Advance America has been around for more than 25 years, with thousands of stores nationwide. It has a fast online application with an advertised instant approval decision. Advance America offers multiple borrowing products, including payday loans, installment loans, title loans and even lines of credit.
While many people turn to it for short-term loans, it charges high rates that can exceed 700% APR.
If you need a short-term loan, personal loan or just a little something to get through your next paycheck, we’ve gathered ten alternative lenders similar to Advance America to help you avoid those high APRs and risky lending options.
If you're a current Chime customer and need a little extra cash, look no further than Chime SpotMe. SpotMe is free, optional overdraft feature available to Chime customers with an active debit card. If you accidentally overdraw your account, SpotMe automatically covers you for $20 to start – and may increase this limit to $200, depending on how you use your account.
To be eligible for SpotMe, you need at least $200 direct deposited into your account every month. And because it's an optional feature, you need to switch on the Overdraft fee-free option in your Chime app settings. And because you don't pay fees or interest, SpotMe is cheaper than a loan from Advance America.
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC. Direct deposit: Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date. SpotMe: Chime SpotMe is an optional, no fee service that requires a single deposit of $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the Chime Checking Account each at least once every 34 days. All qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their account up to $20 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals initially, but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your limit. Your limit may change at any time, at Chime’s discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe won’t cover non-debit card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. See Terms and Conditions.
Pros
Get other Chime users to send you boosts to increase your SpotMe limit
Earnin is a cash advance app that lets you borrow up to $750 of your earned wages before payday with its Cash Out feature. This borrowing limit is significantly higher than most cash advance apps and unlike payday loans, there's no interest or financing fees to use Cash Outs.
To qualify for Earnin Cash Outs, you need to be employed, have regular direct deposits and earn a minimum of $320 each pay period. You can transfer $100 a day to a linked bank account, or more than $100 per day to an Earnin card. Regular transfers are available in one to three business days or in minutes for a fee.
Available in all states
Pros
No credit check required
No mandatory fees, interest or tipping
Free credit score tracking included
Cash Out more than $100 per day with an EarnIn card
Cleo offers three levels of service. For free, members can request a cash advance through customer support, and qualify for $20 to $70 advances at first, eventually qualifying for up to $250 in advances. Advances are easier to request through the app if you pay the $5.99 monthly subscription fee, which also comes with personal financial management tools.
If you're willing to pay $14.99 per month, you can access credit builder tools, which includes a secured credit card, early access to your paycheck and up to $500 in emergency cash advance if you set up direct deposits. And Cleo reports to all three credit bureaus, which can help you build credit if you keep up on your payments.
Available in all states
Pros
New advance available 24 hours after payoff
One-time due date extension
Budgeting and saving tools through app
Build credit with Credit Builder subscription
Cons
$5.99 to $14.99 monthly subscription fee
Non-subscribers must contact customer service to apply for cash advances
$3.99 express fee for same-day funding
Loan amount
Up to $250
Loan Term
Varies
Turnaround time
3 to 4 days standard transfer. Same day with $3.99 express fee.
Loan amount
$20 - $250
Turnaround time
3 to 4 days standard transfer. Same day with $3.99 express fee.
Albert is a banking app that offers cash advances up to $250. What sets it apart from other cash advance apps is the quick delivery option and no membership requirement. For a small fee of $6, you can get instant delivery of your cash advance. While you don't need the paid membership to access the cash advances, new users are automatically enrolled in the paid plan and have 30 days to cancel their membership before being charged.
If you decide to stick with the paid membership called Genius, it's $96 per year and you can get instant delivery of your advances for free. However, Albert doesn't have the best reputation on review platforms, with many customers complaining that it was difficult to cancel their Genius enrollment. Customer support appears to be lacking — they don't have a customer service phone line.
Brigit offers cash advances up to $250 per pay period for a monthly $8.99 fee. And if your bank balance is low, it offers free repayment extensions on advances and in-app alerts to let you know if you're at risk of overdraft – or you can set it to transfer funds to your account automatically.
To extend your due date, go into the app and choose another repayment date. But to get an extension, you need to have at least two prior consecutive on-time payments. And while its advance limits are lower than some apps, Brigit's monthly fee includes a credit builder program and up to $1 million in identity theft protection.
If you need more than a couple hundred dollars and have fair credit, consider Avant. It offers personal loans up to $35,000 with APRs starting at 9.95%. The minimum credit score requirement is only 580, and it also accepts self-employment income. You can prequalify with a soft credit check as well.
However, you'll pay an administrative fee up to 4.75% when you take out the loan. And in 2021, Avant ran into trouble with regulators and had to pay $1.6 million over its debt collection practices. There are also over 1004 customer complaints on its BBB profile.
Not available in: Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Nevada, New York, Vermont, West Virginia
Personal loans from $2,000–$35,000. If approved, the actual loan amount, term, and APR that a customer qualifies for may vary based on credit determination and other factors. Avant branded credit products are issued by WebBank, member FDIC.
OneMain Financial doesn't have any set credit score requirements, making it an option for borrowers with steady income and rocky credit histories. Rates are high for a personal lender, starting at 18% APR, but that's still lower than Advance America. There is an origination fee of 1% to 10%, deducted from your loan amount, which can be up to $20,000.
OneMain also offers secured and unsecured personal loans, so if you want a chance at a lower rate, you can secure your loan with a qualifying asset. It's available in most states, has over 1,000 physical branches across 44 states and offers same-day turnaround.
