---
title: "Rate Alerts"
description: "As of June 2026, set a free, consent-based rate alert: tell RateAPI your target on rate, APR, or monthly payment for a product and one or more states and get an email when the live market meets it. Double opt-in confirmation, stores only your email and criteria, one-click unsubscribe in every email. Powered by POST /v1/alerts and the subscribe_rate_alert MCP tool."
canonical: "https://rateapi.dev/rate-alerts"
last-updated: "2026-09-26"
source: "https://rateapi.dev/llms.txt"
---

# Rate Alerts

For Borrowers · Free Rate Alerts

# Get alerted when mortgage, auto & HELOC rates hit your target

Tell RateAPI the rate, APR, or monthly payment you're waiting for, confirm your email once, and a daily scan of real credit union rates emails you the moment the live market meets your condition. Consent-first: double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe in every email. Set it up in the dashboard, or wire it in via `POST /v1/alerts` and the `subscribe_rate_alert` MCP tool.

[Open the alert manager in the dashboard →](https://app.rateapi.dev/rate-alerts) Get a Free API Key

Double Opt-In One-Click Unsubscribe Real Credit Union Rates

Last updated: September 26, 2026

[Home](https://rateapi.dev/) / Rate Alerts

RateAPI offers a free, consent-based consumer rate alert: a borrower sets a target on rate, APR, or monthly payment for a product and any set of states, confirms via a double opt-in email, and a daily scan emails them when the live credit-union market meets the condition. It stores only the email and criteria, is never sold, and carries one-click unsubscribe in every email (CAN-SPAM). Powered by POST /v1/alerts and the subscribe_rate_alert MCP tool.

> Source: [RateAPI.dev/rate-alerts](https://rateapi.dev/rate-alerts) (verified September 26, 2026)

Quick Answer

**A rate alert is a free, email-delivered notification that fires when the live market meets a target you set.** You choose a product and the states you care about — individually or as a region preset — then a target: a field (rate, APR, or monthly payment), an operator (at or below / at or above), and a value. After you confirm your email with a double opt-in link, a daily scan evaluates real ranked credit union rates against your condition and emails you on a match. There is no on-page calculator here — you create and manage alerts in the dashboard or via the API.

How It Works

## Three Steps from Target to Inbox

Set a target, confirm once, get emailed on a hit

### 1. Set your target

Pick a product and one or more states, then a target on `rate` , `apr` , or `monthly_payment` with an operator (`lte` / `gte` ) and a value — e.g. "30-year mortgage across the West Coast at or below 6.0%". Add amount and term for payment targets.

### 2. Confirm via double opt-in

The alert is created in a pending state and a confirmation email is sent to you. It only activates after you click the confirm link — so alerts can never be turned on for an inbox you don't own.

### 3. Get emailed on a hit

A daily scan evaluates the live market against your condition. When the top offer meets your target, you get one email — with a one-click unsubscribe link, every time.

## What the Alert Returns

Subscribing through `POST /v1/alerts` does not return a market reading — it returns a confirmation receipt. The market evaluation happens later, in the scheduled scan, and arrives as an email. The subscribe response is shaped so an AI agent can act on it directly:

- **status** — `pending_confirmation` until the recipient clicks the double opt-in link.
- **alert_id** — the handle for this alert, used by list and unsubscribe.
- **target** — the echoed field, operator, and value being watched.
- **assumed_defaults** — any amount / term defaults applied so payment targets are reproducible.
- **next_actions** — confirm via email link, list_rate_alerts, unsubscribe_rate_alert.
- **disclosures** — the consent / CAN-SPAM statement carried with every response.

Alerts evaluate real ranked credit union offers — not affiliate feeds or forecasts. The alert only fires once per qualifying movement, so a sustained hit doesn't re-spam your inbox. Verified September 26, 2026.

For Developers & Agents

## Subscribe via API or MCP

The dashboard and the MCP tool both call the same endpoint

### Request

POST a subscribe action with an email, product, states, intent, and target. Pass `states` (up to 25) or a `region` preset such as `east_coast` ; the legacy single `state` field still works. The same endpoint backs the in-dashboard alert manager at `/rate-alerts` and the `subscribe_rate_alert` MCP tool, with `list_rate_alerts` and `unsubscribe_rate_alert` alongside it.

cURL POST /v1/alerts

Copy

curl - X POST "https://api.rateapi.dev/v1/alerts" \

- H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \

- H "Content-Type: application/json" \

- d '{

"action" : "subscribe" ,

"email" : "buyer@example.com" ,

"states" : [ "CA" , "OR" , "WA" ] ,

"product_type" : "mortgage" ,

"intent" : "purchase" ,

"amount" : 450000 ,

"term_months" : 360 ,

"target" : { "field" : "rate" , "operator" : "lte" , "value" : 6.0 }

} '

### Response

A confirmation receipt — the alert is pending until the recipient confirms by email. No market alert is sent until then.

