Cash advance calculator

Cash advances — which let you “borrow” money from your credit card account — are a unique way to get cash when you need it quick. While convenient, cash advances can prove incredibly pricey beyond the money you borrow from your account. That’s because they come with high interest rates and fees. It is possible to get a low cash advance rate, but strongly consider alternatives before getting a cash advance.

How much could a cash advance cost?

Let’s say you’re at a festival and want to use your credit card to get cash out. Your card applies the following fees and charges:

• ATM withdrawal fee: $3
• Cash advance fee: The greater of $10 or 5% of the total transaction cost.
• Cash advance interest rate: 21.99% APR

If you withdrew $500 on the first day of the festival, your initial costs would be:

• ATM withdrawal fee: $3
• Cash advance fee: $25
• Total: $528

This would start accruing interest at the rate of 21.99% APR from the day you made the withdrawal.

Looking for lower cash advance fees? Compare the top cards for cash advances.

How to calculate the total cost of my cash advance

The math for calculating your cash advance costs is straightforward. You just add the fees and interest to your cash advance amount to get the total cost. Here are the fees and interest that add up to your cash withdrawal amount:

1. Cash advance APR. This is the interest rate you start to accrue from the day you make your transaction. This is often the highest credit card interest rate and it’s usually above 25%. The exception here are cards issued by credit unions. Some of these cards have a 0% intro APR period on cash advances, but they all have a low APR between 9% and 18%.
2. Cash advance fee. This is the fee you pay as you make your cash advance transaction. The most common fee you’ll find is between 3% and 5% of the amount. Some cards issued by credit unions completely waive this fee.
3. ATM fees. If you’re making a cash withdrawal from an ATM, expect to pay a fee of around $3 per withdrawal. Usually, you can avoid this fee if you withdraw your money from an ATM of your card issuer.

Example of a cash advance calculation

How to calculate cash advance interest?

Suppose your cash advance APR is 26%. This is a yearly interest rate, meaning every day you’ll accrue less than 0.1% interest. Let’s say you’re making a $500 cash withdrawal and you want to pay it off in 30 days. Here’s how the math goes:

26 percent / 365 days = 0.0712 x $500 x 30 days = 1,068/100 percent = $10.68

In this example, you would pay $10.68 interest for a $500 cash withdrawal if you paid it off after 30 days.

Is a cash advance ever a good idea?

While cash advances are an expensive, last-resort option, sometimes they can’t be avoided; You just need the money.

If you have a debit card, try to use it instead. You will avoid the cash advance fee and the cash advance APR right off the bat. But if that’s not an option, calculate the costs of making a cash advance and make a repayment plan.

Alternative options to getting a cash advance

If you need emergency access to cash, cash advances aren’t your only option. For example, you can apply for a:

• 0% purchase intro APR period credit card.
  Credit cards with a 0% intro APR period on purchases can be an excellent alternative, especially if you’re looking to make purchases now and pay them off without interest between 12 and 20 months.
• Balance transfer credit card.
  If you’ve already accrued credit card debt and are finding it hard to pay off because of high interest rates, a 0% intro APR period balance transfer card should be on top of your list. Once you move your balance, you can get between 12 and 21 months of 0% intro APR period. This should help you pay off your debt faster and with no interest.

Compare cash advance credit cards

If you really need to use a credit card for cash withdrawals or other cash advance transactions, these cards offer relatively low fees or APRs.

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Name	Product	Filter values	Cash advance rate	Cash advance fee	Recommended minimum credit score
CardMatch™ from creditcards.com					300	Use the CardMatch tool to find cards you're likely to qualify for with your credit score, without a hard pull on your credit.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card			17.39% variable	$6 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater	300	Apply for this card with no credit check if you're new to credit or have bad credit.	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card				$5 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater	580	The Indigo® Platinum Mastercard® Credit Card is specifically designed for those with less than perfect credit.	Go to site View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Bottom line

Cash advances are useful if you need emergency access to cash. But with high rates and fees, credit card cash advances are almost always an expensive option.

If you really need to use a credit card for cash withdrawals or other cash advance transactions, make sure you use a low cash advance rate credit card and consider other options so that you can keep your costs to a minimum.

Frequently asked questions

• Why are cash advances so expensive?

  Cash advances are expensive because you borrow money from the bank. And since this is consider a high risk by banks and financial institutions, they impose high fees and interest to offset the risk.

• How do I avoid cash advance fees?

  Avoid paying cash advance fees by using a credit card that waives these fees.

  Another option to avoid cash advance fees is to use an electronic funds transfer to your checking account. This feature is offered by some financial institutions, including USAA.