What is an affiliate relationship?
An affiliate relationship is a referral agreement. When you click a link on Together Lendings to a lender's website and subsequently fund a loan with that lender, the lender may pay us a referral commission. The payment comes from the lender's marketing budget, not from you — your loan terms, rates, and fees are identical whether you arrive at the lender through Together Lendings or directly.
Which lenders pay us
As of June, Together Lendings has affiliate relationships with: Upgrade, Upstart, Best Egg, Avant, Together Loans, OneMain Financial, Reach Financial, LightStream, and SoFi.
We do not currently have affiliate relationships with: Navy Federal Credit Union, PenFed Credit Union, Alliant Credit Union, or local credit unions generally.
How much they pay us
Commission rates vary by lender and product. As ranges:
- Prime personal loans (SoFi, LightStream, Upgrade): typically $40–$120 per funded loan
- Near-prime personal loans (Upstart, Avant, Best Egg): typically $80–$200 per funded loan
- Subprime / cosigner specialists (Together Loans, OneMain, Reach): typically $150–$400 per funded loan
The structural pattern — higher commissions on subprime products — is a known industry conflict of interest. We address it by publishing our review methodology in full so readers can see how scores are calculated.
What our ratings reflect
Ratings reflect our 47-point rubric, weighted across rates, eligibility, terms, application UX, customer service, and transparency. They do not reflect commission rates.
The clearest evidence of this: Upgrade (lower commission to us) ranks above Together Loans (higher commission to us) in our overall rankings, and we explicitly recommend that most borrowers try Upgrade first. We would earn more money if we reversed the ranking.
How we disclose
- Every page on Together Lendings carries an "Advertiser Disclosure" notice at the top.
- Outbound affiliate links are functionally identical to non-affiliate links in user experience.
- Articles covering specific lenders we have affiliate relationships with note the relationship in the disclosure bar.
What we don't do
- We don't accept payment for favorable coverage.
- We don't sell leads. Information you submit on a lender's site goes to that lender — not a broker.
- We don't accept "sponsored content" or "native advertising" from lenders.
- We don't write coverage prompted by a lender's affiliate manager.
Questions
Concerns about our disclosure practices: [email protected]. Business and partnership inquiries: [email protected].