Irish Personal Loans Compared: APR, Speed and Flexibility

Avant Money is my first pick for a borrower taking more than €30,000 who cannot tolerate repayment surprises. According to the lender's website, the advertised fixed rate starts at 6.1% for larger loans, with borrowing up to €75,000 and terms reaching 10 years. That fixed structure matters more than a tiny headline-rate difference: your monthly repayment does not move if market rates rise. The downside is less obvious in the headline. Smaller loans receive higher rates, and a fixed loan will not benefit if rates fall. There is also no branch network, so applications and support are online or by phone. Compared with PTSB's 6.2% variable rate above €25,000, Avant Money is only 0.1 percentage points cheaper, but it buys certainty. Read the full terms on the Avant Money personal loans page before applying.

PTSB wins the rate race for loans of €25,000 or more, with a stated 6.2% variable APR, but its pricing is sharply tiered. Borrow €10,000 to €24,999 and the rate rises to 7.2%; below €10,000, it reaches 8.8%. That makes this a poor fit for a modest €5,000 expense despite the low number displayed in comparisons. Existing PTSB customers can receive instant approval online or in the Open24 app, and repayment can run for up to five years, or 10 years for home improvements. There is no early repayment penalty on the variable rate. The important trade-off is rate movement: your payment can change, unlike Avant Money's fixed structure. PTSB's own personal loan page should be checked for current eligibility and repayment details.

AIB is more interesting than its standard 8.65% to 8.95% variable APR suggests. The lender's Green Loan can reach 6.4% for qualifying purchases such as solar panels, electric vehicles and energy-efficient heating, putting it close to PTSB and below AIB's normal pricing. Standard personal loans run from €1,000 to €75,000, so AIB has the lowest minimum in this comparison. Online approval can take under three hours for loans below €30,000, though the online route requires an AIB current account. Variable repayments remain the weak point, and its normal rate is higher than Avant Money and PTSB. The 6.4% figure is therefore not a general-purpose rate; it depends on the purchase qualifying as green. Details are listed on AIB's personal loan page.

Revolut trades branch banking for an entirely in-app application and a starting variable APR of 6.5%. That is 0.3 percentage points above PTSB's large-loan rate, but Revolut may feel faster for someone already managing money in the app. Loans range from €2,000 to €30,000, which rules it out for a major renovation or large consolidation loan. A Revolut account is required, and there is no fixed-rate option, so the repayment amount can change. The provider's page also warns that missed repayments can put the account into arrears and affect credit records. I would compare its personalised quote against AIB's standard rate before accepting, particularly because the attractive 6.5% is a starting point rather than a promise. The digital process is the reason to choose it, not the maximum borrowing capacity.

An Post Money is the cleanest alternative for someone who does not want to move their banking relationship. According to its loan page, borrowing starts at €5,000 and can reach €75,000, with terms up to seven years and advertised APRs from 6.9% to 19.9%. That range tells you more than the starting rate: the final price depends heavily on your credit profile. The lender's calculator covers purposes including vehicles, education, home improvements and refinancing, which helps you test the monthly repayment before applying. The minimum is higher than AIB's €1,000, and the upper end of the APR range is expensive. Still, the lack of a required existing bank account gives An Post a practical edge over AIB, PTSB and Bank of Ireland for customers outside those ecosystems. Check the representative example and full terms on An Post Money's loan page.

Bank of Ireland's headline advantage is narrow but meaningful: recent graduates with the required graduate current account may access rates from 5.0% on loans up to €5,000. Outside that group, standard variable APRs run from 7.1% to 8.9%, and the minimum loan is €2,000. Existing customers can complete an online application in about 15 minutes, while the option to defer the first three monthly repayments may help with a short-term cash-flow squeeze. Deferral is not a discount; interest and the total repayment still need checking in the lender's terms. Compared with Revolut, Bank of Ireland offers a higher maximum of €75,000 but loses the fully app-based experience. Compared with AIB, it has a higher minimum and no listed green rate in the supplied terms. Graduate eligibility is the deciding factor, not the general rate band.

Credit unions deserve a place in the comparison because the headline APR is not the whole story. Irish credit unions list personal loans from €1,000 to €75,000 at roughly 8.0% to 12.68% APR, with membership required and rates varying between individual unions. That is usually pricier than Avant Money, PTSB or Revolut at their advertised starting points. The possible year-end interest rebate can reduce the effective cost, but it is not a guaranteed substitute for a lower APR and should be confirmed with the specific credit union. Face-to-face service and flexible repayment methods may matter to borrowers who find digital applications difficult or who are less likely to pass a bank's automated assessment. The Credit Union page also describes terms up to 10 years for larger loans. Ask for the total repayment, rebate rules and membership conditions in writing before comparing it with a bank quote.