indicates a very low risk of default for the bank.
If the score is lower, for example below 90 percent, lenders consider the risk to be significantly increased. Many people are unaware that even several small installment purchases can negatively affect creditworthiness.
This check protects not only the bank but also you from potential over-indebtedness. A clear understanding of this mechanism is the first step towards finding alternative financing options.
Four Ways to Finance with Negative Credit Features
If the home bank declines, there are at least four verified alternatives for financing. One option is engaging reputable credit brokers who work with specialised banks.
Another option is loans from private individuals, known as P2P loans, which often have more flexible lending criteria. These are mediated through online platforms and bring private lenders and borrowers together.
Moreover, a second borrower with good creditworthiness can significantly improve the chances of approval. Here are the most common options:
Credit Brokers: Specialised brokers are familiar with the criteria of various banks and often find solutions even in difficult cases.
Loans without Schufa: Certain banks, often from abroad, offer loans without querying the German Schufa.
P2P Loans: Platforms mediate loans between private individuals, where the risk assessment differs from that of banks.
Guarantee or Second Borrower: A person with good creditworthiness acts as a guarantor, reducing the bank's risk by up to 50 percent.
Our Expert Tip: You can recognise reputable providers by the fact that they never charge upfront fees for an application. The processing must be free up to the point of payout.
Each of these options has specific requirements and conditions, which should be examined carefully.
The 'Credit Without Schufa': A Realistic Analysis
The so-called 'Swiss loan' is a well-known form of financing without a credit check. Reputable providers offer clear and fixed conditions for this, typically covering three loan amounts: 3,500, 5,000, or 7,500 euros.
The term is often set at 40 months, with a fixed interest rate of, for example, 13.27%. This results in a monthly instalment of around 109 euros for a 3,500-euro loan.
However, these loans are tied to strict income limits. For a 3,500-euro loan, a single person without children (tax class one) must prove a net income of at least 1,870 euros.
This alternative to conventional banks is therefore real but not a cure-all and is subject to clear prerequisites. A comparison with other options is, therefore, essential.
Actively improve creditworthiness: Five steps for better credit opportunities
You can often improve your credit rating with targeted measures within just a few months. A Schufa score is recalculated only every three months, so some patience is required.
Start with a free data copy from Schufa to find incorrect entries. Studies show that over a third of these reports contain errors.
A very effective method is consolidating several small loans into a single one. This reduces the number of creditors and improves the clarity of your finances, which positively impacts the score.
Here are five concrete steps for improvement:
Review and correct data: Request a personal credit report and have outdated or incorrect entries removed immediately.
Reduce accounts and cards: Limit yourself to one or two current accounts and a few credit cards to signal financial stability.
Pay bills on time: Avoid reminders, since a negative entry can only occur after the second reminder.
Consolidate small loans: Combine multiple installments into a single loan to organize your liabilities.
Make inquiries about conditions only: When comparing loans, explicitly ask for a “condition inquiry” as a “credit inquiry” can lower your score.
Our expert tip: Cancelling unused mobile contracts or subscriptions can slightly improve your Schufa score as it reduces the number of your contractual obligations.
These measures show lenders that you manage your finances actively and responsibly.
Request your personal risk analysis now
Securing financing despite poor credit is a challenge that requires a strategic approach. There are legitimate ways, but the market is confusing and poses risks due to unscrupulous providers. A professional assessment of your situation is the first step towards financial improvement.
Have your insurance situation and financial possibilities assessed for free by our experts now. We analyse your individual situation and provide you with concrete optimisation suggestions to help you safely achieve your goals. Request your personal analysis on our page about consumer loans even with a credit record now.
More useful links
Statista provides statistics on the proportion of individuals with at least one SCHUFA negative entry by age.
Federal Statistical Office offers data sets on loans and online transactions.
SCHUFA explains the importance of positive data for the SCHUFA score.
Deutsche Bundesbank provides information on credit analysis concerning central bank-eligible collateral.
Boniversum offers information on the current Debtor Atlas.
Consumer Advice Centre provides information about the rights of borrowers with credit agreements.
vzbv (Federation of German Consumer Organizations) offers information on the topic of credit allocation.
FAQ
Wie hoch kann ein Kredit ohne Schufa maximal sein?
Bei den meisten seriösen Anbietern sind Kredite ohne Schufa auf feste Summen begrenzt, typischerweise 3.500 Euro, 5.000 Euro oder maximal 7.500 Euro. Höhere Beträge sind ohne Schufa-Prüfung unüblich.
Verbessert eine Umschuldung wirklich meinen Schufa-Score?
Ja, eine Umschuldung kann den Score positiv beeinflussen. Statt mehrerer kleiner Kredite haben Sie nur noch eine einzige Verbindlichkeit in Ihrer Akte. Das wird von der Schufa als ordentlicher und übersichtlicher bewertet und kann das Rating nach einiger Zeit verbessern.
Wie lange dauert es, bis ein negativer Schufa-Eintrag gelöscht wird?
Nachdem eine Forderung vollständig beglichen wurde, bleibt der erledigte Negativeintrag in der Regel noch für drei Jahre in der Schufa-Akte gespeichert. Die Löschung erfolgt taggenau drei Jahre nach Begleichung der Schuld.
Kann ich auch mit niedrigem Einkommen einen Kredit ohne Schufa bekommen?
Nein, das ist in der Regel nicht möglich. Anbieter von schufafreien Krediten haben feste Mindesteinkommensgrenzen, um sicherzustellen, dass die Raten gezahlt werden können. Beispielsweise wird für einen 3.500-Euro-Kredit oft ein Nettoeinkommen von mindestens 1.870 Euro verlangt.
Was sind die größten Warnzeichen für unseriöse Kreditangebote?
Die größten Warnzeichen sind die Forderung nach Vorkosten oder Gebühren für die Antragsbearbeitung, das Versprechen einer Kreditzusage ohne jegliche Bonitätsprüfung, der Versand von Unterlagen per Nachnahme und der Verkauf von unnötigen Zusatzprodukten wie teuren Versicherungen.
Hilft ein Bürge immer, einen Kredit zu bekommen?
Ein Bürge mit einwandfreier Bonität und stabilem Einkommen verbessert die Chancen auf einen Kredit erheblich, da er das Ausfallrisiko für die Bank drastisch senkt. Eine Garantie ist es jedoch nicht. Wenn der eigentliche Kreditnehmer sehr harte Negativmerkmale (z.B. eine laufende Insolvenz) aufweist, kann die Bank den Antrag trotzdem ablehnen.
