If you constantly find yourself overdrawing your checking account and require a temporary loan to bridge the gap until your next payday, cash advance apps may help.
Some payday advance apps do only one thing: give you access to your paycheck early. However, most of them come with more features.
Many apps provide online banking services, cash-back shopping, online investing, and tools for employers to manage their workforces.
Don’t just download the first app you find. Discover the best cash advance apps that can provide you with the funds and features you need with as few fees as possible.
1. Varo
- Cash Advance: Up to $250
- Speed: Instant
- Fees: Up to $15, depending on the amount borrowed
- Our Rating: 4.3 / 5
Varo is another online banking service that gives you faster paycheck access. When you use direct deposit with your Varo account, your paycheck enters your account as soon as your employer transfers it. Thus, the money can be in your hands up to two days earlier.*
Once you have a Varo account, you can become eligible for Varo Advance. This feature lets you borrow up to $250 interest-free. When you first qualify, you can receive advances of up to $20 and build your limit from there.
Notable Features
- Varo’s secured credit card: The Varo Believe Card can help if you’re trying to build your credit score. To use it, transfer money from your Varo bank account to your Varo secured account. Your balance is the limit on your card that guarantees you can always pay your balance in full, and you can use the automated SafePay feature to ensure you pay on time.
- Reports to the Credit Bureaus: Varo reports these on-time payments to the three major credit bureaus to boost your credit score fast. You can even watch it improve through credit monitoring in the Varo Bank app.
- Additional Features: Transfer money for free to others, access a large network of fee-free ATMs, use remote check deposit, and build credit with a secured credit card
2. Empower
- Cash Advance: Up to $250
- Speed: Instant (for a fee)
- Fees: $8/month
- Our Rating: 4.3 / 5
With Empower, you can get an interest-free advance of up to $250*. There are no late fees and no credit checks, and you can get your money instantly.
Empower comes with a payment card (the Empower Card), making the platform much more than just a payroll advance app.
Empower charges a fee of $8 per month. You must also meet certain qualifications, which are identified when you sign up for the Empower app, to use Empower Cash Advance.
Notable Features
- Empower Perks: Get up to 10% cash back** on places and things you spend money on already. Select the deals you want in the app and use your Empower Card at qualifying merchants
- Early paycheck deposit: You can get access to your paycheck up to two days faster^ by having it deposited into your Empower Card account, which is a separate feature from the payroll advance
- Free ATMs: Get free unlimited access to over 40,000 MoneyPass ATMs across the US
3. Dave
- Cash Advance: Up to $500
- Speed: Instant and standard
- Fees: $1/Month
- Our Rating: 4.2 / 5
The ExtraCash account from Dave is an online banking account —You can use its overdraft feature to give yourself a no-interest advance.
Based on eligibility, you can get up to $500 sent from your ExtraCash account to your external bank in one to three days for free, or you can transfer it instantly to your Dave Debit Mastercard for a small fee.
You start with a balance of zero in your ExtraCash account. If you take a cash advance from the account, the balance becomes negative, but there’s no overdraft fee.
A basic Dave membership costs just $1 per month. You can also give Dave a tip when you request an advance.
Notable Features:
- Automatic Calculations: Dave automatically calculates the date the money will come out of your linked bank account — usually your next payday. When that happens, the balance in your account returns to zero. However, if you can’t pay the full amount, you can pay part of it with no late fee.
- Pay Back Early: You can also opt to pay back your Dave advance early.
- Side Hustle: Get access to money-making gigs through the Side Hustle feature
4. Albert
- Cash Advance: Up to $250
- Speed: Same day
- Fees: Pay what you want
- Our Rating: 4.6 / 5
Albert is a mobile-first financial app with a no-fee, no-interest cash advance feature that can spot you up to $250 from your next paycheck.
Called Albert Instant, it’s free to use, but you must have a Genius subscription, which has a monthly fee. You can also pay a small fee to get your money instantly rather than in two to three business days.
You can use Albert Instant as de facto overdraft protection too. No matter how you employ it, there’s no credit check — not even a soft inquiry — and no hidden fees for use. When your next paycheck comes, simply repay Albert for the advance and move on.
Notable Features
- Up to 20% instant cash back on eligible purchases of gas, groceries, and delivery with your debit card
- Automated savings on a custom schedule that fits your needs
- Guided or DIY investing — pick your own stocks and themes or have Albert do it for you
- No minimum balance fees or commissions
5. Brigit
- Cash Advance: Up to $250
- Speed: Instant or standard
- Fees: $9.99 – $14.99 monthly subscription
- Our Rating: 4.1 / 5
Perhaps the most flexible payday advance app is Brigit. It delivers up to $250 to your account within one to three business days without subjecting you to a credit check (instantly for a fee).
