8 Cash Advance Apps That Accept Online Banking

Written By Adrian Volenik

Are you stuck for cash? Looking for some funds to get you over until the next payday? You’ve come to the right place. We’re presenting the best cash advance apps that work with online banking. 

Some of the cash advance apps on this list are also digital banks, and they offer free overdrafts to their users under certain conditions. 

Cash advance apps aren’t drunken millionaires that simply give out cash. You have to set up a direct deposit and have a healthy account with them to get higher amounts. You usually start out at the bottom of the scale (below $100) and move up the ranks ($200+).

cash advance apps that accept online banking infographic

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Here are the best cash advance apps that work with online banking.

1. Dave

dave cash advance app
  • Up to $500 cash advance
  • Credit builder
  • Connects to digital banks
  • Early payday
  • No interest
  • No credit check
  • FDIC insured

Dave stepped up to the plate big time. The app used to hand out only up to $200 until recently, but now they have cash advances of up to $500 that can get deposited instantly if you have their spending account as well. 

The added bonus is that you also build up your credit by simply paying back the advance on time. There are also no credit score checks, no interest on advances, and no late fees.

Dave has a powerful algorithm that will decide how much cash advance you can get once you connect your bank account. To be eligible for a higher cash advance, the company recommends you have:

  • A good income history 
  • Adequate spending patterns
  • $1,000+ monthly deposits
  • Bank account’s history and no or few negative balances recently
  • At least three recurring deposits

Dave accepts thousands of traditional and mobile banks but they don’t accept prepaid, and savings accounts, as well as investment accounts. There’s also a small $1 membership fee paid monthly. Plus, you can leave optional tips. 

2. Empower

empower cash advance app
  • Up to $250 cash advance
  • No interest
  • No late fees
  • Doesn’t affect credit score
  • Early payday
  • Up to 10% cashback

Empower offers instant cash advances when you link your account where you receive payroll deposits. Mobile, online, and digital banks work as well. 

The company used to have more complicated tiers of cash advances, but it seems they scrapped it and decided to leave the decision-making in the hands of the algorithm.

The advances start from $25 and go all the way to $250. You can get instant advances if you have their debit card, which is in step with Dave and most other apps on this list. Otherwise, it will be the standard 3-5 business days for delivery.

Their new product is called Empower Thrive, which starts with a $200 advance, and you can grow that to $1,000 by paying back advances in time. At the same time, look at your credit score because it should be building up as well. Empower notifies credit bureaus of your payments. 

If you manage to pay your balance on your next paycheck, the APR is 0%, and if not, it will be 35.99%. 

If you don’t qualify, the company can help you with qualifying for a future advance. Find the factors for cash advance eligibility in the app:

  1. Open the Accounts tab
  2. Under the Cash Advance tap on “Check eligibility”
  3. Review your paycheck account
  4. Then tap “Continue”
  5. You’ll land on a screen to review alternate ways to qualify
  6. Tap on “Details” on the upper right

READ ALSO: The Future Of Digital Banking (Five Likely Outcomes)

3. MoneyLion 

moneylion cash advance
  • Up to $1,000 cash advance
  • No interest or late fees
  • No credit history check
  • Early payday
  • Credit Building Program
  • Cashback rewards

MoneyLion is in the $250 cash advance region as well. $250 is and isn’t a lot of money. You can fill up a tank, buy your weekly groceries or go to a nice dinner.

We have to separate InstaCash, which is their cash advance program that pays out up to $250, and the Credit Builder loan with a loan of up to $1,000 with no hard credit check. 

You can unlock higher advances when you:

  • Place direct deposits into a RoarMoney account 
  • Sign up for a Credit Builder Plus membership 
  • Complete tasks in your MoneyLion App to qualify for Boosts

It’s easy to request advances. Simply tap the ‘Accounts’ tab in the MoneyLion app and find out in seconds if you qualify and how much you can get. If you’re happy with the advance amount, tap the ‘Request’ button. 

As is the case with Varo, faster delivery will cost you $3.99. Otherwise, the delivery is free and can take one to two days. 

To qualify for a cash advance, your banking or checking account must meet the following: 

  1. Your account has to be open for at least two months
  2. You get regular deposits of income or paychecks 
  3. There’s no negative balance
  4. The account is active

Or alternatively, you can also qualify for cash advances when you open a RoarMoney account.

In whatever circumstance you start getting cash advances, it can take 3-8 weeks to become qualified for the maximum amount of Instacash.

READ NEXT: 10 Best Digital Bank Accounts For E-Commerce Businesses

4. Albert 

albert cash advance app
  • Up to $250 cash advance
  • No interest or hidden fees
  • Early paycheck
  • Investing
  • Budgeting and saving

Albert has more than 10 million past and present users reportedly. It’s another banking, investing, and savings financial app that also offers up to $250. That seems like the magic number.  

With Albert Instant, you can get your money instantly ($4.99) or in a couple of days for free. However, since they also have a checking account, if you set it up as the primary account, advances are free. 

