Are you considering a cash advance on your credit card? It’s not the best option … Cash advances have high APRs and come with high upfront fees. To administer a cash advance, your credit card issuer will charge you an upfront fee that ranges from $5 to $10 or 3% to 5% of the amount withdrawn. For example, if you take out a $500 cash advance on your credit card, you’re looking at $15 to $25 in upfront fees. The APRs average around 24%, but some credit cards can have cash advance APRs upwards of 34.99%.

ElitePersonalFinance recommends cash advances as a last resort. If it’s an emergency and you need quick funds, a cash advance may be right for you. Just make sure you can pay off the balance in a short period of time.

If you have good credit, we recommend you stick to a personal loan. With plenty of reliable options and affordable APRs, check out our list of the best personal loans in 2022. Watch our video that shows how people with bad credit can get a personal loan:

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Now, if you have bad credit, don’t get too discouraged. There are cheaper alternatives out there, and we’re here to help you find them.

Should I Consider a Bad Credit Personal Loan or an Alternative Loan?

Before settling for a cash advance, you should apply for an unsecured personal loan or an alternative loan. These days many lenders offer loans for people with bad credit. Bad credit personal loans have APRs that range from 5.99% to 35.99%, while alternative loans have APRs that range from 35.99% to 400%. Bad credit personal loans often allow you to borrow between $1,000 and $100,000, while alternative loans typically range from less than $1,000 to upwards of $5,000. The main purpose of alternative loans is to help borrowers with extremely bad credit. They’re designed for those who don’t qualify for a personal loan but want to avoid a credit card cash advance’s pitfalls.

BadCreditLoans

BadCreditLoans.com offer unsecured personal loans to borrowers with extremely bad credit. And like their motto states – they help when others can’t. While the company offers loans up to $10,000, those with really bad credit shouldn’t expect that much. Usually, the lender will provide up to $3,000 if your credit is extremely poor, while those with higher credit scores can qualify for the full $10,000.

APRs range from 15% to 35.99% for those with extremely bad credit, but approval is usually fast and easy. Also, loans are unsecured, so you never have to worry about losing any collateral.

PersonalLoans

PersonalLoans.com offers bad credit personal loans ranging from $1,000 to $35,000 with APRs that range from 5.99% to 35.99%. As well, the loan duration range from 90 days to 72 months.

To qualify for a personal loan, you need to have some form of recurring income: full-time employment, self-employment, regular disability, or Social Security benefits. Most applications are processed quickly and easily. However, loan origination fees will apply in most cases.

OppLoans

OppLoans.com is one of the most popular alternative loan companies and one we highly recommend. Loan amounts range from $500 to $4,000, and APRs range from 59% to 160%. Loan duration range from 1 to 18 months, and OppLoans charges zero prepayment penalties.

As an added benefit, OppLoans offers refinancing options to select borrowers. While eligibility is left to its discretion, you will see a ‘Refinance Now’ option in your customer portal if you qualify. You can request additional funds or reduce your monthly payments through the link.

OppLoans offers installment loans in Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. However, the company also offers loans through FinWise Bank – an entity OppLoans contracts to handle certain loan products. These loans are available to borrowers in Alaska, Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.

Last is its line of credit. This option is only available to Kansas, Tennessee, and Virginia residents.

LendingTree

As another great source to find unsecured personal loans, LendingTree.com offers solutions to borrowers with credit scores as low as 500. Its APRs range from 3.99% to 35.99%, and you can qualify for loan amounts up to $50,000.

Citing recent examples, borrowers with credit scores greater than 700 received loan APRs that topped out at 11.95% – with the majority of loan APRs ranging from 3.99% to 5.74%. However – if you have bad to fair credit – the amount you receive will be much lower, and your APR will most likely fall near the 35.99% mark.

Is it Ever a Good Idea to Get a Credit Card Cash Advance?

You should only use a credit card cash advance as a last resort. It’s an expensive form of borrowing, so we don’t recommend it as a primary option. However, if you have extremely bad credit and are can’t qualify for one of the options above, a cash advance may be right for you. As well, if it’s an emergency and you need quick cash, it’s good to know a credit card cash advance is a possibility. But remember, before taking the plunge, make sure you can repay the proceeds in a short period of time. If not, interest charges will quickly add up.

Why Should I Avoid a Credit Card Cash Advance?

As we mentioned above, you should only use a credit card cash advance as a last resort. Another reason for this is that when you make the minimum payment on a cash advance balance, the proceeds are first credited to your purchase balance instead of reducing your principal. Because of this, your cash advance balance remains high, and you incur more interest charges at a higher rate.

But, we understand, life goes. And sometimes, emergency funds are needed.

So, if you find yourself stuck and a cash advance is your only resource, we consolidated some of the best options to help you along the way. But keep in mind, while all of the credit cards in the table below have zero upfront fees, only one is available to borrowers with less than excellent credit. This is the DCU Visa Platinum Secured Card. It’s available to borrowers with bad credit, but it’s secured, so it requires a minimum collateral balance of $500. All of the credit cards in the table below are issued by credit unions.

