Upgrade SCRA: No Rate in Print, No SCRA Desk, How to File Anyway

Upgrade answers the military question in two short help-center articles, and neither gives you a number. They say loans obtained through Upgrade, and retail installment sale contracts assigned to Upgrade, “comply with the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA),” that the benefits “include an interest rate reduction for active-duty military servicemembers,” and that the loan “must be obtained prior to the active-duty start date.” Upgrade “may request documentation.” That is the whole published program, read November 2, 2026. There is no SCRA email, no form, no stated timeline, and no deadline.

The missing number is not a problem, because the law supplies it. A debt you took on before service that carries more than 6% “shall not bear interest at a rate in excess of 6 percent” during military service, and the interest above 6% is forgiven (50 U.S.C. § 3937(a)). The work on your side is getting a written request in front of Upgrade through a channel that leaves a record.

What the cap is worth on an Upgrade loan

Upgrade’s personal-loan page lists APRs of 7.74% to 35.99%, an origination fee of 1.85% to 9.99% taken out of the proceeds, and terms of 24 to 84 months. Its own worked example is a $10,000, 36-month loan at a 17.59% APR, made up of a 13.94% yearly interest rate and a 5% origination fee, with a $341.48 monthly payment.

On that example, the interest rate is the part the cap cuts. At 13.94%, a $10,000 balance costs about $1,394 a year in interest; at 6% it costs $600. That is roughly $790 a year forgiven (an illustration that holds the balance flat; yours falls as you pay). A borrower at the top of Upgrade’s range saves far more. The statute also requires the monthly payment to drop by the forgiven interest (§ 3937(a)(3)), so the relief shows up in each payment, not as a credit years later. Run your own numbers in the savings calculator.

Upgrade’s page does not say whether it treats any part of the origination fee as interest for SCRA purposes. The statute counts “fees, or any other charges” as interest (§ 3937(d)(1)), but that fee was deducted at funding, before your service began. Do not count on getting it back.

What Upgrade publishes, line by line

Upgrade describes itself as “a financial technology company, not a bank,” and says its loans and cards are provided by its bank partners. You still file with Upgrade, which services the account.

Filing with Upgrade when there is no SCRA desk

Put an SCRA request on record with Upgrade

1. Confirm the Upgrade loan, Upgrade Card, or assigned installment contract was opened before your active-duty start date. Upgrade says this is required, and so does § 3937.
2. Get your orders showing the start date, or a commanding officer letter on letterhead. A DMDC status certificate is a useful second attachment.
3. Write a request that names every Upgrade account and asks for the 6% cap from the start date, citing 50 U.S.C. § 3937. The letter generator drafts it.
4. Upload the letter and orders in your Upgrade Account Dashboard, and email the same packet to servicing@upgrade.com. Upgrade lists (844) 899-9931 for account questions, Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT and weekends 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT.
5. Ask for the applied rate and its effective date in writing, because Upgrade publishes neither.
6. If nothing changes on the next statement, write to complaint@upgrade.com, the complaints address on Upgrade’s contact page, with the first request attached.

Auto contracts assigned to Upgrade

Upgrade names “Retail Installment Sale Contracts assigned to Upgrade” alongside its loans, and its contact page lists Auto Finance among the accounts it services. If your car contract is one of them and you paid a deposit or installment before entering service, the SCRA does more than cap the rate. Under § 3952(a), the contract may not be rescinded or terminated for a breach, and the vehicle may not be repossessed, without a court order. Upgrade’s help center does not mention this protection; the statute does not need it to. The repossession guide explains what to do if a repo agent shows up anyway.

Where Upgrade borrowers lose the cap

Calling the MLA hotline instead of filing. Upgrade prints a Military Lending Act hotline, (855) 511-7676, on both military articles. The MLA covers credit opened while you are on active duty and caps its cost at a 36% APR (10 U.S.C. § 987(b)). It does nothing for a loan you took out before service. The MLA versus SCRA guide sorts out which law reaches which debt.

Waiting until after separation. Upgrade states no deadline, but the statute does: written notice no later than 180 days after release (§ 3937(b)(1)). Inside that window the cap reaches back to the day you were called up. Upgrade’s veterans article says there is no separate veterans benefit, so day 181 is the end.

Treating a phone call as notice. The statute asks for written notice. A chat transcript or a call note may never reach the team that changes the rate. Upload and email, then keep both.

Compare Upgrade with online lenders that do publish a dedicated route, such as Avant and Upstart, or browse the lender directory.

The law behind this: 50 U.S.C. § 3937

Maximum rate of interest on debts incurred before military service: read the statute , or read § 3937 in plain English, with its enforcement record .