To get the Albert Instant, you’ll need to satisfy the following:

  1. You got a direct deposit from the same employer in the last two months
  2. You didn’t spend it the next day
  3. Your linked bank account is older than two months and doesn’t have a negative balance

To request the Albert Instant cash advance, go to the home screen, and choose “Instant”.

Repay the advance manually or have it done automatically on your next payday. The company will regularly review your account in order to calculate your qualifications and to potentially increase or decrease the limit.

5. Brigit

brigit cash advance app
  • Up to $250 cash advance
  • Register in 2 minutes
  • No credit checks
  • No interest rates
  • Credit builder program
  • Backed by Kevin Durant and Ashton Kutcher

Brigit is much the same as most other cash advance apps. One of the only differences is that it’s backed by famous people. 

There are two Brigit plans – the Free Plan and the Plus Plan.

With the free plan, you can still get advances but apart from that, you only get alerts, analytics and budgeting features, and the fact that you can find full and part-time jobs directly in the app.

The paid plan costs $9.99 per month and contains all the features of the free plan plus instant transfers, credit builder, auto advances, flexible repayments, and ID theft protection.

This last feature is an interesting one. You basically have an insurance policy of $1M in case of identity theft.  

To determine how big of a cash advance you can get, the company will take into account your recurring deposits and past expenses. You can get anywhere between $50 and $250.

At this time, you can’t change your maximum amount. What you get approved for is what you’ll be getting in the future. 

6. Chime 

chime fee free overdraft
  • Cash advance from $20 – $200
  • Credit Builder Program
  • No fees
  • Get paid early
  • 60,000+ free ATMs
  • Automatic savings

Chime is a digital bank with millions of users. It also has overdrafts of up to $200 without fees. This cash advance benefit is called SpotMe and starts at measly $20. 

To get access to overdraft, you have to receive a single direct deposit of at least $200 to your Chime account. That has to continue for you to be able to use the cash advance in the future. 

Deposits can’t come from anywhere. There are set rules for them. The depositor has to be your employer, payroll provider, or a gig economy payer like Uber, Upwork, DoorDash, and others. 

It can also come from the government in the form of benefits. Deposits have to be deposited into your savings account via ACH or OCT. 

Once you qualify for entry into the SpotMe program, you can become eligible for higher amounts based on your account and repayments history, direct deposits, and other so-called risk-based factors.

7. Cleo

cleo cash advance app
  • $20-$100 cash advance
  • No interest
  • No credit checks
  • Payback anytime within 3 and 28 days
  • $5.99 per month fee
  • Budgeting and savings
  • Autosave feature

Cleo is a Gen Z app through and through. The mouse pointer on their website is a slice of pizza. Enough said.

However, don’t let that detract you. Cleo can, in fact, helps you save and budget and get a cash advance of up to $100 if you qualify. 

The app connects to most traditional banks and many many digital banks, such as Chime, Axos, SoFi, MoneyLion, Wise, One Finance, Varo, etc, but not Cash App, or Venmo, for instance.

You can qualify out-of-the-box for Cleo’s cash advance, or you can sign up for their premium account called Cleo Plus, which costs $5.99 per month. 

You’ll have to set up your Cleo wallet and connect a debit card. The cash advance is between $20 and $100 in your account. However, there’s a new invite-only, subscription service called Cleo Crusher that costs $9.99 per month and can get you the “motherloan”. Don’t ask me how much you can get because it isn’t disclosed yet. Aka, I wasn’t invited yet.

Cleo has additional fees that might leave a sour taste in your mouth. For instance, to get the salary or cash advance on the same day, you’ll have to pay $3.99. 

The company will closely inspect all your spending habits, cash withdrawals, missed payments, and more. 

8. Varo 

varomoney
  • Cash advance up to $100
  • $5 fee for $100 CA
  • Early direct deposit
  • Overdraft protection
  • No monthly fees
  • Checking account
  • Debit card
  • Savings account
  • Free ATM Withdrawals

Varo is the first fully fledged digital bank in the US. It offers a banking and savings account with no hidden fees and can also help you build up your credit.

The cash advance is, of course, also present. However, the bank does charge fees if you take out more than $20.

The largest fee is up to $5 for taking out their max $100 cash advance. If you get $75, the fee is $4. For $50, it’s $3, and a $20 cash advance has no fees, as already mentioned. 

There are naturally some qualifications you need to meet with your Varo bank account:

  • It has to be active
  • You don’t have a negative balance
  • It’s at least 30 days old
  • At least $1,000 in total qualifying direct deposits to either your Varo Bank Account or Savings Account, or both combined, within the last 31 calendar days
  • Activated a Varo Bank Debit Card

Conclusion

There are many cash advance and payday loan apps on the market that work incredibly well with online, digital, and mobile banks. 

About the Author

Chief Editor at TopMobileBanks

Adrian is a fintech expert who has tested hundreds of financial apps, cards, and accounts. His love for testing digital banks, payment apps, and financial products, in general, is unmatched.

How many digital banking accounts can one man have?

Not enough, if you ask Adrian. As his wallet will soon explode if he doesn’t cut back on the number of cards.

On the plus side, they have enabled him to create awesome How-To Guides that you can read on our site.

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