Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Credit Unions vs Payday Loans in Lakeland, FL
2 credit unions are headquartered in Lakeland, with 618,644 members in total. Credit unions are member-owned and often offer small personal loans and payday alternative loans (PALs) at far lower rates than payday lenders.
- Credit unions
- 2
- Members
- 618,644
- Federal
- 1
- State-chartered
- 1
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in Lakeland
Lakeland has 6 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 2 credit unions headquartered here — about 3.0 loan stores for every credit union. Local credit unions count 618,644 members — roughly 230 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
2
0.7 per 100k residents
618,644 members
Payday & loan stores
6
2.2 per 100k residents
5 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in Lakeland: Advance America (2), Lendmark Financial Services (1), Mariner Finance (1), OneMain Financial (1), loanDepot (1).
What a $500 loan costs over 3 months
| Option | Payment | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan, re-borrowed 6 times (~304% APR) | $55.00 every 2 weeks | $330.00 |
| Credit union PAL, 3 monthly payments (28% APR + $20 fee) | $174.50 a month | $43.51 |
- You keep with a credit union PAL over 3 months
- $286.49 payday costs 8× more
Payday: the FL maximum — $55 on a $500 loan for 2 weeks, paid again each time the loan is renewed or taken out again (6 times in 3 months). PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR with an application fee of up to $20.
What it means for a household in Lakeland
- Median household income
- $70,171
- Payday fee of $55, share of two weeks' income
- 2.0%
- Hours of work to pay the $55 fee
- 3.2 hours
- PAL payment of $174.50, share of monthly income
- 3.0%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.1 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 15.4%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 12.8%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for Lakeland are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in Florida
| Payday loan in FL | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Allowed | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Loan amount | $500 | $200 – $2,000 |
| Fee limit | 10% of check + $5 fee ($55) | Application fee up to $20 |
| Typical APR | ~304% | Up to 28% |
| Term | Usually 2–4 weeks, due in one payment | 1 to 12 months, in installments |
| Credit check | Usually none; a bank account and income are required | Membership required; payments can be reported to credit bureaus |
Payday rules: Florida law as summarized on our Florida payday page. PAL rules: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) rules for federal credit unions (PAL I and PAL II); state-chartered credit unions may offer similar small loans.
Credit unions headquartered in Lakeland
| Credit union | Address | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midflorida Credit UnionState-chartered | 129 S Kentucky Ave Lakeland, FL 33801 | 493,840 | midflorida.com |
| Publix Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | P.O. Box 1000 Lakeland, FL 33802 | 124,804 | pefcu.com |
Payday and installment loan stores in Lakeland
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in Lakeland with addresses, phone numbers and hours. Check a credit union first — a PAL or small personal loan usually costs far less.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1283 Ariana Street Lakeland, FL 33803 | (863) 683-2650 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 2614 Lakeland Hills Blvd., #3 Lakeland, FL 33805 | (863) 687-4297 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 6595 Florida Ave S Ste 7 Lakeland, FL 33813 | (863) 510-7890 | — | 5.0 |
| 4015 Florida Ave S Lakeland, FL 33813 | (863) 709-1403 | — | 4.8 |
| 3615 Florida Ave S #1200 Lakeland, FL 33803 | (863) 644-5936 | — | 4.2 |
| 100 S Kentucky Ave Lakeland, FL 33801 | (407) 985-7810 | — | 5.0 |
More about Lakeland
Only credit union headquarters are listed, with the address on file with the NCUA; phone numbers and branch locations are on each credit union’s website. Many credit unions also have branches in Lakeland and nearby — check membership requirements, as some are open to anyone who lives or works in the area. Loan stores: storefront locations of major payday, installment and title lenders; call ahead to confirm hours.