You can choose your own repayment date to pull the money out of your bank account.
However, Brigit doesn’t offer cash advances to just anyone, you must meet the following app requirements.
Brigit App Requirements:
- Income. You must show you’ve received at least three paycheck direct deposits from the same source before Brigit grants you an advance. ATM deposits, paper checks, and irregular direct deposits don’t count.
- Banking. You must have a checking account at least 60 days old with a balance over $0. You must also show a sufficient end-of-day balance on your payday so Brigit knows it can safely collect your payment without overdrawing your account.
- Brigit Score. Brigit applies a scoring system similar to a credit score to all potential members. It’s based on your earnings, spending, and banking behavior. The score ranges from 1 to 100, and the app tells you what score you need to receive cash advances.
- Credit-builder feature: Build credit with a 24-month ‘loan’ that you choose the payment amount to make, with the difference coming from the locked-up loan funds to build a better credit score (only available in the Premium package)
6. Earnin
- Cash Advance: Up to $100/day
- Speed: 1-3 business days or instant
- Fees: Optional tips
- Our Rating: 5 / 5
The very first payroll advance app was ActiveHours, which is now Earnin.
Its creator, Ram Palaniappan, says its goal is to make the financial system more equal by helping workers break free of the pay cycle that holds back their money.
Earnin works much the same way as Brigit, but it only allows you to cash out up to $100 per day and up to $750 per pay period.
There’s no fee for this service, but you can add a “tip” of up to $14. Some even opt to “pay it forward,” deliberately leaving a bigger tip to cover the cost for those who can’t afford it.
In addition to paycheck advances, Earnin provides several other features to help workers on a budget.
Notable Features
- Balance Shield: Use other features like Balance Shield for overdraft protection
- Earning Express: Earnin Express is used for early access to pay up to two days earlier,
- Financial Calendar: The Financial Calendar is to track expenses and schedule cash advances
7. MoneyLion
- Cash Advance: Up to $500
- Speed: Up to five business days or instant (for a fee)
- Fees: None, unless you want an instant transfer
- Our Rating: 4.2 / 5
Another online banking app that offers a combination of early cash advances and early paycheck access is MoneyLion.
Its Instacash feature lets you borrow up to $500 without interest or a credit check. The money appears in your account within minutes for a fee or in up to five business days for free.
In addition, its online RoarMoney account gives you access to your paycheck up to two days early.
Notable Features
But MoneyLion’s features don’t end there.
- Spending & Money Management Interface: It also offers a comprehensive spending and money management interface with a low-cost investing platform that lets you transfer money from your savings account into a portfolio of exchange-traded funds customized to fit your risk tolerance. You can also adjust your investments to suit specific interests, such as socially responsible investing.
- No Management Fees: Your account is fully managed but has no management fees or minimum balance. However, there is a tiered monthly account fee ranging from $1 to $5, depending on how much you invest. There’s even an automatic investment feature to make investing easy.
- Paid Account Option: For $19.99 per month, you can upgrade to a Credit Builder Plus account. This feature allows you to take out a loan of up to $1,000 and pay it back over 12 months. Annual percentage rates (APRs) range from 5.99% to 29.99%, depending on your credit rating. You can build a solid credit history by making regular, on-time payments. Credit Builder Plus also includes other features to help build your credit. It comes with free credit monitoring, allowing you to track your progress, and it allows you to waive the monthly administrative fee on a RoarMoney bank account, a works at 40,000 MoneyPass ATMs. MoneyLion investment account, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about paycheck advance apps? Here are some answers to relatively common questions about what they are (and aren’t) and how they work.
Is a Paycheck Advance a Loan?
A paycheck advance is not technically a loan because it doesn’t charge interest. This is an important and positive contrast with payday loans, which infamously charge ridiculously high-interest rates that trap borrowers in cycles of debt.
Paycheck advances often carry one-time fees, and some apps charge subscription fees to cover the cost of additional services. But you shouldn’t pay interest on a paycheck advance (and definitely not on an early direct deposit).
What’s the Difference Between a Paycheck Advance and Early Direct Deposit?
A paycheck advance is a partial advance on your next paycheck. It’s paid back, with or without a fee, when you receive that paycheck. It can come anytime during your pay period, but typically one to two weeks in advance.
Early direct deposit is an early deposit of your entire paycheck. It doesn’t need to be repaid and shouldn’t carry a fee. It arrives closer to your pay date than a paycheck advance can — typically two business days early and no more than four.
How Much Does a Cash Advance Cost?
It depends on the service you’re using. A paycheck advance can cost anywhere from nothing to $4 or $5. Instant advances typically cost more when the money hits your account as soon as you authorize the transfer.