Debt & Credit Help Paying Off Debt

GreenPath Financial Wellness Review [2024]: Is It Really Free?

Do you need help fixing your credit or getting out of debt? A company like GreenPath Financial Wellness is available for support and it might even be free.

By Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®
and Mary Beth Eastman

Edited by Becca Borawski Jenkins

Updated Nov. 21, 2024

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GreenPath Financial Wellness

OUR VIEW

GreenPath Financial Wellness is a highly-rated nonprofit credit counseling agency that aims to help people with their debt, credit, and other aspects of their financial lives, such as housing. If you’re struggling to find your way out of debt, GreenPath is the first credit counseling agency I would recommend to many people. Consultations are free, the company is accredited and staffed with experienced professionals, and you’ll have access to a wide range of resources.

I also recommend GreenPath for help with your credit because you can speak with a coach at no cost and get personalized advice. I always suggest going through a nonprofit whenever it comes to financial support with debt, and GreenPath is a safe choice with more satisfied customers than many agencies I’ve seen. However, the organization’s paid services might not be worth it unless you’ve already tried free options.

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Pros

Free counseling services

Very highly rated by customers

Nonprofit status

Available nationwide

Cons

Some services cost money

Limited in-person support

How we evaluate products

What Is GreenPath Financial Wellness?

GreenPath Financial Wellness is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1961 and based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It is a National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) member accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an organization that independently examines companies to evaluate the ethics of their practices and ensure quality and accountability.

GreenPath offers credit counseling, debt management, and various types of financial counseling.

Who is GreenPath Financial Wellness best for?

GreenPath’s offerings are best suited for people struggling to pay off debt who don’t have money for coaching or loans. It could be a particularly great choice if you want virtual support, as its services include free counseling over the phone in all 50 states.

If you aren’t sure how to tackle debt and want to talk to someone trustworthy who will listen and help you understand your options, GreenPath is a better option than most. Its reviews and lack of complaints point to its track record of high customer satisfaction, especially compared to other companies with similar services (many of which receive mixed or poor reviews).

I also recommend GreenPath for DIY credit repair. Its website offers loads of free resources so you can educate yourself, whether you commit to a free or paid service with GreenPath or not.

Who GreenPath might not be right for

Not everything at GreenPath is free. If you need access to highly personalized and long-term financial planning resources but aren’t willing to pay, you won’t be able to use GreenPath. Its student loan enhanced support and debt management plans (DMPs) are paid services, though it’s worth noting that you won’t find free equivalents of these services anywhere.

GreenPath also won’t be the right fit for everyone seeking face time with a credit counselor, as the organization only has in-person locations in 10 states. If you want to discuss your financial wellness with a professional, you’ll have to consider other credit counseling services.

GreenPath Financial Wellness pricing

Service	Best for	Fee
Debt and credit counseling	People who want personalized support from counselors	Free
Debt management plan	People who want help consolidating debt and stopping collection calls	Up to $50 one-time setup fee Up to $75 monthly fee
Student loan counseling	People managing student loan debt	Free with standard counseling sessions $200 for an enhanced session
Credit report review	People who want help improving their credit	Free
Housing counseling	People struggling with mortgage payments	Foreclosure prevention counseling: Free Mortgage delinquency counseling: Free Rental counseling: Free Pre-purchase counseling: $150 (may be waived for credit union members) Reverse mortgage counseling: $199
Housing online classes	People who want to buy a house	My Path to Financial Freedom: Free eHome Money financial education: $99 Framework homebuyer education: $75 eHome Foreclosure homeowner education: $25 eHome Money homebuyer education: $99

What services does GreenPath Financial Wellness offer?

GreenPath Financial Wellness services mainly focus on personalized counseling and education.

Debt counseling

This service includes both debt counseling and credit counseling. It can help you understand your debt management options and how to develop a plan to reach your financial goals. I recommend this as a starting place for anyone drowning in debt, and there’s nothing to lose because it’s free.

Student loan counseling

Standard student loan counseling could help you develop a plan to pay off your student loans, including a review of different repayment options. They can let you know if you might qualify for relief or forgiveness and make a concrete plan for repayment.

If you pay for enhanced support, GreenPath will help you with a more in-depth analysis and do some of the work of contacting your loan providers. At $200 for an enhanced session, I only recommend this option if you have significant delinquencies and have already tried free counseling.

Credit help and financial coaching

Certified counselors can help you with a free credit report review so you know how to read your credit report and how it affects your credit score. This review can also include a plan for managing your credit to reach your ideal financial future.

This will look different for everyone, and you’ll get the most out of this session if you come prepared with questions to ask and goals in mind. For example, if you’ve been denied credit, you can ask your coach to look at why that might be and how you can work toward approval.

