Loans
Money at 30: SuperMoney Review
When it comes to taking out a loan, buying an insurance policy, or even getting a new rewards credit card, we all know that it pays to do your research and shop around. That said, the process of obtaining multiple quotes and looking for details on every offer can be extremely time-consuming — not to mention the additional time you’ll need to put into researching what other people have to say about the companies you’re considering working with. There have been a number of vertical-specific solutions that have popped up over the years. Recently a new player has entered the market, SuperMoney, who wants to be the comparison super hub for everything from student loan refinancing to side hustles.
So what is SuperMoney and how does it work? Let’s take a look at what this site has to offer.
What is SuperMoney?
SuperMoney is an aggregator site that allows you to compare multiple companies and products in one place. For example, say you were looking for a HELOC (home equity line of credit) but didn’t know where to start — SuperMoney will first present you with a table featuring various companies as well as what size loan amounts they offer, their APR range, and other details. From there, you can also dive deeper by clicking the name of the company from within the table. Doing this will take you to a page of FAQs and other details, hopefully telling you everything you need to know about the products available.
As I mentioned, SuperMoney also incorporates customer reviews into their comparisons. For each of the companies and products listed, SuperMoney users with past experience can say whether they’d recommend the services or not. While a rundown of these ratings will display in each table, you can also read the full reviews of why people would or would not recommend products on each company’s page.
Since many of the products SuperMoney compares can vary depending on each individual’s credit and other factors, some product tools will launch a different interface that allows users to obtain customized quotes. To do this, you’ll first need to answer a series of questions. These prompts may ask you a bit more about what your specific needs are as well as inquire about your credit score, employment status, income, and more. Note that you may also be required to enter your address, name, phone number, etc. in order to receive your quotes.
The Good and Bad of SuperMoney
First off, I have to say I’ve been impressed by the amount of data SuperMoney offers on many of the companies it has listed. Personally I actually enjoyed poking around various credit cards the site had listed and looking in-depth at what each one had to offer. Not only did SuperMoney’s pages give an overview of what each card was about and what type of person would be best served by it but they also included a list of all fees, a credit score range for who might get approved for each card, and other helpful info.
Another thing I appreciate about the site is the filters they have available to help you narrow your search. Going back to the credit card example, you can limit your search by credit network, benefits, rewards type (cashback, rewards, miles, etc.), and more. That said, while these filters work well enough for some of the sections, others don’t seem to be as effective. Specifically, one of the tools SuperMoney offers allows you to compare CDs from various banks. Although the section itself is helpful, the filter to view options based on their 3-month APY seems odd since the table displays each product’s 12-month APY. As a result, attempting to employ this filter results in no listings. I assume little flaws like this are just a side effect of the site trying to support as many verticals as possible.
Speaking of which, as I alluded to earlier, something that really surprised me about SuperMoney was just how many product types they offer comparison tools for. Sure there are the standard categories you might expect, like loans (mortgages, auto loans, consolidation loans, etc.), insurance policies (auto insurance, life insurance, renters insurance, etc.), and the aforementioned credit cards, but they also provide comparisons for things like tax prep services, banks and credit unions, and even credit repair firms.
Expanding into other areas of personal finance, I was also impressed to find lists of apps and services as well as so-called “side hustle” options. Although these pages didn’t seem to be quite as comprehensive as some of the other verticals, I did find there to be useful information. In particular, it was interesting to see the fees that some of the listed platforms charge their contractors.
While updating this review another unique page I came across featured Crowdfunding Sites. This one is actually a bit strange as it includes sites where you crowdfund projects/causes (such as GoFundMe) as well as those that simply utilize a crowdfunding format (like Fundrise and other real estate investment platforms). Regardless, I definitely learned about some new sites thanks to this table.
To that point, I kept getting the feeling that SuperMoney would have more to offer if its user base were larger. This is most evident in the reviews where some products may have dozens of reviews while many others have none. And, like any review site, some of the feedback left from apparent customers isn’t so much helpful as it is head-scratching. On the whole, including a review element into their comparison tools does make a lot of sense, but I do wonder if having the reviews will ultimately accomplish what SuperMoney hopes they will.
Final Thoughts on SuperMoney
Overall, the idea of SuperMoney is one that’s long overdue — even if parts of that idea have been done before to varying degrees. What makes SuperMoney different from some predecessors is its (mostly) clean execution and diversity in verticals. At the same time, SuperMoney shows some of the growing pains that come with launching a site of this kind. Among those is the catch 22 that you need users to help flesh out your listings, but attracting them can be difficult if certain sections feel incomplete. This is something still impacting SuperMoney since I first reviewed it.
All things considered, though, I think SuperMoney is onto something awesome and has a ton of potential to be a truly helpful tool in many ways. Therefore I look forward to checking back on it often and doing my part to help them build out something great.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Is SuperMoney legit?
A:
Yes, SuperMonday works with a number of companies to provide users a resource for finding loans, credit cards, insurance, and other products.
Q:
Does SuperMoney run your credit?
A:
Obtaining customized offers on SuperMoney will result in a soft pull of your credit, but this will not impact your credit score. However, moving forward with claiming an offer with a lender may require a hard pull of your credit.
Q:
Does SuperMoney charge a fee?
A:
No. SuperMoney is free to use. However, some of the services they refer may cost money.
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