Denice R. Preston
You can get small amounts of cash quickly with Get-Payed-Early apps. After considering factors such as fees, loan amounts, credit-building assistance, and banking tools, we’ve selected our top picks.
You may want to look into “get-paid early” apps if you need cash to pay a bill or cover an unexpected expense. These apps can allow you to access your paycheck before your next payday.
Best for building credit: MoneyLion
Why MoneyLion is different: MoneyLion offers zero-interest cash advances up to $250 per month. If you are eligible, you might also be eligible for a credit-builder loan of up $1,000. This includes access to cash immediately, and interest-free cash advances up to $250 per pay period.
- You don’t need to have a credit score to apply for a cash loan. MoneyLion will not conduct a credit check if you apply to the credit-builder loans.
- Monthly Membership Fee: To access the credit-builder loans, you must pay $19.99 plus your monthly loan payment.
- Credit monitoring free of charge: If you have the MoneyLion credit builder loan, you can keep an eye on your credit each week.
Best for budgeting: Current
Why Current is different: Current offers a variety of features that will help you budget and manage money. To get spending insights and budgeting tools, you can open an account. You can also use the savings feature to automatically save money for a house or car, as well as any other financial goals you might have.
- Get paid 2 days earlier: With current, you could get your paycheck 2 days sooner if you sign up for the premium checking account and use direct deposits.
- Instant cash deposits: As long as you have an active account, you can instantly deposit cash at over 60,000 stores without having to visit a bank or use an ATM.
- You can send and receive money to other Current users via the app. Currently does not charge minimum balance fees, overdraft, ATM charges, or bank transfers. Current does, however, charge cash withdrawal fees outside of the network. Under certain circumstances, third-party fees and fees for adding cash might apply.
Ideal for Partnering with Employers: Even
Why Even stands apart: A payday advance app works with employers to provide cash to employees when they need it. It also provides tools to help with financial planning. Even your employer can use it to get a portion of your paycheck before you receive it.
- There are many ways to get cash: Cash advances have no interest and can be accessed within a few hours. You can also pick up your cash at your local Walmart if you need it immediately.
- All employers do not use it: To use the app, you must have your employer enrolled. You will also need to be active as an employee. If your employer is part Of Even, you can use the app to check your schedule, see your earnings, and find out how much your next payment will be.
- Automatic savings: The app allows you to save a portion of your pay each pay period into an Even savings account. You can modify the amount that you wish to save at any time and withdraw money as needed.
The best online banking tool: Empower
Why Empower stands apart: Empower allows you to get up to $250 cash advance as soon as two days before your payday. Empower charges a monthly subscription fee. You can open an FDIC insured Empower checking account. There are no minimum account balances and no overdraft fees. Transfer funds from your Empower account to linked external accounts will also be possible.
- Monthly $8 membership fee: To use Empower, get an interest-free cash advance up to $250 and other perks the app has to offer; you will need to pay an $8 monthly subscription fee.
- Customized Budgeting: Empower allows you to create a budget that you can use to track your spending. Your income will be used to make recommendations. You can also set spending categories.
- Savings recommendations: Empower analyzes and recommends ways to save money and earn more. It even informs you about bill increases and credit utilization.