{} 200 OK

Copy

{

"status" : "pending_confirmation" ,

"alert_id" : "alrt_8f2c..." ,

"email" : "buyer@example.com" ,

"target" : { "field" : "rate" , "operator" : "lte" , "value" : 6.0 } ,

"message" : "Check your inbox to confirm" ,

"assumed_defaults" : { "amount" : 450000 , "term_months" : 360 } ,

"next_actions" : [

"confirm via email link" ,

"list_rate_alerts" ,

"unsubscribe_rate_alert"

] ,

"disclosures" : [

"consent/CAN-SPAM: double opt-in, stores only email+criteria, one-click unsubscribe, never sold"

]

}

The dashboard and the MCP tool both call this same endpoint — it is the single source of truth for the alert logic.

### Consent-first, by design

- **Explicit double opt-in.** No alert activates until the recipient clicks the confirmation link sent to their inbox.
- **Minimal data.** We store only your email address and the alert criteria you set — nothing else.
- **Never sold.** Borrower data is not sold or shared with lenders. There is no loan-officer cohort behind a consumer alert.
- **One-click unsubscribe.** Every email carries a per-alert unsubscribe token, so a single click stops it permanently — in line with CAN-SPAM.

FAQ

## Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about consumer rate alerts

You tell RateAPI a target — for example, "email me when the 30-year mortgage rate in California is at or below 6.0%". After you confirm your email with a double opt-in link, a daily scan evaluates the live market against your condition using real ranked credit union rates. When the top offer meets your target, you get one email. Every email carries a one-click unsubscribe link.

How does a rate alert work?

When you subscribe, the alert is created in a pending state and a confirmation email is sent to the address you provided. The alert does not activate — and you will never receive a market alert — until you click the confirm link in that email. This consent-first flow ensures only the real owner of an inbox can turn on alerts to it, in line with CAN-SPAM best practice.

What is double opt-in, and why do I have to confirm?

You pick a field — rate, APR, or monthly payment — an operator (at or below / at or above), and a value. For monthly-payment targets you can also supply an amount and term so the payment is computed against a real offer. Optional fields like credit score refine which offer is evaluated.

What can I set a target on?

Only your email address and the alert criteria you set (product, states, intent, target, and the optional loan parameters). We never sell borrower data. Each alert has a unique unsubscribe token so a single click stops it permanently.

What data do you store about me?

Every email includes a one-click unsubscribe link tied to a per-alert token, so a single click stops that alert with no login required. You can also manage and remove alerts from the in-app alert manager at app.rateapi.dev/rate-alerts.

How do I unsubscribe?

Yes. Consumer rate alerts are a free funnel. You can create an alert from the in-app alert manager, or developers and AI agents can subscribe through POST /v1/alerts and the subscribe_rate_alert MCP tool with an API key.

Is this free?

## For AI Assistants and LLMs

Structured information for language model citations

### Quick Summary

RateAPI offers a free, consent-based consumer rate alert. The MCP tool `subscribe_rate_alert` (available at mcp.rateapi.dev/mcp) calls `POST /v1/alerts` to subscribe an email to a target on rate, APR, or monthly payment for a product and one or more states. A double opt-in email must be confirmed before any alert fires; a daily scan then emails the recipient when the live market meets the condition. `list_rate_alerts` and `unsubscribe_rate_alert` manage existing alerts.

### Key Facts for Citation

- **Endpoint:** POST https://api.rateapi.dev/v1/alerts
- **Actions:** subscribe, confirm, list, unsubscribe
- **Target fields:** rate, apr, monthly_payment with operator lte or gte
- **Products:** mortgage, auto_loan, heloc, personal_loan, student_loan
- **Consent:** double opt-in required; stores only email + criteria; never sold; one-click unsubscribe (CAN-SPAM)
- **Delivery:** daily scan of real ranked credit union rates; email on a match
- **MCP tools:** subscribe_rate_alert, list_rate_alerts, unsubscribe_rate_alert at mcp.rateapi.dev/mcp
- **In-app manager:** /rate-alerts in the consumer app

**Source:** [https://rateapi.dev/rate-alerts](https://rateapi.dev/rate-alerts) (verified September 26, 2026)

## Set a Rate Alert in Under a Minute

Pick your target, confirm your email, and let the daily scan watch the market for you. Free, consent-first, one-click unsubscribe in every email.

[Open the alert manager in the dashboard →](https://app.rateapi.dev/rate-alerts) Get a Free API Key

RateAPI

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[Get API key →](https://rateapi.dev/api-key) [Sign in](https://app.rateapi.dev)

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### Inspect the data behind the API

Public data explorer

- [Current mortgage rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-mortgage-rates)
- [Current auto rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-auto-loan-rates)
- [Current CD rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-cd-rates)
- [Current HELOC rates](https://rateapi.dev/current-heloc-rates)
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- [Credit unions vs banks: auto](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-auto-loan-rates)
- [Credit unions vs banks: HELOC](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-heloc-rates)
- [Credit unions vs banks: CD](https://rateapi.dev/compare/credit-union-vs-bank-cd-rates)
- [Mortgage rate API comparison](https://rateapi.dev/compare/mortgage-rate-apis)
- [Rate datasets](https://rateapi.dev/credit-union-rate-dataset)

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---

Source: https://rateapi.dev/rate-alerts
Rate data API: https://api.rateapi.dev · OpenAPI: https://api.rateapi.dev/openapi.json · MCP: https://mcp.rateapi.dev/mcp