What a cash advance really costs

How the APR is worked out

APR = total cost ÷ amount advanced × 365 ÷ days until repaid. A $5 fee on $100 repaid in 7 days is 5% for one week, which over a year is 5% × 365 ÷ 7 = 260.7%.

The short term is what makes the rate high. The dollar amount may be small, but you are paying it to use the money for days, not a year. That is why we show the dollars and the cost per $100 next to the APR, rather than the APR alone.

What we count

• Express fees: what you pay to get the money now instead of in a few business days.
• Tips: optional where an app asks for them, but if you pay one it is part of what the advance cost you.
• Membership: if an app requires a monthly fee to get advances, that fee is part of the cost. We split it evenly over the advances you take that month; change the “advances that month” box to see the effect.

What this is not

Most earned wage access providers say their fees are not interest and their advances are not loans. In December 2025 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said earned wage access that meets four conditions, including being repaid through a payroll deduction, is not “credit” under the federal Truth in Lending rules, so it needs no APR disclosure. It did not decide that question for apps that take repayment from your bank account after payday (details). Some states treat them differently; see state rules. Our APR is a comparison number so you can line an advance up against other ways to cover a gap. It is not a legal disclosure and not a statement about how any law classifies a product. More in How we calculate.