Best Cash Advance Credit Cards for Borrowers with Bad Credit

If you don’t qualify for any of the options above, the credit cards below are designed specifically for you. And while these options are more expensive, the approval rate is much higher if you have bad credit.

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards

As another credit card option for borrowers with bad credit, Capital One’s QuicksilverOne credit card comes with a $39 annual fee. To administer the transaction, Capital One charges an upfront fee of $10 or 3% of the cash advance amount – whichever is greater.

Total Visa Credit Card

As an even more expensive option for borrowers with bad credit, a Total Visa Credit Card requires an $89 Program Fee upon approval. Total Visa APRs are 34.99% for its cash advances, and upfront fees are either $5 or 5% of the cash advance amount – whichever is greater. However, there are zero cash advance fees for the first year as part of its introductory promotion.

Popular Credit Cards and Their Cash Advance Fees

Considering cash advance fees vary across credit card issuers, we wanted to consolidate some of the most popular credit cards in the marketplace to give you a sense of how the typical numbers play out.

Have a look at the table below:

As you can see, some of the most popular credit cards have cash advance APRs that range from 26.99% to 27.24%. And while upfront fees are constant at $10 per issuer – as a percentage – these can range from 3% to 5% of the amount withdrawn. Moreover, all of the options above are accessible to those with fair credit scores, while the Discover it Secured Card is a great option if you have bad credit and are willing to put up collateral.

Should I Consider a Cash Advance App?

At ElitePersonalFinance, we highly recommend cash advance apps.

But don’t get the terminology confused. These are completely different than credit card cash advances.

See, cash advance apps offer a great way to tap into your employment earnings before your paycheck arrives. When you sign-up and clock in using the apps below, the platforms track your work hours and allow you to withdraw funds instead of having to wait until payday. What’s great about the service is the companies below don’t charge any interest or fees. Rather than specifying a range of APRs or requiring upfront transaction fees, Brigit charges a $9.99 monthly subscription, while companies like Earnin allow you to donate whatever you think is fair.

Brigit

As a great cash advance app for all credit profiles borrowers, Brigit.com offers short-term loans up to $250. The company also charges no fees, interest, or late payment penalties. Instead of applying a specific APR to each borrower, Brigit charges a $9.99 monthly membership fee, allowing full access to the platform.

Earnin

True to its slogan of ‘Make Any Day Payday,’ Earnin.com acts as a bridge between the money you’ve already earned but have yet to collect. Through its app, you can borrow up to $100 a day from your pending paycheck without incurring the exorbitant fees you see with credit card cash advances.

Dave

As another reliable cash advance app, Dave.com offers loans up to $200 and doesn’t charge any interest or fees. The company charges a $1 monthly membership fee for compensation and requires you to link your bank account to the service.

Here you can find our complete list of loan apps.

What Types of Loans Should I Avoid?

Without question, it’s payday and car title loans.

Payday loans come with an APR of 400%. With interest rates this high, you end up paying $45 in interest for every $300 you borrow – and that’s just over a two-week span. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) also found that 20,000 bank account holders who made payments to online payday lenders incurred an average of $97 in overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees. The figure is nearly three times more than the $34 incurred by the average American.

Now for car title loans.

With car title loans, things are not different. The difference is that you put your car as collateral, and if you can’t make a payment on time, the lender can get it.

Tips to Obtain the most Affordable Financing

Remember, we don’t recommend alternative lenders as your primary source for a loan. We only recommend them as a way to avoid high-cost options – like a credit card cash advance. So, before you settle for either, read through our tips below and see if a more attractive option is available to you.

• Always apply for a bad credit personal loan. These days many lenders offer unsecured loans to borrowers with bad credit.
• Ask the lender why your application was rejected and work on that problem.
• Try secured personal loans.
• Next, move on to a co-signer loan.
• Try to improve your credit score.
• Use cash advance apps.
• Try credit unions typically require a one-time fee of $25, but their APRs tend to range from 18% to 28%; moreover, federal credit unions cap their APRs at 18%.
• Try to make or save some money.

Conclusion

It’s a common misconception that you can’t qualify for an unsecured personal loan if you have bad credit. Well, we’re here to tell you that it is possible. You need to be persistent.

The lending market is an extremely competitive space, and with plenty of companies fighting for your business, many lenders are willing to offer unsecured loans to borrowers with bad credit. Moreover, with the modernization of credit analysis – instead of focusing solely on your credit score – lenders now take a holistic approach and examine your entire financial situation. Variables like your work history, education, spending activity, and savings balance can all be used to overcome a bad credit score.

So, take our advice and avoid a credit card cash advance. The process is extremely cumbersome and can leave your finances worse than where they started.