Debt management

GreenPath is well known for its debt management plans (DMPs), an optional paid service. These are individualized programs that involve two main facets: 1) Working with a financial counselor to set up a repayment schedule and 2) The counselor working on your behalf to negotiate your credit, possibly saving you on interest or fees or even lowering your balance(s) (though this isn’t guaranteed).

Good to know

DMPs aren’t right for everyone. They take years to see through and don’t work for every type of credit, and you often have to give up using your credit cards while you’re on one. You might also see a drop in your credit score — and, of course, they come with monthly fees.

Housing counseling

General housing counseling can involve specific topics depending on your situation, including reverse mortgage counseling, rental counseling, homebuyer counseling, and foreclosure prevention.

Certified housing counselors provide free help if you’re struggling with nearly any aspect of paying for housing. They’ll review your situation and may talk to your lender to explore options.

Online classes are also available to increase your knowledge at your own pace. Examples of classes include foreclosure education, homebuyer education, and a guide on your path to financial freedom.

Free online tools

The Learning Lab: This free online portal offers educational tools to increase your knowledge on financial topics.
Worksheets and guides: Access helpful and free resources, such as a budgeting worksheet, a guide to understanding your credit, and an explanation about the benefits of a debt management plan.
Calculators: Use these calculators to figure out the numbers on loans, mortgages, and debt management plans.
Webinars: GreenPath hosts regular webinars discussing important financial topics, such as buying a home, and sharing stories about financial wellness.

What GreenPath Financial Wellness customers are saying

GreenPath Financial Wellness has stellar customer service ratings. The company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating. The customer rating is 4.81 out of 5 stars on this platform, which is exceptionally high. Many institutions related to personal finance score less than two stars, as many unsatisfied customers take to the BBB to file complaints.

In the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Consumer Complaint Database, GreenPath, Inc. received just five complaints between November 2021 and November 2024. All five were closed without explanation.

On ConsumerAffairs, GreenPath Financial Wellness has a 4.7 out of 5.0 satisfaction rating with over 900 customer reviews. Across the board, GreenPath fares better than many of its competitors in terms of consumer sentiment.

How to contact GreenPath

GreenPath Financial Wellness professionals are available by phone or at certain in-person locations. Here’s how to contact GreenPath:

By phone: Call 1-844-822-2678 to speak with a GreenPath team member. If you’re a current GreenPath client, call 1-866-476-7284 to ask questions about your account.
In-person: In-person locations are available in 10 states nationwide. Check this GreenPath locations list to see what is available near you.

GreenPath’s phone counseling hours are:

Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET
Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET

GreenPath alternatives

Although GreenPath offers plenty of free and paid resources and counseling options, it might not be what you’re looking for. Consider one of these alternatives instead.

National Debt Relief

This is another highly-rated and accredited credit counseling organization that offers solutions to those struggling with debt. Its main offering is debt settlement, which tries to negotiate a lower payoff with your creditors. This organization stands out from GreenPath because it provides a broader range of specialized resources, like help for veterans looking for grants and guides to relief for various personal loans.

While I feel good about the company’s history and think many people would find what they’re looking for with National Debt Relief’s (paid) debt settlement, it doesn’t offer the extensive free counseling GreenPath does.

Read our National Debt Relief Review.

JG Wentworth

JG Wentworth offers a debt relief program that might help you negotiate with creditors, lower monthly payments, and get out of debt. It supports with credit counseling and debt settlement like GreenPath but does not offer the wide range of free counseling options that GreenPath does and is not a nonprofit.

I would only recommend JG Wentworth over GreenPath if you want support choosing a personal loan for debt consolidation or want to negotiate your debts — and are willing to pay. Note that this alternative does not have the same strong reputation as GreenPath.

Learn more.

FAQs

Is GreenPath legit?

Yes, GreenPath is a legit company. GreenPath is a nonprofit organization focused on helping people achieve their money goals by increasing their financial knowledge and taking sound steps along their financial journey. Two of its popular services include debt counseling and credit counseling. It also partners with over 550 credit unions to offer services to their members.

Is GreenPath Financial Wellness free?

GreenPath Financial Wellness provides multiple free services, including debt and credit counseling, as well as standard student loan counseling. If you want to take advantage of certain enhanced counseling services or online classes, you might have to pay a fee.

Does GreenPath hurt your credit?

The services GreenPath provides are designed to help you pay down debt and manage your credit. However, a service like a debt management plan could potentially hurt your credit score in the short term. This is because you might be closing lines of credit, which can decrease your average length of credit history. But making on-time and in-full payments as part of your debt management plan should help improve your credit over time.

Bottom line

If you need help paying off debt or improving your credit, GreenPath Financial Wellness is a legitimate, reputable company that could be a strong choice. As a nonprofit, GreenPath provides plenty of free resources, including debt and credit counseling, housing services, webinars, podcasts, and other information to help you increase your financial knowledge.

Disclaimer: All rates and fees are accurate as of Nov. 8, 2024.