Hidden Fees Undercut Borrower Trust in Instant Loan Payouts

In today’s economy, speed sells. Whether it’s groceries at your doorstep in 15 minutes or rideshare pickups within two, consumers have been trained to expect immediacy.

Findings in the latest “Money Mobility Tracker®” from PYMNTS Intelligence, “Race Against Time: How Urgency Shapes the Demand for Instant Lending Payouts,” a collaboration with Ingo Payments, reveal that urgency as a key driver of behavior is extending even to consumers’ financial lives.

The growth of instant disbursements reflects a larger shift: Consumers now expect financial services to operate in real time. As the report noted, instant payouts are no longer simply a nice-to-have feature. They are viewed as a financial lifeline. More than 60% of borrowers want funds instantly due to financial necessity, and over a quarter require payouts within 30 minutes.

But speed has a price. And often, that price is hidden until it’s too late.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report highlights a striking paradox: Borrowers are overwhelmingly willing to pay for the privilege of speed, but they resent being surprised. In other words, consumers understand that speed costs money. They are not rejecting fees outright. What they reject are hidden fees.

Illusion of Speed, Reality of Surprise

Why do hidden fees cut so deep? Because they violate a perceived expectation of fairness held by many consumers. Consumers approach borrowing with financial vulnerability and are often facing bills, emergencies or essential expenses that cannot wait. In that context, a surprise fee can feel less like a business transaction and more like exploitation.

For lenders, this dynamic may introduce a greater chance of reputational risk. What may seem like a minor “processing fee” at the point of transaction could become a long-term loyalty issue. Borrowers who feel misled are frequently less likely to return, recommend, or expand their relationship with the institution compared to money recipients satisfied with the economics of their instant disbursement.

The PYMNTS Intelligence data found that 86% of financial institutions view loan disbursements as a key use case for instant payment technology. Yet many of these same institutions risk undermining the value proposition by failing to communicate fees clearly.

Transparency, then, becomes more than a compliance matter. It becomes a competitive strategy. Lenders that set expectations upfront are not only meeting regulatory pressures but also positioning themselves as customer-centric. Conversely, institutions that rely on hidden charges to capture incremental revenue may risk long-term erosion of trust.

Speed may define urgency, but transparency defines loyalty.

Read the report: Race Against Time: How Urgency Shapes the Demand for Instant Lending Payouts

Clarity Is True Currency of Trust

Customer acquisition in financial services remains among the most expensive of any industry. Losing a borrower after one negative surprise effectively doubles the acquisition cost, while reducing the lifetime value of the relationship.

The ubiquity of instant payments has changed their value perception. Instant transfers are no longer a delight; they are a demand. An analogy to broadband is apt: Once access became universal, speed stopped being the differentiator. Reliability, and later transparency in pricing, became the battleground.

Transparency is more than publishing terms and conditions. It is about designing borrower experiences that surface critical information at the right time and in plain language. Legal disclosures alone don’t suffice. Information must be presented in borrower-friendly formats: visual, digestible and contextual.

Transparency is also iterative. It can include tactics such as inviting borrowers to flag confusing terms, and then acting on that feedback.

After all, when people feel informed, they feel in control. And when they feel in control, they are more willing to engage repeatedly with the same provider.