Aidvantage is a company that offers services for federal student loans, including collecting and monitoring payments. Aidvantage's portfolio now consists of 5.6 million loan accounts formerly handled by a servicer, Navient. Aidvantage customer service is currently operating under the federal contractor Maximus. If Aidvantage is servicing your federal student loans, the following is a list of things it may assist you with:
Create an account to have access to your account online. When you've set this up, you'll be able to communicate with Aidvantage online, where you can also locate your monthly billing statements and make payments.
Sign up for automatic payments. Your contributions to Aidvantage may be deducted automatically from your bank account if you so want. A quarter percentage point will reduce your interest rate if you enroll in autopay.
Put your name in for the income-driven repayment program. By submitting a paper form to Aidvantage, you can request income-driven repayment, which would restrict the amount of your monthly student loan payments to a proportion of your income. (Furthermore, you may apply for an IDR plan via the website studentaid.gov.)
Requests for deferral and forbearance should be submitted. If you are eligible, Aidvantage may be able to temporarily cease your payments or lower the amount that you are required to pay each month. This helps you maintain good standing and prevents you from going into default. Yet, even during postponement or forbearance, interest may still be accrued on the debt balance.
Maintain a record of both your regular and supplemental payments. Your contributions will be monitored and collected by Aidvantage. You may make additional payments by informing aidvantage customer service student loans (online, via phone, or by mail) to apply more payments to your existing amount. If you wish to make additional payments, you can do so. In such a case, it may add the extra amount to the payment for the next month instead.
The United States Department of Education will choose a loan servicer for you before the first installment of your loan is sent to the institution you will be attending. Your monthly fee for your federal loan will be sent to you by the servicer, which is the firm's name. If your loan payments have not yet commenced, or if you are unsure which organization serves as your loan servicer, you may access this information by logging into the My Federal Student Aid portal. Calling 800-4-FED-AID is another option for contacting any loan servicer contact centers that may be available.
Servicers are meant to assist you, but their options may be more beneficial to the servicing firm than the borrower. This implies they cannot change how payments are handled and may not recommend the most advantageous repayment method. It is of the utmost importance to be aware of your potential repayment choices, as this will allow you to formulate appropriate inquiries.
Am I obligated to remain a customer of Aidvantage until all of my loans have been repaid?
The United States Department of Education (ED) aims to reshape the landscape of student loan servicing by signing new processing contracts with five different corporations to assume responsibility for all loan servicing. This indicates that your loan servicer may be changed in the near future.
For instance, Aidvantage has assumed responsibility for the student loan servicing portfolio that once belonged to Navient, one of the leading student loan servicers. Borrowers who use Navient will continue to use the same login information while using Aidvantage.
You will be alerted as soon as a transfer of loan servicing occurs, and you will be responsible for managing payments with the new servicer. While all providers provide the same choices and programs, the quality of customer support might vary significantly amongst providers. Borrowers need to take the following steps before the expiration of their servicing contracts:
You may either get a copy of your payment history from your service provider or download and save it from your online account. Be sure that your most current address, phone number, and email address are included in your list of contact information.
How to complain about Aidvantage
If you are experiencing a problem with Aidvantage that you have not been able to fix, the first step that you should take is to file a complaint with the customer support department of Aidvantage. If your problem is not addressed, you have the option of making your complaints about Aidvantage to the following:
- Your state attorney general's office.
- The Federal Student Aid Feedback System.
- Your congressional representative.
- Your state consumer protection office.
Ensure you retain records of your discussions, including the date, time, and customer service agent you interacted with. Retain copies of any emails, letters, or invoices that pertain to your account that you receive.