Not available in: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont
Not all applicants will be approved. Loan approval and actual loan terms depend on your ability to meet our credit standards (including a responsible credit history, sufficient income after monthly expenses, and availability of collateral). If approved, not all applicants will qualify for larger loan amounts or most favorable loan terms. Larger loan amounts require a first lien on a motor vehicle no more than ten years old, that meets our value requirements, titled in your name with valid insurance. Loan approval and actual loan terms depend on your state of residence and your ability to meet our credit standards (including a responsible credit history, sufficient income after monthly expenses, and availability of collateral). APRs are generally higher on loans not secured by a vehicle. Highly-qualified applicants may be offered higher loan amounts and/or lower APRs than those shown above. OneMain charges origination fees where allowed by law. Depending on the state where you open your loan, the origination fee may be either a flat amount or a percentage of your loan amount. Flat fee amounts vary by state, ranging from $25 to $500. Percentage-based fees vary by state ranging from 1% to 10% of your loan amount subject to certain state limits on the fee amount. Visit omf.com/loanfees for more information. Loan proceeds cannot be used for postsecondary educational expenses as defined by the CFPB’s Regulation Z such as college, university or vocational expense; for any business or commercial purpose; to purchase cryptocurrency assets, securities, derivatives or other speculative investments; or for gambling or illegal purposes.
Borrowers in these states are subject to these minimum loan sizes: Alabama: $2,100. California: $3,000. Georgia: Unless you are a present customer, $3,100 minimum loan amount. North Dakota: $2,000. Ohio: $2,000. Virginia: $2,600.
Borrowers (other than present customers) in these states are subject to these maximum unsecured loan sizes: North Carolina: $7,500. An unsecured loan is a loan which does not require you to provide collateral (such as a motor vehicle) to the lender.
Example Loan: A $6,000 loan with a 24.99% APR that is repayable in 60 monthly installments would have monthly payments of $176.07.
Time to Fund Loans: Funding within one hour after closing through SpeedFunds must be disbursed to a bank-issued debit card. Disbursement by check or ACH may take up to 1-2 business days after loan closing.
Cash App is a top-ranking app in app stores, and for good reason. It has a simple peer-to-peer (P2P) payment system, multiple banking features, investing options, and its newest feature is Cash App Borrow. Qualifying users can borrow from $20 to $200 within the app, but there is a 5% interest rate and must be repaid within four weeks.
However, the Borrow feature is in its pilot phase, so not everyone will have access and eligibility is not clear just yet. According to Cash App representatives, it's limited in state availability, the most active users may have better odds of getting access and you need a certain credit score to qualify.
Tally calls itself a debt-fighting app, and it offers a line of credit specifically tailored for credit card debt consolidation. The line of credit is up to $20,000, which Tally can send directly to your creditors. There are no prepayment penalties or origination fees.
There are three Tally membership tiers, but you don't need a paid membership to get the line of credit. However, the paid membership Tally+ offers rate discounts and possibly access to a larger line of credit — if you're willing to shell out $300 per year. Alongside the line of credit, Tally also offers credit card management features and late fee protection to help you stay out of debt.
Available in: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin
Pros
No membership required
Large line of credit
Sends funds to creditors
Debt management features
No prepayment penalty or origination fees
Cons
$300 yearly membership for largest loan
May be additional fees with line of credit
Loan amount
$2,000 to $20,000
APR
7.90% to 29.99%
Interest Rate Type
Variable
Min. credit score
660
APR
7.90% to 29.99%
Min. credit score
660
Loan amount
$2,000 to $20,000
Alternative for large paycheck advances: MoneyLion
MoneyLion is a finance app that can offer large paycheck advances through its Instacash product — from $50 to $500 when you link a qualifying checking account. There's no membership requirement to borrow the base amount, no interest and no credit check. If you sign up for the paid membership RoarMoney, you may be able to borrow up to $1,000 or 80% of your paycheck. MoneyLion also allows multiple advances with no cooldown period, as long as you have the income history to show you can repay it.
Without the paid membership, advance funding may take up to five days. With RoarMoney, funding can be as soon as 24 hours. However, MoneyLion has run into some trouble with regulars and was sued in late 2022 by the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) for overcharging service members and has thousands of complaints on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile.
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 paid membership required
No interest charges
No credit check
Multiple advances
Cons
Limited to $500 advances without paid membership
Over 1,262 BBB complaints
Sued by CFPB for overcharging service members
Loan amount
Up to $500 or $1,000 with RoarMoney account
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
Alternative for installment loans: Possible Finance
Possible Finance is an app that lets you borrow short-term installment loans up to $500. Terms are very short, only lasting up to two months, and funding can be as soon as one business day. Rates vary by state but plan on paying around $15 to $20 per $100 borrowed, which can work out to APRs as high as 460%.
There's no credit check, repayments align with your pay schedule and Possible Finance gets decent customer reviews. However, Possible Finance has limited state availability — it's only available in 18 states. With rates as high as 460%, it's also a high-cost loan.
Available in: Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington
Pros
No credit check
Fast funding
Good customer reviews
Reports payments to credit bureaus
Cons
High APRs
Limited state availability
Low borrowing amount
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Interest rate type
Fixed
Loan Term
2 to 8 weeks
Turnaround time
As fast as 1 business day
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Turnaround time
As fast as 1 business day
How does Advance America compare?
Advance America offers fast, online payday advances, installment loans, title loans and lines of credit. However, all these lending options are considered risky, especially compared to traditional personal loans. Its high APRs aren’t very attractive, either, and it has limited state availability. Advance America charges high interest rates and may be more pricey than other options like personal loans and cash apps. To learn more about this lender, read our Advance America review.
Bethany Hickey is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto.
Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt.
Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others.
Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine.
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