Cash advance apps are a nice convenience, but having to pay for a subscription can take a bite of your monthly budget. And it may financially defeat the purpose of having access to advances in the first place. Luckily, a number of providers don’t require a monthly membership fee to qualify for advances.
6 Cash advance apps that don’t have subscription fees
These cash advance apps are essentially free — there’s only a charge if you need a fast transfer.
EarnIn offers advances based on the wages you've earned but haven't been paid for, and it never charges a monthly fee. Advance limits are $150 per day up to a maximum of $750 per pay period, but exact amounts depend on how much you make. Standard transfers typically take one to two days, but if you need your funds right away, fast transfers cost between $2.99 and $5.99.
Like most cash advance apps, EarnIn doesn't charge interest or late fees, and there's no credit check required. But you need to earn at least $320 per pay period, and the fast transfer service is not available in all states. You'll also need to provide a work email address or allow GPS tracking to verify your hours worked, which may not be a viable option for some workers.
EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.
Pros
No interest or mandatory tipping
Lighting speed fee is lower than some other apps
Balance tracking alerts
Cons
Must receive paycheck by direct deposit
Verification of employment earnings required
Loan amount
Up to $750
APR
0%
Interest rate type
Fixed
Loan Term
1 to 4 weeks
Turnaround time
1 to 3 business days or within minutes for a fee starting at $2.99 per transfer
Loan amount
Up to $750
APR
0%
Turnaround time
1 to 3 business days or within minutes for a fee starting at $2.99 per transfer
Current provides up to $500 in cash advances with no interest, late fees or mandatory subscription fees. In most cases, your advance is repaid out of your next pay deposit, but Current gives you up to 35 days to repay it before cutting off access to loans. It also offers fee-free overdraft protection of up to $100 for qualified users, and you can trade crypto on it.
To qualify for advances, you'll need at least $500 in eligible payroll deposits to your Current account or a linked external bank account. You can get free transfers within three days, but if you want it faster, you'll have to pay a fee, which is undisclosed until you request an advance.
Available in all states
Pros
No interest, late fees or subscription fees
Have up to 35 days to repay
Overdraft protection for some users
Cons
Undisclosed fast transfer fee
Must have a Current account set up
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Interest rate type
Fixed
Loan Term
Varies
Turnaround time
Get instant access to your paycheck in advance for a fee, or get it fee-free within 3 business days
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Turnaround time
Get instant access to your paycheck in advance for a fee, or get it fee-free within 3 business days
Chime is a popular mobile banking app with numerous services, including MyPay, which offers advances up to $500 with no mandatory fees. And you can receive your transfer within 24 hours for free, which is much faster than most apps. Or you get your funds within minutes for a flat $2 fee — about the smallest fee we can find.
But you need a Chime checking account and Chime debit card to qualify for advances, and you must receive your pay by direct deposit to your Chime account. If you prefer to get your pay deposited to an external account, you won't have access to MyPay, and it's not available in all states yet.
There are no late fees, interest charges or monthly fees to access advances up to $500 with MoneyLion. Or, you can open a RoarMoney account with qualifying recurring deposits to qualify for up to $1,000.
However, you can only request up to $100 at a time, although you can request more later if you need extra cash. Free transfers can take up to five days to get to an external account, which is longer than most apps. Expedited transfer fees can cost up to $8.99 per $100 borrowed.
Available in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Pros
No required monthly membership fee
Flexible repayment options
Opportunity for higher advance limits
Cons
Free transfers take longer than many competitors
Complicated expedited transfer fee structure
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Interest rate type
Fixed
Loan Term
Due by your next pay date
Turnaround time
Up to 5 days or instant for a fee of $0.49 to $8.99
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Turnaround time
Up to 5 days or instant for a fee of $0.49 to $8.99
Money App offers advances up to $250, which is on the small side for this list, but at least it doesn't charge a monthly fee, interest or late charges. You'll need an external checking account with a debit card to qualify, and you have to get paid by direct deposit.
Free transfers only take about one to three days, but if you need the money right away, you'll pay between $4.99 and $15.99 for an expedited transfer. Money App requires a mandatory cooling-off period after repaying your advance before you can get another, but it doesn't say for how long, and it's not available in all states.
Pros
Includes budgeting tools
No monthly fee, interest or late fees
Cons
Not available in all states
Must get paid by direct deposit
How long you have to wait between advances is unclear
SoLo Funds is a peer-to-peer cash advance app where users can lend or borrow money. It offers advances up to $625, and it doesn't charge interest or a monthly membership fee. But it accepts optional tips to lenders and/or donations to SoLo Funds — and, if you don't add a tip to your loan request, you have to wonder if your request will be fulfilled. Free funding may take up to three days, but if you want it expedited, it'll cost you 1.75% of the loan amount.
Plus, unlike most cash advance apps, SoLo Funds charges a late fee of 10% if you don't pay it back within 35 days. You'll also be on the hook for a transaction fee of 2 x (.9% of the principal + $0.70).
Not available in: California
Pros
Reports payments to credit bureaus
High initial advance amount compared to other apps
No credit check, or subscription fees to get started
Cons
Charges late fees
Charges transaction fees
Mixed customer reviews
Loan amount
$20 - $625
APR
N/A
Interest rate type
Fixed
Loan Term
Up to 35 days
Turnaround time
As soon as same day or instant for a fee
Loan amount
$20 - $625
APR
N/A
Turnaround time
As soon as same day or instant for a fee
Honorable mentions
These two cash advance apps don’t charge for monthly subscriptions, but they charge mandatory fees for advances.
Cash App Borrow doesn't charge a monthly subscription fee to qualify for advances, and there is no fee for fast transfers because funds arrive the same day you apply. However, there is a 5% fee per advance and a 1.25% weekly interest charge if you don't repay it by your due date. The upside of Cash App is that you can use all its other services for free and only pay a fee if you need to borrow money.
Varo offers cash advances up to $500 (or up to $250 for new users), and you don't need to pay a monthly fee to be eligible for advances. It also offers instant funding, but there's a flat fee for each advance. Depending on how much you borrow, your fee is between $1.60 and $40. If you need to borrow more than $500, Varo offers a credit line of up to $2,000 with a similar fee structure but a longer loan term.
If a cash advance isn’t the right move for you, consider these alternatives.
Personal loan. If you’re looking for a larger loan amount, you may want to consider a personal loan instead, but you may need a good credit score to qualify.
Payday alternative loan (PAL). A better alternative to payday loans, PALs are offered by some federal credit unions at competitive rates, but you’ll typically need to be a member for at least one month to qualify.
Your own bank or credit union. Similar to PALs, your regular bank or credit union may offer small loans to customers in good standing.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans. While not a solution for an immediate cash need, BNPL loans can allow you to make a larger purchase — usually interest-free — that you can pay back in four installments.
Bottom line
If you only need a cash advance app once in a while, paying a monthly subscription fee can feel like an unnecessary expense. Consider saving yourself some money and signing up for a cash advance app that doesn’t charge a monthly fee. Or, see if your employer offers a cash advance app as a benefit, which may also come with other perks.
Frequently asked questions
How do I avoid cash advance fees?
You may not be able to avoid all fees when you need a cash advance, but a good start is to avoid apps that charge a monthly fee. You can also look for ones that charge smaller fees for fast transfers, such as EarnIn.
How much does Vola let you borrow?
Until recently, Vola only let users borrow up to $300, but it’s recently bumped that up to $500. And, with monthly memberships starting at $1.99 and zero charges for transfers of any speed, Vola is a fairly low-cost option.
What app lets me borrow money instantly?
Most cash advance apps have an instant transfer option, but you still have to link your bank account and get verified before being approved for advances, which might take a day or two. However, if you already use a banking app, such as Chime or Cash App, you could potentially receive an advance in minutes after applying.
Lacey Stark is a freelance personal finance writer for Finder, specializing
in banking, loans, investing, estate planning, and more. She has 20
years of experience writing and editing for magazines, newspapers, and
online publications. A word nerd from childhood, Lacey officially got her
start reporting on live sporting events and moved on to cover topics
such as construction, technology, and travel before finding her niche in
personal finance. Originally from New England, she received her
bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver and completed a
postgraduate journalism program at Metropolitan State University also
in Denver. She currently lives in Chicagoland with her dog Chunk and
likes to read and play golf. See full bio
Have up to $250 automatically deposited into your account — for a $9.99 membership fee.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser disclosure
Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Finder receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. Finder compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
